Hi, I'm wanting to wire up front spots on grill guard ( and later rear lights on top rack )
There are two light switches on the left of instrument cluster that are not used I was hoping to use these, are they wired ready for use, if so how would I connect or find wiring?
Thank you.

 

There's no wiring pre-installed for spotlights, you had to buy the expensive Land Rover wiring kit, which is now no longer available.

The switch that came with the kit is available separately, as STC50098 -

Fog Lamp Switch - Genuine Land Rover at www.rimmerbros.co.uk




Out of the box, this switch isn't useable without the ECU in the wiring kit, as it's a momentary (non-latching) earth-switching switch, which is designed to signal the ECU in the wiring kit, to switch on the spotlights.

However, you can use the switch's front and clip it onto a proper latching live-switching switch, such as the cruise control switch YUH100370 -

Switch - Cruise Control On/Off - Genuine Land Rover at www.rimmerbros.co.uk




There's details of this modification, here -

www.discovery2.co.uk** Driving / Spot Lamps




The cruise control switch uses a White 5-way connector, available here -

Expedition Exchange Incorporated :: Lighting :: Land Rover Genuine Parts Multiplug Connector Kit For Disco2 Switches (CKD2)




Unfortunately, since the above article was written, the cruise control switch has gone up price to 10 x the price he quotes in that article.


A cheaper alternative is to use the latest TDCi Defender heated seat switch YUF500150LNF -

Switch Assy - Genuine Land Rover at www.rimmerbros.co.uk




This switch, which costs around $8.00, is wired exactly the same as the cruise control switch - but, it uses the Black 5-way switch connector.

This is available on eBay UK -

LAND ROVER 5-Way Switch Connector & Terminals - BLACK - Discovery / Defender TD5 | eBay




or PM me


Both the cruise control switch and the heated seat switch should be used to switch a relay, they're not up to switching spotlamps directly.


This is how I would recommend that they are wired -



This complies with UK lighting regulations, in that, the spotlamps can only be switched-on with high beam and will extinguish when high beam is dipped.

But, unlike the Land Rover wiring kit, these can be left switched in the 'on' position, so that if you 'flash' someone, the spotlamps will also flash, along with the high beam.



Connectors referenced in the above diagram -


C0759 & C0760 - Switch illumination and earth.

Depending on your vehicle's specification, I can make-up link cables to go from these headers to the switch connectors.

(some higher spec. vehicles have no spare cavities in these headers)





C0041-5 - Source of high beam 'trigger' (I can supply a 'plug-in' pickup for this) -





C0585-3 and C0588-4 - Alternative source of high beam 'trigger' -



C0585-3 is the other end of the cable from C0041-5 - there's no real advantage in picking-up the 'trigger' here.

C0588-4 is an unused terminal (on UK/European spec.vehicles) on the main beam circuit (before it's split into left & right circuits), which is used as a connection to the daytime running lights circuit on Canadian NAS vehicles.

C0588-4 is quite fiddly to get at (I've got my high beam 'trigger' connected here, but I did have the under-dash fuse box out of the car at the time).
It requires a Sumitomo 090 female terminal to plug into the connector (I can make-up a link lead from this connector to the switch).



End of under-bonnet fuse box - a good place to mount your relay (just to the right of where the 'C158' label is, on the side next to the TD5 ECU plug), as it's adjacent to the battery live and good earth points, and not too far to route the spotlamps cables to, as well as being tucked out of the way.



For your relay, I would recommend a relay with a combined fuse to protect the driving lamp supply, such as this one from Polevolt -

12 volt, 30A relay with integral 15A Fuse. NO Contacts: 20015A





Battery live connections at the under-bonnet fuse box -





Earth points, adjacent to the under-bonnet fuse box -





.

 

Thanks for the reply, I have heard similar things about having to change switch, but what seems weird is that fwd switch lights up when side lights are on and its activated.
The rear switch lights up when headlights are on and its activated.
So must be pre wired?

 

Do they look like this -




If so, they're the front (top switch) and rear (bottom switch) fog lamps switches.

Both of these circuits are BCU controlled (both switches earth-down a signal wire to the BCU) - so they can't easily be used for other lamps.

However, it's possible to modify both the switches and the wiring, so that they switch other lamps, but it's not straight-forward.

Anyway, you will have rear fog lamps as part of your rear lighting, and all vehicles were pre-wired for front fog lamps in the bumper, regardless of whether they were fitted.

.

 

Yes, the top switch is wired to the lights under my front bumper.
The 2nd rear facing switch lights up but not used.
The 3rd switch down is fwd facing and has a no. 2 inside light decal? It also lights up.
The 2nd and 3rd switches are what I was wanting to use.
Thanks.

 

Are you sure that the '2nd rear facing switch' isn't used?

All 2000 Model D2s have 'rear guard fog lamps' in the rear bumper lamps.

The Red ones on this picture -





If you don't need them (they're a legal requirement in Europe), or don't use them, and they're not part of your annual roadworthyness test, then you can modifiy the switch by replacing its body with a latching live-switching switch (as in my post above) and rewire it accordingly.


The '3rd switch down' with the number 2 in the light symbol, is the switch that I pictured in my post above (STC50098).

Are you sure that, as you have this switch installed, the rest of the 'auxiliary wiring kit' isn't installed as well?

Have a look at your under-bonnet fuse box, do you have the 'control unit' ECU installed at the firewall end of the fuse box?

This unit -






And/or the spotlights wiring to 2 x 2-way econoseal connectors behind the front grille?

The connectors look like these -





If you do have the 'auxiliary wiring kit' installed, the troublesome 'control unit' ECU can easily be replaced with a standard automotive 30A relay.

This does require the standard switch (STC50098) to be modified, as detailed in my post above, as well as some small modifications to the kit's wiring.

I can post details of how to do the wiring mods, if required?

.

 

Headsmack! Yes the rear switch does activate the red fog lights on bumper, I haven't had Disco that long thought they were stop lights.
There is some kind of wiring unit attached to back of fuse box, doesn't look like your pic but maybe US version.
I'll look to see where front aux switch goes to in fuse box and hopefully figure something out.
Thanks peter.

 

Installed at he back of the fuse box, the control unit looks like this -




The same control unit was used worldwide.

.

 

I just bought an 04 with that auxiliary wiring kit and the number 2 light switch. The switch is on the right side of the dash cluster though... I see the one you pictured is for the left side (which I would prefer) but is it offered in the 03/04 black?

 

The pre-facelift D2 (1999-2001) switch STC50098 (pictured in one of my previous posts) is Ash Grey and only fits the LH side of the instrument binnacle.


For the facelift D2 (2002-2004) the switches were all changed to Black.

The spotlights wiring kit for the facelift D2 was changed slightly (mainly because that picking-up the main beam circuit at the new 9-way headlamp connectors was difficult to do properly).

The kit now included 2 x binnacle switches, one for the RH side of the binnacle, the other for the LH side of the binnacle - so, there was now a choice of which side you could install the switch.

The switches were also made available separately -


VVN500060 - VVN500060 | SWITCH ASSY DRIVING LAMPS RHD DISCO2 | Land Rover | | Britcar (UK) Ltd





Which goes on the LH side of the binnacle -





And VVN500070 - VVN500070 | SWITCH ASSY DRIVING LAMPS LHD DISCO11 | Land Rover | | Britcar (UK) Ltd


Which goes on the RH side of the binnacle -




.