Side lights to light the ground?

[wazzabie]

I would like to have some side lights for when I step out of the JL at night and see what I'm stepping on. What are you using for side lights under the body?

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[C.Sco]

I have some generic LED rock lights I bought on Amazon, haven't gotten around to installing them yet but I had the same ones on my Grand Cherokee before and they worked great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M8OXT2K/

Wire it up to an AUX switch, if you have them (and choose "always on" rather than "ignition" for that switch in the settings menu, to allow them to be on even after you turn the Jeep off).

If you want to have them stay lit for some amount of time when you turn off and get out of your Jeep, but then automatically turn off, you could wire them up with a relay connected to your headlights, so they turn off after your headlights turn off, which is normally I think 30 seconds after you exit the Jeep.

If you want help figuring out the wiring, I could sketch up a diagram for you

 

[C.Sco]

If you want help figuring out the wiring, I could sketch up a diagram for you

I got bored and drew it up

The only catch is that your headlights need to be on, to be able to turn your rock lights on, but honestly I can't think of a scenario where you'd ever want your headlights off and rock lights on.

If you don't have AUX switches, then just run a 12V+ constant wire there instead, and add a switch to that wire.

 

[SBLACK502]

I use the LUX magnetic rock lights and then tapped into my footwell lights inside. When you unlock the car or open the door they come on. Had for 3 years now with zero issue.

 

[wazzabie]

I have the AUX lights and tow package. I'm hesitant about cutting any of the factory wiring harness or tapping into factory fuses.

 

[SBLACK502]

I have the AUX lights and tow package. I'm hesitant about cutting any of the factory wiring harness or tapping into factory fuses.

Have the same.. it’s a wire tap. You can remove it and hardly tell there was anything there.

 

[wazzabie]

Why not just run the lights directly from the AUX wire?

 

[flick2614]

8 KC Cyclones wired to the aux switch. If I had the time I'd wire them to a courtesy light circuit as well but for now they work.

 

[Maverick909]

I would like to have some side lights for when I step out of the JL at night and see what I'm stepping on. What are you using for side lights under the body?

KC hilites rock lights A+

 

[C.Sco]

Why not just run the lights directly from the AUX wire?

Because they will either turn off immediately when you turn off the Jeep, or they will stay on forever. If you want them to stay on for only a little while after you turn off and get out of the Jeep, the easiest way is to tap into the headlights, because those are programmed by the factory to stay lit for 30-60 seconds after you turn off and exit your Jeep.

Using a fuse tap, you're not doing anything permanent. You just pull out your headlight fuse, replace it with the fuse tap, then plug the headlight fuse back into the fuse tap, and now you've got a little pigtail wire you can use. To undo it, you just unplug the fuse tap and plug the headlight fuse back into its place.

 

[THAW]

I got bored and drew it up

Looks good, except for one issue: JLs don't have a headlight fuse. The headlamps are switched by the Body Control Module (fuses F26 and F29 are for exterior lights, but they're always hot like most headlight fuses).

To do what you want, you'd have to tap into the headlamp harness downstream of the BCM. I'd recommend using an adapter/piggyback harness so you don't have to cut/tap any factory wires.

 

[C.Sco]

Looks goog, except for one issue: JLs don't have a headlight fuse. The headlamps are switched by the Body Control Module (fuses F26 and F29 are for exterior lights, but they're always hot like most headlight fuses).

To do what you want, you'd have to tap into the headlamp harness downstream of the PDC (fuse box). I'd recommend using an adapter/piggyback harness so you don't have to cut/tap any factory wires.

Ah good catch. In that case you could install a timer instead, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Automotive-Digital-Electric-Display/dp/B071XNY72Q

Plug 12V+ constant into one terminal, and AUX switch 12V+ into the signal terminal. Program the AUX switch to be on with ignition, not always on. Set the timer to whatever length of time you want, and whenever you turn off the car while the rock lights are on, they'll stay on for the length of time you set.

 

[Deleted member 107602]

+1 for just tapping the courtesy lights easy clean and works.

 

[wazzabie]

I'm ok with the engine off and the underbody lights on. I would just manually turn them off when no longer needed. I may need them longer then 30 seconds anyways.

 

[73TAWM]

I would like to have some side lights for when I step out of the JL at night and see what I'm stepping on. What are you using for side lights under the body?

https://www.oraclelights.com/products/sidetrack

This is what I did and I love them for exactly that purpose and the turn signal covers the blind spot on the highway as well. If you look at them on my jeep, I had to cut and modify them due to the aftermarket fenders I installed. Normally they're a little longer than what mine look like.

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