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Driving Light Installation

M

mcmillans17

New member
Joined
Jul 4, 2017
Hey all,

Working on installing some Hella 550 driving lights on my '91 240. I plan on just drilling the bumper as I plan to keep them on and don't mind the minor cosmetic damage to the bumper.

Firstly: Will I be able to do this and thread the bolt through no problem without removing the bumper? It seems doable, but I keep hearing in other posts of guys pulling the bumper.

Secondly: I need wiring help. I'd like to do it myself, and it seems simple enough but I could really use a run down. I want to wire them to the high beams and also to the rear fog switch on the dash.

If anyone has any instructions, and possibly pictures of wiring job to avoid confusion, I'd really appreciate it.
 
It's alarmingly simple.

I drilled straight through the bumper as it sat on the car on my 87 244. Bolted them up no problem. Wired them to the fog light switch by the dimmer (I think on that car I had to run the wiring through the firewall on the passenger side loom hole, but on the later cars there is a wire pass through buried by the drivers side strut tower for cruise control vac hoses (I used that for my boost gauge too).

The Hella relay tends to suck, so... ground, power and whatever else.

Easy peasy.

Ask if you have questions... I'll try and reply.
 
EivlEvo said:
It's alarmingly simple.

I drilled straight through the bumper as it sat on the car on my 87 244. Bolted them up no problem. Wired them to the fog light switch by the dimmer (I think on that car I had to run the wiring through the firewall on the passenger side loom hole, but on the later cars there is a wire pass through buried by the drivers side strut tower for cruise control vac hoses (I used that for my boost gauge too).

The Hella relay tends to suck, so... ground, power and whatever else.

Easy peasy.

Ask if you have questions... I'll try and reply.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks for the go-ahead.

Bumpers are drilled no problem...Brackets installed. I found said cruise control harness behind driver side strut...It was a perfect unused harness with rubber end caps and I am working on feeding through from the switch into the engine bay...Everything's going well so far.

Question 1: There are three terminals on the fog switch...One labeled +, one labeled S, and one for the little bulb which is ground. Which of my leads goes on + and which on S? The schematic from Hella has the yellow lead going from the switch to terminal 86 on the relay, and the green lead going from the switch to "Connect to high beams". Not sure if the positive is coming from the high beams or from the relay.

Question 2: Where/How should I connect to the high beams? Is there a relay in the engine bay or something under the dash such as the 12v lead that goes to the dash indicator bulb?
 
Just use the lead on the switch to trigger the relay. The one that gets power when you turn on the switch is the one to use. Use a test light to check it. Wire that to terminal 86 on the relay. Wire to ground terminal 85 on the relay. Terminal 30 on the relay gets fused battery power and terminal 87 goes to both of the the lights.

Don't wire to the high beams. That is from an old DOT law which no one enforces anymore since lights have become so bright and powerful. I've noticed a lot of new cars that drive around with the fog lights on and no low beam. That is also the same laws which no one enforces. lol.
 
mcmillans17 said:
Hey all,

Working on installing some Hella 550 driving lights on my '91 240. I plan on just drilling the bumper as I plan to keep them on and don't mind the minor cosmetic damage to the bumper.

Firstly: Will I be able to do this and thread the bolt through no problem without removing the bumper? It seems doable, but I keep hearing in other posts of guys pulling the bumper.

Secondly: I need wiring help. I'd like to do it myself, and it seems simple enough but I could really use a run down. I want to wire them to the high beams and also to the rear fog switch on the dash.

If anyone has any instructions, and possibly pictures of wiring job to avoid confusion, I'd really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I have the exact same lights. While I don't exactly remember what I did with regard to the wiring, I'll try to take a few pictures tomorrow, if I get a chance, of the lights and the wiring.

I know I wired them to come on with the high beams, and didn't install a switch in the cabin.
 
Do you mean wire them to only work with high beams on and with a separate switch? Or did want them on every time the high beams are on ?
I'd just use a separate switch. (and relay)
Then only use them on empty roads. Otherwise you're just another dumbass showing off your after market lights.
 
No he's saying leave the high beams out of the equation.

If you use that wire, it basically wires to the high beam switch. So if you have your headlamps (lows) and fogs on, and you click your high beams on it will turn the fog lights off. You can wire it if you'd like... but it's not necessary.
 
Yeah what I ment was I'd put the driving lights on a switch, with a relay, so they operate independently of the factory head lamps.
A truck I drove to Alaska a few times had the driving lights (aka moose lights) wired up on the fog light circuit so they only worked when on low beam.
Total jackassory!
The low beams didn't light up the ditches very well and the "moose lights" were a pencil beam. I would've just did a field rewire but it was subzero everytime I drove that thing.
 
dl242gt said:
Just use the lead on the switch to trigger the relay. The one that gets power when you turn on the switch is the one to use. Use a test light to check it. Wire that to terminal 86 on the relay. Wire to ground terminal 85 on the relay. Terminal 30 on the relay gets fused battery power and terminal 87 goes to both of the the lights.

Don't wire to the high beams. That is from an old DOT law which no one enforces anymore since lights have become so bright and powerful. I've noticed a lot of new cars that drive around with the fog lights on and no low beam. That is also the same laws which no one enforces. lol.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure out how to wire up my new fogs without wiring to the headlights. I am not good at electrical!

The above corresponds to the Hella relay and supplied harness.

But how do I wire up and use the Volvo switch which has four terminals ? Thanks.
 
If you don't want to wire to the headlight circuit. To switch the relay you can use any switched fuse that has a free terminal. Usually ones toward the bottom of the fuse box has a spot. Like fuse 12 or 13 for example. You can connect to the fuse box with a female spade terminal on the right side.
 
dl242gt said:
If you don't want to wire to the headlight circuit. To switch the relay you can use any switched fuse that has a free terminal. Usually ones toward the bottom of the fuse box has a spot. Like fuse 12 or 13 for example. You can connect to the fuse box with a female spade terminal on the right side.
Click to expand...

Thanks. So using Dave's diag I would run the red wire from the switch to a switched fuse instead of splicing in to the relay wire?

240drivinglightwiring2lo.jpg
 
OP, please just make sure you aim the lights too high and drive around with them on from dusk to dawn regardless of whether you're opposing or following traffic. At least that's how people around here do it. :e-shrug:

:roll: But really, take note of where the new lights are aimed.
 
Wiring driving lights to the headlights is really the simplest way. Put the relay right behind the headlight, by the battery.

One wire from terminal 30 to battery +
One wire from terminal 85 directly to sheetmetal
Two wires from terminal 87 to the lights

Use one of these bad boys to tap terminal 86 (signal) into +12v right at the bulb connector at the headlight. The bulb connector has three wires on it; ground, low and high beam. Connect to the high beam wire. Makes for a simple and hidden install and the driving lights come on with the high beams.

1
 
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