- Thread starter
- #521
The brackets are being cut now. They should be here in the next 2 weeks. I have them back in stock so people can buy now and they will ship as soon as they arrive. Thanks everyone!
ARCHIVE Owl plug-and-play LX courtesy/puddle replacement and rock lights
- Thread starter Ramathorn15
- Start date
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Ordered! I ordered the wire and taps today too. Can't wait!
@Ramathorn15 what gage and what length wire did you use when you were putting together the plug and play kits? I can get down there and measure myself but I figured I'd ask anyway. I ordered some 24 AWG but thinking I should have gotten 20.
- Thread starter
- #524
It takes right around 6' per side and I always used 18 gauge. You can definitely get away with smaller wire though if you're using LEDs.
Just received mine. Thanks again!
Now to find some lights to buy.... any recommendations?
Now to find some lights to buy.... any recommendations?
I bought these mentioned earlier in the thread:
Amazon product ASIN B07FJSJMS3
Owl plug-and-play LX courtesy/puddle replacement and rock lights
link doesn't work for me
forum.ih8mud.com
Just got mine as well! Need to get some 18 gauge wire and I'm ready to mount!
I bought the owl brackets a while ago, and finally got around to adding some wiring this weekend. For reference, if you can't tell by the username, this is on an 05 LX470.
Under the front doors (both sides) I have these: amazon.com/gp/product/B07FJSJMS3/
under the rear doors (both sides) I have these: amazon.com/gp/product/B01KRV3PNA/
They don't match in temperature, so I will be sticking with one and returning the other. Image below. (ignore the oil, my wife drives a subaru)
I have the override switch working. That was the only tricky part. I didn't use a relay since this only uses like 3 amps, but once I get a relay board in my engine bay I will swap it over. So wiring is red/blue -> switch -> (-)Battery. The wires were slightly different than the picture on page 1 of this thread. They are the red (+)and red/blue (-) below:
They drop pretty quickly, so there are only like 10" to work with. Not too much of an issue. Note that they run to a plug (not pictured) similar to the plug on the underside, so you can unplug it to make sure that you have the right wires.
For the switch, I used my one open factory spot next to the side window adjuster. Wiring one side of the switch to the blue/red wire is easy, only like a 1 foot run. The issue I had was running a wire through the firewall. I found a precut 270° rectangular port in the sound dampening with a hole in the middle, and after some guesswork it looked clear on the other side. I drilled a hole with a 16" 3/8 wood drill bit since the space was tight and I had it laying around (https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-SPEEDBOR-Extra-Long-3-8-in-Woodboring-Spade-Drill-Bit/1003051894) I hammered it a couple of times to mark a center, and it only took a few seconds to cut right through. There is some fiberglass insulation on the other side that is easy to cut out of the way. With that done, I pushed my wire through, added an inline fuse next to the fuse box, and connected it to the (-) terminal of the battery. Worked perfectly. The hole area is below. Might be helpful for anyone adding any switch to an LX:
Once I add the rear lights, the switch will be even more useful since the stock reverse lights are so dim. Hope this hole area can help someone out. Just added the other stuff and switch wiring since I didn't see it spelled out on the first few pages of this thread, only mentioned.
Under the front doors (both sides) I have these: amazon.com/gp/product/B07FJSJMS3/
under the rear doors (both sides) I have these: amazon.com/gp/product/B01KRV3PNA/
They don't match in temperature, so I will be sticking with one and returning the other. Image below. (ignore the oil, my wife drives a subaru)
I have the override switch working. That was the only tricky part. I didn't use a relay since this only uses like 3 amps, but once I get a relay board in my engine bay I will swap it over. So wiring is red/blue -> switch -> (-)Battery. The wires were slightly different than the picture on page 1 of this thread. They are the red (+)and red/blue (-) below:
They drop pretty quickly, so there are only like 10" to work with. Not too much of an issue. Note that they run to a plug (not pictured) similar to the plug on the underside, so you can unplug it to make sure that you have the right wires.
For the switch, I used my one open factory spot next to the side window adjuster. Wiring one side of the switch to the blue/red wire is easy, only like a 1 foot run. The issue I had was running a wire through the firewall. I found a precut 270° rectangular port in the sound dampening with a hole in the middle, and after some guesswork it looked clear on the other side. I drilled a hole with a 16" 3/8 wood drill bit since the space was tight and I had it laying around (https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-SPEEDBOR-Extra-Long-3-8-in-Woodboring-Spade-Drill-Bit/1003051894) I hammered it a couple of times to mark a center, and it only took a few seconds to cut right through. There is some fiberglass insulation on the other side that is easy to cut out of the way. With that done, I pushed my wire through, added an inline fuse next to the fuse box, and connected it to the (-) terminal of the battery. Worked perfectly. The hole area is below. Might be helpful for anyone adding any switch to an LX:
Once I add the rear lights, the switch will be even more useful since the stock reverse lights are so dim. Hope this hole area can help someone out. Just added the other stuff and switch wiring since I didn't see it spelled out on the first few pages of this thread, only mentioned.
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So (stupid question, probably)- do you have these on the stock circuit for the puddle lights from the running board, and you've run additional power to a cabin switch to be able to flip them on as well? I want to maintain (well, get back, the PO took off the running boards and the connectors are there, still) that feature and then also be able to flip on as needed for night wheeling visibility.
@wrigh003
do you have these on the stock circuit for the puddle lights from the running board- yes
and you've run additional power to a cabin switch to be able to flip them on as well? - no
and you've run additional ground to a cabin switch to be able to flip them on as well? - yes
I want to maintain (well, get back, the PO took off the running boards and the connectors are there, still) that feature and then also be able to flip on as needed for night wheeling visibility. - That is exactly what I have now, so very doable
Basically the 12V for the puddle lights is always hot, and when they are triggered the ground wire is connected to the battery. By additional switch connects the ground wire to battery whenever the switch is pressed. So all you need is:
New wire connected from battery (-) to switch (goes through heat shield, hence the hole that I had to drill, about 6 feet)
new wire from switch spliced into puddle light ground wire (wago 221-413 or solder and electrical tape, about 2 feet)
Inline fuse to protect wiring. Preferably somewhere in the middle of the new battery wire. I used 12ga wire and a 7.5A fuse (biggest I would go is 10A since I think that it is on the DOME circuit)
As long as your T splice with the ground wire is good, it will use that under normal circumstances. The switch will act as a bypass, but it will receive all of the current flow in this configuration. I have a 20A switch, so I am not worried about that for now.
I am replacing this circuit with a switch-relay circuit in case I want to add more lights later, but it is totally fine as long as everything is speced out and wired correctly.
edit- Changed to a relay setup. This switch fit in the stock spare switch location: amazon.com/LIGHTBAR-Function-Push-Replacement-Toyota/dp/B09888G49J, and has two buttons which is nice since I only have 1 spare spot (other than the square diff spot) I have all 6 lights running on the factory circuit with no problem. I will pull the inline fuse and add my ammeter to record total current later today (edit 2- 3.22 amps or about 40W. I wouldn't personally go more than double this, but definitely stay under 7.5A. For reference, amazon had the 4 side bulbs at 18W each and the rear at 30W, for a total of 132W, over 3x more than actual. Don't rule out a light based on advertised wattage). I mounted the rear lights directly to the body. The corners had threaded holes from where I removed that trim bar when I put on the tow hitch. The color/temp difference isn't so drastic in person, but I may swap the rear lights one day in the future to make it all match. I used quick disconnects and wagos so everything is super easy to swap around. Here is a picture:
do you have these on the stock circuit for the puddle lights from the running board- yes
and you've run additional power to a cabin switch to be able to flip them on as well? - no
and you've run additional ground to a cabin switch to be able to flip them on as well? - yes
I want to maintain (well, get back, the PO took off the running boards and the connectors are there, still) that feature and then also be able to flip on as needed for night wheeling visibility. - That is exactly what I have now, so very doable
Basically the 12V for the puddle lights is always hot, and when they are triggered the ground wire is connected to the battery. By additional switch connects the ground wire to battery whenever the switch is pressed. So all you need is:
New wire connected from battery (-) to switch (goes through heat shield, hence the hole that I had to drill, about 6 feet)
new wire from switch spliced into puddle light ground wire (wago 221-413 or solder and electrical tape, about 2 feet)
Inline fuse to protect wiring. Preferably somewhere in the middle of the new battery wire. I used 12ga wire and a 7.5A fuse (biggest I would go is 10A since I think that it is on the DOME circuit)
As long as your T splice with the ground wire is good, it will use that under normal circumstances. The switch will act as a bypass, but it will receive all of the current flow in this configuration. I have a 20A switch, so I am not worried about that for now.
I am replacing this circuit with a switch-relay circuit in case I want to add more lights later, but it is totally fine as long as everything is speced out and wired correctly.
edit- Changed to a relay setup. This switch fit in the stock spare switch location: amazon.com/LIGHTBAR-Function-Push-Replacement-Toyota/dp/B09888G49J, and has two buttons which is nice since I only have 1 spare spot (other than the square diff spot) I have all 6 lights running on the factory circuit with no problem. I will pull the inline fuse and add my ammeter to record total current later today (edit 2- 3.22 amps or about 40W. I wouldn't personally go more than double this, but definitely stay under 7.5A. For reference, amazon had the 4 side bulbs at 18W each and the rear at 30W, for a total of 132W, over 3x more than actual. Don't rule out a light based on advertised wattage). I mounted the rear lights directly to the body. The corners had threaded holes from where I removed that trim bar when I put on the tow hitch. The color/temp difference isn't so drastic in person, but I may swap the rear lights one day in the future to make it all match. I used quick disconnects and wagos so everything is super easy to swap around. Here is a picture:
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OK, THAT makes sense.
I'm more of a wrench turner than electrician, so once you get me away from "plug in this aftermarket stereo to the car harness with this easy guide to which color wires go together" I get lost... pretty fast.
Preciate the switch rec, too - I think I have room for that one in the same place in my truck, or I might need to move the AHC interrupt over a slot. But it'll work, and keep the switches looking clean over there.
No problem. Let me know if you need a diagram or something with the relay wiring. That switch isn't rated for the full amps of the lights. Otherwise, just get a marine switch or something rated for 12V 20+Amps. Not sure of any that fit the stock spare hole, but I haven't looked very hard. The blue ones recommended on page 1 didn't fit mine, but I could have filed it down I bet.
There is also a spare square port where the rear diff locker would be - OEM Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX470 Center Differential Lock Switch 84725-60030 | eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/254719796228? - that switch will fit and you can make it do whatever you want. I would recommend a relay there as well though.
Other items that are helpful-
$12 - kit with fuse taps, inline fuses, spare fuses -amazon.com/DIGITEN-Assorted-Inline-circuit-Adapter/dp/B01G8HUTCW/
$9 - 2 relays with wiring harness - amazon.com/dp/B078T8CMF6
crimping tool (+ quick disconnects, ring terminals for battery, etc), 3/5 port wagos, heatshrink or electric tape
There is also a spare square port where the rear diff locker would be - OEM Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX470 Center Differential Lock Switch 84725-60030 | eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/254719796228? - that switch will fit and you can make it do whatever you want. I would recommend a relay there as well though.
Other items that are helpful-
$12 - kit with fuse taps, inline fuses, spare fuses -amazon.com/DIGITEN-Assorted-Inline-circuit-Adapter/dp/B01G8HUTCW/
$9 - 2 relays with wiring harness - amazon.com/dp/B078T8CMF6
crimping tool (+ quick disconnects, ring terminals for battery, etc), 3/5 port wagos, heatshrink or electric tape
To add one more stupid question...the ground is red with the blue stripe, right?
I'm actually looking to do the opposite...a kill switch so they cannot turn on. I've had a couple of times with really slow starts camping with the family...they just can't quit opening and shutting doors 100x/day. A really simple single pole switch should work.
I'm actually looking to do the opposite...a kill switch so they cannot turn on. I've had a couple of times with really slow starts camping with the family...they just can't quit opening and shutting doors 100x/day. A really simple single pole switch should work.
Yes, that is correct. You could add the kill switch to either wire though. That might be a good use for my second button actually, thanks for the idea.
@Ramathorn15 I see the brackets with connectors are sold out. Will they be made available again? Thx
- Thread starter
- #536
Thanks for pointing that out. Website was wrong. They're back in stock now!
Thanks! Ordered.
the kit includes connectors to plug into the factory wiring. You have to wire up the connectors into your own harness leading to the lights you install.
