Hi to everyone it's been a little while since my last post and I am hoping to finally be able to post pictures of my finshed-on-a-small-budget van in the coming weeks. Ive made good use of many postings over the last few months. I've a question about tow bar electrics that I'd be grateful for help on. I have bought a second hand tow bar and have bought the jk electric socket kit so I can tow a trailer. The kit has no instructions at all - has anyone fitted one and if so how and where is the best place to splice into the loom. I think I know which of the wires is which but its where to make the first cut that worries me!! Cheers
I've obviously got the cheap / bodge option here !.... I was surprised that jk didn't give a hint their website is usually has helpful q&a
It's normal for them to be spliced in around the rear lights.. side lights - grey brakes - black with red tracer indicators - black with white or green tracer (left/right)
Brilliant thanks. I should have also asked what is the best way to splice Using spade type connectors? Sorry if this is a daft question. Electrics scare me!
Don't use scotch locks... are you planning on piggy-backing the terminals in the rear lights? If you are some of the rear lights had slimline spades in them, and you'll struggle to do anything with them... only real option is to cut and splice the wires, ideally solder and heat sleeve the connections, but failing that, nylon choc blocks will suffice!!
As Paul says do not use Scotch locks they should be banned. Take your time if you have to cut and splice, use bullet connectors and solder and shrink wrap the ends of the looms, if you can use piggy back spades it will save you time and still have a good job. I did one on Tilly and was lucky enough to be able to use piggy back spades Pin. Function. Wire Colour Pin 1 left indicator Yellow Pin 2 fog lights Blue Pin 3 Earth White Pin 4 right hand off side indicator Green Pin 5 Right hand tail light Brown Pin 6 Brake lights Red Pin 7 Left hand tail light Black
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Scotchlocks are the spawn of the devil and will cause you problems down the line
10 years and counting. However I've got new rear lights to fit so they'll not look so hammy soon (as if anybody would know).
If Satan was an electrician he'd use scotch locks. They may have worked OK, but they're bloody awful. I removed so many of them from my wiring loom when I first got the van, it was incredible. In the end there was so much ham-fisted electrical bypasses and fixes and bad earths that I just had to bite the bullet and got the whole thing re-loomed.
if used properly they are not that bad but they have to be good ones and both cables have to equal sizes and to be the correct size. personally i love them as i get paid to trace faults and if i see them i can nearly always guarantee its them
It's worth bending back the metal tabs that hold the loom over the engine lid, pulling the loom down and unwrapping it a bit. That way you can get to the left hand indicator wiring, tap off the other wires, and tuck the whole lot away neatly. I used scotchlocks on mine - I loathe them, but needs must. No probs so far.
TBH I had to use scotch locks the other week... was on a mk5 golf tho... so accessing the loom properly just wasn't going to happen!!
As above, the original Scotch ones weren't that bad, if you use the correct gauge wire. I use them from time to time, but give myself a good birching afterwards as punishment
Yeh to be honest I tried to piggy back the wires onto the light fitting terminals for a less obtrusive fit but then couldn't get the cover back on, hence the scotch blocks. Been meaning all this time to lose them, but they do work.
