Adding a Relay for Switched Power
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- This video covers the steps and process of wiring up a relay to add Switched Power for whatever electronics you need to install. If you need something to get power but only when the car is on, this video is for you!
Relay = Standard 12V Automotive Relay and Harness, can be purchased from any auto parts store
The car is a 1966 Mustang Fastback with a factory V8 and C4 transmission.
Shot with GoPro Hero 8 with the Media Mod, edited on Davinci Resolve 17.
Credit for the music in the video:
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Epidemic Sound
Try it today! www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
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#Mustang
#1966
#Fastback - Auta a dopravní prostředky
This is a good idea. A switched source under the dash is really important for these old cars if you are trying to avoid battery drain.
I think as time goes on I may need a switched source for various additions to the car, but for now it just feeds the Tach. :)
Andy your videos are absolutely great,thank you for being so detailed,you have helped my restoration come along nicely!
Awesome, thanks for the feedback!!
Excellent! I’m restoin’ a 66 coupe and your videos have been both informative and inspiring.
Awesome! Thank you!
Love your videos! I have a 66 Mustang that I just finished up a T5 swap on. Your videos on the swap were very helpful.
Thanks!
Glad I could help!
Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy them. I’m currently installing a vintage tach in my 66 Mustang and plan o take switched power from the center pole on the back of the ignition switch rather than run an extra wire from the engine compartment. It’s already under the dash and seems much easier.
Getting a switched source from the ignition as you are doing is a popular option, and it should work just fine. This is more for those that plan to need several devices getting a switched source, whether all at once or as time goes on and they add more devices. Either way, good luck with your new Tach!
Hi Andy, love the series. For the relay, the black wire probably should be the relay coil ground wire while the white wire is the +12v trigger wire. Not a huge deal but I would try to keep your colors consistent. Keep up the great work!
The problem with that is the black wire is going to the # 30 terminal, which is part of the switch inside the relay, not the coil inside the relay. The relays were cheap and I don't expect much from the wire colors. But I agree, it would be nice to have the colors be done in a way to make more sense. :)
@@AndyKruseChannel Good point. It wouldn't have worked too well. lol
After watching your video I got a new auxiliary fuse panel. The first one I got had dual circuits (total of 12), I had thought that I might want to try switch 12v on one side and unswitched on the other. But it's rather bulky. So I got one like you have and just run switched power. I don't think I need more than 6 circuits.
Yeah, I don't think I'll ever need 6 circuits, but it was a cheap panel, and I'm covered if I ever need them. :)
@@AndyKruseChannel So far I’m at: electric choke, voltmeter, and next it will be a USB plug to replace the cigarette lighter. So half gone.
This type of relay setup is just like the one I got in a kit but 2 relays for H9 headlight bulbs and glass fronted headlights with the removable bulb built in. Was a kit I got off Ebay with HELLA bulbs paid roughly $60 for everything
I like finding good deals on Ebay too.
Nice work... looks like you have a separate solenoid from your starter
Hmmm, just the stock unit that comes on these Mustangs. :)
Andy, would this switch12v source continue to have power during ignition cranking? I am having touble sourcing a switch 12v during cranking for my efi on my 68 mustang.
In my scenario, the "I" terminal on the starter solenoid is active when the key is in the on position or during the starter position. But I don't use this term as the 12V source for my devices, just the source to active the relay that allows the 12V to come from the battery. This terminal is not a great place to pull a 12V signal from to power other devices on the car, partially as that circuit is not a high amperage circuit.
With all that being said, the thread post coming off the back of your ignition in the dash should be a 12V source when the car is on, but not sure about when the key is in the "start" position. :)
Hey Andy! Great channel! Do you think it would make a difference if the ground cable from the relay goes to battery minus? I'm struggling to get my Pertronix 1 working correctly on my '70 Galaxie. It starts and runs great but the engine keeps on running when turnning off. Could battery minus maybe keep the relay activated?
Yes, you can run the ground cable straight to the battery if you want, but that won't fix your problem. If there was an issue with the Pertronix ground, it would keep the engine running like you are describing, you have a separate issue. My guess is an issue with the ignition switch in the dash, the wiring for the coil, or possibly the starter solenoid. If either of those units were faulty, it could continue to let the electricity pass through when the car is "off".
@@AndyKruseChannel Thank you for your prompt reply! I had installed a relay which should supply the pertronix and the ignition coil. The "Alt-Warning" lamp goes on when I turn the engine "off". So one assumption was that the relay still gets power via the alternator lamp because the cable from the lamp joins with the resistance wire in a connector. So I swapped the relay with one that includes a diode. But it's still the same. I'll check the things you mentioned. Thanks again!
Love your videos but the best part is that I can actually understand them lol. I’m gonna use this set up on my 66 mustang as well but was just wondering if I can just use one relay with the fuse box and then run say my electric choke and a tachometer instead of two relays?
Absolutely, I have done that since I made this video. Just like you mentioned, I have a single relay under the dash that feeds juice to a fuse block and from there it goes out to the various powered options that I have added to the car. I sort of cover that in one of the videos I made about cleaning up my engine bay while I was waiting for my new engine to be built. :)
Nice thanks so much Andy I ordered all my stuff from Amazon and can’t wait to hook it up. One thing though you said your relays under the dash? I can leave it hooked up to the solenoid right and just run the power to the fuse box on my kick panel?
Correct, you can leave the relay mounted on the fender apron (like what I did in this video) and run the wire to your fuse block. If you're up for it, maybe take your time routing the wire to the fuse block so it looks like it was intentional, and maybe add some wire loom to "clean it up"? I get excited sometimes and rush installs and I look back later thinking I wish I took a little more time to make everything look nice. :)
Awesome thanks so much Andy your video was very detailed and informative. I’m excited and can’t wait to run my electric choke and tach from the new fuse box 👍🏼
im trying to do this with my car for a dedicated panel
would you happen to have the list of things you bought to hook everything together?
Unfortunately I don't have a parts list or links, but what you want to look for is a standard 12V automotive relay, preferably with a harness to make wiring easy. You'll want the relay to be "normally-closed", but most are anyways. The wire size should be between 14 and 20 gauge, any smaller and it might be too restrictive for your circuit. :)
Instead of a relay I just ran switched power to my auxiliary panel from… the ignition switch. Unless you’re planning on a high powered stereo or something you don’t need many amps to power accessories. Relays are best saved for higher draw circuits. Even the electric choke doesn’t draw much.
Thanks for the heads up.
Check your cowel vent for leaks. Any leaks could run down that vent
Yes, that is one of my fears. However, this is a fair-weather car only, so I'm not overly worried about it. :)
Can this setup be used to run an electric fuel pump, single radiator fan, and water pump?
Yes, any of those items and more can be run the exact same way. The only caveat would be the amperage draw for whatever you're connecting with this relay. Meaning, if the electrical device you're hooking up draws a ton of juice (Amps), the wiring configuration would be the same, but you may need to 'up' the relay to a higher amperage unit, and you'll likely need to use a thicker gauge wire. Other than that, you're good to go.
I have since done a little re-wiring since I made this video where I use a single relay to power a 'switched' junction box that powers a few devices once the car is on. This reduces the number of relays, total wires needed, and cleans things up quite a bit. :)
Thank you for the quick response.
Personally I would have put that all that and the relay under dash instead of messing up the engine compartment.. And used a fusable link on the power feed at the starter relay. Much cleaner install and if done neatly it can pass as factory instead of the billy bob looking thing it ended up..
Nice, thanks for the heads up!
Will this maintain 12v while cranking?
Yes, because the relay is triggered by the "I" terminal on the starter solenoid which gets 12V when the key is on and when the key is also in the starter position.
The alternative to pulling the 12V source from the starter solenoid to the relay is to get it from the back of the ignition switch in the dash. But this is a little trickier to get to, so pulling it off the starter solenoid like I did in this video is the easier route.
Does it matter what the trigger is?
Yes, in that the trigger needs to be a switched source. Meaning, it has to be a power source that is active or "hot" when the car is on or running. There are several circuits that are active when the car is on and you don't need much current to trigger the relay. There is a switched wire that comes off most (probably all) ignition switches in the dash. In my car, it's more work to get to that wire, so I use the ignition terminal on my starter solenoid. :)
I don’t understand the point of the relay. The starter solenoid IS a relay. Am I missing something?
Yes, the terminal I'm using to activate the relay is the "ignition terminal", not the same terminal going to the starter. The terminal that feeds the starter is only active when trying to start the car, the rest of the time there is no juice flowing through that terminal of the solenoid.
I chose to use the ignition terminal because it is a 12V source that is active when the car is on (I could have also tapped into the positive side of the ignition coil, it's essentially the same 12V source). I could have ran a wire from the back of the ignition switch in the dash to my relay for the electric choke, but it was more work. Some say I could just run a wire from the ignition terminal off the starter solenoid to the choke, but I didn't want to do that, I wanted a dedicated, fused source to my choke.
Relays sometimes seem like more work or are complication, but they're actually a very slick device that do a lot of trick things. :)
Glad you didn't place it on the firewall. You will need that space, for when you add the third pedal!!!
Ha, sooner than you think. ;)
Great video, cant wait until you remove all the wiring and go with an American Autowire or Painless kit.
It's on the list, but it'll probably be a winter thing since I have to remove so much stuff. :)