Nice write up, lots of good pics

only a couple of minor problems with the install. Some of the wiring techniques are not conducive to long term reliability.

The purple wire going to the 7.5 amp fuse in the underhood fuse box is not a reliable connection. Vibration or other kinds of movement will eventually loosen the connection. Also when you force a wire into the spade connection of the box along with the fuse blade it spreads out the connector. This connector is spring loaded, when you spread it too far it opens up. If the purple wire is ever removed the connector will be looser than normal causing increased resistance in the circuit.

the best way to connect in this case is go behind the fuse box to the same wire as this connector and splice in with a crimp connector that comes with shrink tube insulation. They do make little connectors that go into a fuse connection but they also spread out the connector.

The connection at the bulb is not sealed to the elements. Note the factory connection, it has a rubber seal. This is a problem area, there's some heat generated at the bulb, combined with moisture this will cause corrosion which causes more heat and eventual meltdown and failure. A quick fix would be to pack the connectors with dielectric grease and check it periodically. A more permanent fix would be to get some factory connectors and splice into them with heat shrink crimp connectors or solder connections and heat shrink.

The yellow scotch-lock by the steering column is an interior only type connector also in that it's not sealed. You have to be really careful with these type connectors even on the interior, they are one of the more problematic of AM connectors. A more bulletproof way is shrink tube crimp connector or solder/shrink tube.

Have you looked at your wire gauges and amperage requirements? All copper wire alloys are not created equal. Japanese manufactures generally use the highest grade copper wires commonly available. Off the shelf AM wire is generally medium or low grade. If unsure it's better to increase the gauge size by at least one step. There's also the factor of length, the longer the run, the more the amperage drop. When you are not getting enough amperage to the bulbs due to these factors they will not be at their full brightness.

 

A very good writeup, I think I will actually do this one day if I get the time.

 

I had a few questions, since you are using the rocker switch does this mean every time you turn your car on and turn the parking lights on your fog lights are going to be automatically on? Is there a way to have them functional like the stock lights where they turn off and stay off when you turn your key off. Also has anybody figured out a way for this to work with the stock switch.

 

No. The whole point of the rocker switch is to provide on/off control of the fog lights, whenever the parking light circuit is on, OR whenever ignition is on, if you choose to use the ignition circuit as the trigger.

They do automatically turn off and stay off when you turn off the car/pull out the key, just like factory, even if you leave the fog light switch on. That way, you don't run down the battery by mistake. HOWEVER, on my car, if I leave the parking light circuit on, fog light rocker switch on, and shut down (letting the car's automatic key-out system turn off the lights), the next time I start my Evo, the parking lights will come on automatically, but the fog lights only illuminate about 50% of the time. When the fogs don't come on, all I have to do is turn the rocker switch off and back on, and then they're on again.

Not that I know of. As I already stated in the thread, the OEM switch is NOT a simple on/off mechanical continuity interrupter, like a rocker switch is. It is an electronic self-canceling switch which makes it either fairly complicated or impossible to rework so that it will do what we want it to.

Also, to address one concern that NWM_Tech brought up (all of his points are valid, although in my opinion, duplicating OEM reliability and weather-proof connectivity isn't necessary for a non-critical circuit like this):

I have not had any intermittent connection issues since this mod was performed on my car. And, my car is modified substantially with increased power, stiffer motor mounts, solid rear diff mounts, 600 lb/inch spring rates and pillow mounts, and it vibrates A LOT - so much so, that I've had trouble with digital cameras that record to SD (not a hard drive) working consistently for in-car video during track days and autocross events.

 

thanks man your a life saver

 

Nice job. Just did this myself. Took me 8 hours in all but only do to the fact I took my time to male sure it was done correctly. Wiring is my kryptonite. I caught my old eclipse on fire with fog lights lol. Quick question tho. I wired everything exactly the way u said and wired my switch how it was in ur pic.ground on one end power at the other with nothing on the middle tab. When I tested it this way the fogs would flash and go off and the switch would light up. I switched the ground and power and tested and the fogs would not illuminate nor would the switch. When I changed them back, but put the ground on the middle tab the fogs work but the switch does not illuminate. Is this just a difference in mine and ur switch? I don't really care if the switch doesn light up but if this is wrong let me know. I don't want to be driving up the road and have a fire inside my dash like my eclipse nor do I want a fire under the hood lol.

 

Not sure what to tell you on that. The fact that the switch DOES light up indicates that the mini bulb inside your switch is okay. I would use a 12V power source and experiment with the contacts to figure out which terminals will light up the switch. Then use a multimeter to determine which contacts pass current (i.e., show continuity with the meter) when the switch is physically clicked to the position that illuminates it. That will tell you how you need to wire up the switch so that it lights up when the fog lights are on, as it should.

I don't want your car to catch on fire either. Make sure all of your connections to the OEM power wires (i.e., 12V +) are fused within a few inches of where you tapped them. Even if you use a fuse that's way too high of a current rating, like 30A, it'll still pop within half a second if something shorts to ground.

 

would any one know how to wire this so the fog symbol comes on in the dash, i have a wiring diagram but i dont know if i would have to ground a wire or power it

 

This Write up has saved my life haha
Thanks for the great job
only thing i changed was that i use a Fuse Tap