Dano Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I have spent this weekend removing all of the legacy wiring on my SIII, things like the radio, fog lamps, spots, heated rear screen etc, they were wired into a connector block self tapped into the bulkhead and there were a few wires run to the battery with a couple of fuses, all a bit of a mess really and a faulting nightmare Now I would like to replace all of the above as I have a new radio and need the fog lamps etc plus I would like to plan for some working lights plus heated front and rear screens and heated seats, also 12v outputs for Ipod and GPS etc So what is the best way of doing this? Ideally I would like to take one feed to the passenger seat box and have everything in there (I will also have a leisure battery in there at some point with a split charge) Are there any kits you can buy that have the fuse board or relays or connector blocks? Are there better ones that are waterproof? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjblank Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here is the best company I know for wiring harnesses/upgrades. They have a UK dealer as well. I hope it helps. http://www.painlessperformance.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 VWP do a modular fuse & relay box, a battery-mounted affair, various fuse and relay holders, etc. I like the stacking fuse & relay sockets, each holds one relay (or flasher) and three fuses and they interlock. You can chain the main feed along the back of them quite easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 Thanks for the replies, on the subject of relays what is exactly the purpose of them, I thought it was to keep the switched current lower than the application therefore reduce the amount of current running long lengths down the car and reduce the wire diameter to the switches, it must also be a safety feature but why, would it be acceptable to leave out the relays and just switch and fuse each application onto a panel on the dash, I was thinking of a substantial ali panel in the dash void with 8-12 toggle switches on it with each fuse directly underneath, all the wiring / jumpering can be contained behind the switch panel neatly, would this be acceptable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Absolutely Dano, you do not need to relay anything unless your switches are not rated high enough for the current you are switching. Do not ignore start-up currents though, things like electric fans draw hugely just on starting, which is what will damage a switch over time, if it is near the the limit of it's current rating. I would suggest that anything over a 20A pull you relay, to be on the safe side, anything less than that just switch it normally. Any more than 4 fog lamps on one switch I would relay, and the heated screen needs relaying almost definately. Oh, one last thing, buy quality switches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Relays are there to take the strain off the switches, to reduce the runs of heavy gauge wiring behind akward places like dashboards, and to handle higher power than reasonable sized switches can. I try to use them for anything switching more than half the rated load of a switch, which in most cases for automotive switches is 20A. The closer to a switch's limit you get, the less reliable it's going to get as bigger currents mean more arcing across the contacts at switching. It's also easier to buss a fat +12v wire across a bank of relays than trying to do it behind your dashboard. You want the fuses before the switch - the closer to the battery a fuse is the more wiring it's protecting. These are a really neat solution, I'll be re-doing my relays & fuses with these at some point: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david1701 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 realys mean you can save money on cable , and stop you melting switches, also means if the smoke gets out of the wires it won't do it in the component your holding, generally relays are nice, but a pain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcowz Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I went for this set up: 16 way fuse box which clicks together with the 4 relay box making one nice neat (hopefully) unit. although if I had the cash, I quite liked the look of this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 I have seen one of these units that actually sits on the battery pos terminal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 They're fitted to a lot of Rover stuff, specifically Metros I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallPaul Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I have seen one of these units that actually sits on the battery pos terminal You mean like this: I am trying to find a fusebox for the second battery and aux stuff on my Disco3, but its tight in the second battery area, don't suppose anyone has bought one of the above and has a picture of it "in action" as it were on a battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david1701 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 wheres that from, my series needs a complete rewire and that looks to be a dammed good place to start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallPaul Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Its from the VWP, same as other fancy boxes above, Wepage can be found here. I would be interested to hear from anyone that's used one by the way, or has a picture, overhang is my possible problem. Its about £30 plus the dreaded by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4444244 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I'm sure pete (raceface120) will be along shortly, as he is currently swearing at the 5 module version in my 110, IIRC I have got 2 x 6 way mini relay holders, 2 x 20 way mini fuse holders and 1 x 4 way normal size relay holders, this is for a complete rewire, total new (lucas free ) loom, however I have lots of extra lights/radio/inverter etc Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4444244 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 oh and most of it came from Neil at polevolt or VWP, only because Neil is local to me really, no difference in stock/quality or service, they are both really good, but chuffing expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallPaul Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I know, its scary when you start to add it up, especially those nice shiny modular ones you clearly have, I priced out a single 6 way maxi fuse today and it was about 32 quid, and that was from pole volt who are slightly cheaper as well! In some ways its lucky I don't have room for the 4 module frame or it would cost me a fortune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I'm sure pete (raceface120) will be along shortly, as he is currently swearing at the 5 module version in my 110, IIRC I have got 2 x 6 way mini relay holders, 2 x 20 way mini fuse holders and 1 x 4 way normal size relay holders, this is for a complete rewire, total new (lucas free ) loom, however I have lots of extra lights/radio/inverter etcMike I am indeed useing one of the 5 way modular type ones (2 x 6 way mini relay holders, 1 x 20 way fuse holder and 2 x 2 way standard relay holder) on Mike's 110, to be honest I don't need to swear at it because it is quite nice to work with. I would however suggest buying twice as many crimp terminals as you think you need, as running out half way through wiring it up is a pain in the butt , (caused by inheriting the re-wire from some one else and needing to re-do the wiring to make sense of it ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallPaul Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Did you buy the bus bar for the 20 way mini fuse module, and if so was it any good? It sounded like a neat solution to the problem of supplying the positive side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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