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Install Fog Light Kit without Wire Tapping?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by mycnam, Nov 8, 2014.

  1. mycnam

    mycnam Member

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    Hi everyone,

    I want to install a fog light kit for the 2010 Prius, either a Southeast Toyota kit or a Priuschat kit. But I am quite against T-tapping the low and high beam wires to control the relay. Is it possible to use a fuse tap in the driver's side fuse box which is only hot when the parking lights or headlights are on? I don't want the fog lights to be on when all lights are off, but I like the idea of turning the fog lights and parking lights on without turning on the HID low beam.

    Thanks!
     
  2. kenichols29

    kenichols29 Active Member

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    Bump... Im, curious too if there is anyway to install without wire tapping or changeing the harness in any way? is it possible to tap in through the relay?
     
  3. Squirt

    Squirt Member

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    Just curious, what's wrong with using a wire tap? This is what the factory instructions tell the techs to do when adding dealer add-ons.
     
  4. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    Taps are displacement connectors that cut through the insulation of the wire and clamp onto the stranded conductors of the wire.

    I have used them in the past, but I have used dielectric spark plug grease dabbed into the connector before placing it.

    Still, atmospheric water vapor, which is a gas, can get in and corrode the connection.

    Nothing, however beats the long term viability of soldering for a permanent lifetime connection.

    1. Using a micro hobby knife like an Xacto, remove 1/4 inch of the installation.

    2. Strip 3/8 inch of the insulation off of the wire to be connected, wrap it around the "skinned" wire and solder it in place.

    3. Using electrical tape, place the end in the crook and wrap the two branches together and back over the single wire to cover the entire connection.

    4. Using PVC pipe cement from the plumbing department of the local hardware store, coat the entire connection and about 1/4 inch of the wires.

    This is the longest lasting connection that can be made. It will likely outlast the car.
     
  5. kenichols29

    kenichols29 Active Member

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    Wire taps can cause longterm damage to the wire being tapped. What is the purpose of the two tapped wires?
     
  6. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    Correct, I've seen one of these taps corrode to the point of corroding the OEM wires all the way down the entire length in a marine environment on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I once lived 40 years, ago.

    Other than OEM soldered connections, my method is better and longer lasting than ANY other. Taping the new wire to the OEM provides a high degree of tension relief.
     
    #6 Mike500, Nov 15, 2014
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2014
    kenichols29 likes this.