Builds My first FJ60 (1 Viewer)

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Based on your wiring diagram, don't you need a hot lead into the switch, not a ground?

Haha....about 15 minutes ago I came to the conclusion that YES, I probably need some juice going to the switch.

I went back and read up some more and thought about how relays work and figured it out. My original sketch was based off the diagram on the back of the relay. I guess it assumed you knew what to do with the dash switch. My first time, but I guess you lean better after making mistakes.

So then....instead of a ground wire, would the lead to the relay go on the (-) side of my switch and then attach the (+) of the switch to something in the cab....like the cig lighter circuit?

Funny thing is that my gut was telling me to original plan didn't really make sense, but I was blindly following the relay diagram I had.
 
Was thinking more like this:

IMG_5365.jpg

I am not sure on your particular application but I think something like this would work for you.

Edit: You could prolly pull power from somewhere in the cab for the switch like you mentioned. Might allow you to avoid running additional leads back to the fusebox under the hood. HTH.
 
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@Robert Franzke i like your diagram if I end up using a 3 prong switch. I’m trying to use an old defrost switch. It only has essentially 2 “prongs”
red/white stripe is (+) contact and power to light bulb. Yellow/green stripe is (-) contact.
Thanks for the help!
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I also use a defrost switch for my lights. Mine has additional leads however for the backlight when the headlights come on. Is your switch backlit when the headlights come on? I am guessing not based on the number of leads. Your photo does appear to show a black lead which is the ground (gray sub-plug). The ground at the switch is simply there to light the little bulb in the switch when its pressed. That's all it does. So going through your wires the leads (I am guessing) are as follows:

Red/White = Hot lead - This you get from either your new fuse box or from somewhere in the cab
Green/Yellow = Load side - This would go to your Relay in my diagram
White jumper lead = Hot for bulb in switch when its pressed
Black lead = Ground for bulb in switch when its pressed

You should prolly check continuity with a multimeter to make sure power gets where it needs to when the switch is pressed. I suspect what I have laid out above should work for you, but without the switch in hand I couldn't be certain. Again you'd need to test continuity to be sure the switch itself works the way I am thinking it does. HTH
 
@Robert Franzke that helps a ton. What you described is what I had worked out in my head, but I wasn't sure since I'm a novice at best to wiring new circuits. Thanks for confirming my ideas.

I wasn't worried about the backlight being operational, just the "on" light.
 
Not to muck up your thread here but came across this thread today which details the wiring in post 33 and what I used to set this up on my Cruiser. You may be aware of this thread already and the switch you have seems to be a bit different than the defrost switch the post refers to (wire colors might be different). But thought it might prove helpful to your wiring stuff. Sorry if this is old news to you. HTH.
 
@Robert Franzke no, that’s great! I’ll have to give it a try this weekend using that thread for reference. Didn’t finish the wiring because I got busy helping put together an addition on a shop. If we ever get done, it will house a paint booth that I can get access to 🤞
 
Just in case you ever wondered about the cargo capacity of an FJ60....it can hold exactly three 55 gallon drums.
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I finally broke down and paid to get my windows tinted. I tried it myself, but just wasn’t quite working out to my standards. I’m starting to run out of things for this truck. Still a few items to check off the list, but I’m getting close.

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I was getting tired of working with a relatively dim work light when I get to mess with the cruiser at night. Taking an idea I saw from somebody's website, I decided to put in some under-hood LED lighting. I'll do more of a write-up when I'm finished wiring in the switch, but the mid-install testing looks pretty good. This shot is with all the lights off in the garage and no camera flash. I think this is a pretty awesome mod for well under $50.

IMG_0833-1.jpeg
 
Finished up the under-hood lighting install this evening. Overall not too bad, just a little time consuming to make it look good. Here's what I did...

I found these LED lights on Amazon for $16. You get a set of 4 light strips at 12" each. I went with the "daylight white" to maximize the brightness. The lights are waterproof and can be cut to length and/or connected in-line to power all 4 strips. They also come with 3M adhesive tape on the back. I decided to use all 4 strips placed around the inside of the hood to give me light on all parts of the engine bay. Eventually I decided to cut one strip in half and put a piece on either side of the hood near the firewall. I didn't want the lights shining directly at me and blinding me, so it worked out that they tucked neatly into the recesses of the hood for the wiper motor.

IMG_0833-1.jpeg


Once I had the layout down, I started connecting the strips. You can buy press-on connectors for these type of lights, but I decided to save some $$$ and just solder them together.
IMG_0829.jpeg


First I cut the ends right behind the plastic connection and carefully cut down and peeled away the silicone covering to expose the remaining portion of the connection leads.
IMG_0830.jpeg


There was actually enough solder remaining that I just tinned the end of my wires and then attached directly to the strips. This is the wire leads from one strip attached to the connection end of another strip. These lights have two (+) and two (-) connectors each. You do have to make sure that your connecting wires go to the same + and - positions on each strip as you connect them. I finished each one off with some heat shrink and then tested off the battery to make sure the string worked.
IMG_0831.jpeg


After all the strips were connected, I cleaned up the spots on the hood where I wanted to mount them so the 3M adhesive would stick. I started with the strip that had the free wires to connect to the battery on the PS side of the hood and went around clockwise....just wanted to make sure I didn't end up with the leads on the DS and have to figure out a way to run them across to the battery. After that it was just a matter of wiring up to a switch. I had an LED toggle switch already, so I wired into that. I have a small fused distribution box installed under the hood, so I just ran from that to the switch. There was a factory hole in the back of the PS fender that was a little bigger than the back of my switch. I fit nicely and has about an inch of clearance from the hood lift assist spring when closed. It was a little tight getting my hands back there to make the final connections, but it's doable with some patience.
IMG_0842.jpeg


These lights are SUPER bright and make every part of the engine bay visible. They are also drawing a minuscule amount of power off the battery. They weren't even pulling enough to register a change on the digital volt meter I installed in the cab. I'm pretty happy with this mod, especially for being completed under $20.
 
Finished up the under-hood lighting install this evening. Overall not too bad, just a little time consuming to make it look good. Here's what I did...

I found these LED lights on Amazon for $16. You get a set of 4 light strips at 12" each. I went with the "daylight white" to maximize the brightness. The lights are waterproof and can be cut to length and/or connected in-line to power all 4 strips. They also come with 3M adhesive tape on the back. I decided to use all 4 strips placed around the inside of the hood to give me light on all parts of the engine bay. Eventually I decided to cut one strip in half and put a piece on either side of the hood near the firewall. I didn't want the lights shining directly at me and blinding me, so it worked out that they tucked neatly into the recesses of the hood for the wiper motor.

View attachment 2288144

Once I had the layout down, I started connecting the strips. You can buy press-on connectors for these type of lights, but I decided to save some $$$ and just solder them together.
View attachment 2288140

First I cut the ends right behind the plastic connection and carefully cut down and peeled away the silicone covering to expose the remaining portion of the connection leads.
View attachment 2288141

There was actually enough solder remaining that I just tinned the end of my wires and then attached directly to the strips. This is the wire leads from one strip attached to the connection end of another strip. These lights have two (+) and two (-) connectors each. You do have to make sure that your connecting wires go to the same + and - positions on each strip as you connect them. I finished each one off with some heat shrink and then tested off the battery to make sure the string worked.
View attachment 2288139

After all the strips were connected, I cleaned up the spots on the hood where I wanted to mount them so the 3M adhesive would stick. I started with the strip that had the free wires to connect to the battery on the PS side of the hood and went around clockwise....just wanted to make sure I didn't end up with the leads on the DS and have to figure out a way to run them across to the battery. After that it was just a matter of wiring up to a switch. I had an LED toggle switch already, so I wired into that. I have a small fused distribution box installed under the hood, so I just ran from that to the switch. There was a factory hole in the back of the PS fender that was a little bigger than the back of my switch. I fit nicely and has about an inch of clearance from the hood lift assist spring when closed. It was a little tight getting my hands back there to make the final connections, but it's doable with some patience.
View attachment 2288138

These lights are SUPER bright and make every part of the engine bay visible. They are also drawing a minuscule amount of power off the battery. They weren't even pulling enough to register a change on the digital volt meter I installed in the cab. I'm pretty happy with this mod, especially for being completed under $20.
damn near lit up like an operating theater! i really like the minimal shadows 👍
 
👍just a quick ? how much have you driven it since the lights were installed? my concern is engine compartment heat breaking down the 3m tape.

I haven’t driven much at all since the install. It’s only been a couple days. I figure it will be ok for a while based on 2 things....1) there is a commercially sold kit that I didn’t see any negative comments about the adhesive failing. 2) I installed at the far edges where it seems that there will be a lot of airflow coming through the gaps between the hood and fenders.
 
Got into the rear axle and replaced the bearings and oil seals. While I was at it I went ahead and installed new brake shoes and hardware kits. It also gave me a chance to check on the insides of the diff. The all the gears looked like they were in good shape. Other than a stripped drum retainer screw, it was a pretty uneventful and straightforward job. Now I have brand new bearings, seals, and fluids in both axles. I should be good for a few more miles until I need to go back in there.

I didn't want to mess around with a stripped screw, so I decided to sacrifice a driver bit and weld it onto the screw. Between the heat from welding and the vibration from the impact driver, it came right out.
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Got everything torn down, cleaned, and inspected. While it was all out, I took care of any surface rust and gave all surfaces a fresh coat of paint. I used some ultra-high heat paint for the backer plates. Then it was in with the new bearings and seals. That part actually only took about 10 minutes. Like everything else, the majority of the time is devoted to cleaning.
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While paint was drying, assembly of the new brakes began.
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New brakes installed and ready for final assembly.
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Finally, I cleaned and repainted the diff cover. Put the new gasket on, tightened it up and installed the hex-head drain plug I got from Cruiser Outfitters. A few quarts of oil and a new fill plug and project complete.
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I think that's all the major maintenance items taken care of. Now it's on to the smaller things I just haven't gotten around to yet...cutting the ends off the u-bolts, interior fiberboard panel repair, filling in sound-proofing areas, etc.
 
Ran out to the local PNP today to poke around for seats to swap into the other truck. Came across a 2004 Nissan Xterra. Remembering a question I saw in some thread a while ago, I took a chance and spent the $10 to grab the windshield wiper arms. It’s confirmed, early 2000’s Xterra wiper arms fit perfectly on an FJ60. It’s also just a straight swap for the wiper blades. No need to get a different length. Also, no need to drop $$$ on the “4Runner upgrade”. Unfortunately, the rear wiper does not fit. The hole is too big for the Toyota stud.

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