I am thinking about purchasing a light bar for the front bumper of my LR3 2006 SE. What shOuld I get? I am up to spending some money but want to make sure it will be a good investment. Also, how should I wire the light from the bumper into the driver seat area through the engine area and firewall?

Thanks

 

I don't have a light bar so I have no suggestions for a bar. This is the kit I used to wire my driving lamps though and it's easy to install and works great! The best part is that you don't need to put a switch in the cab!

Dual Wire Remote Controlled Relay Wiring Harness LED HID 500W Control Light Bar | eBay

 

Hey there,

I have installed a 30 inch light bar into the grill of my 2007. This required cutting up my plastic grill and a few extra steps to mount, but it is very nicely finished and makes the light bar a little harder to steal. I would not recommend such a difficult procedure for anyone who is unsure of their handyman skills, but I never do anything the easy way.

The wiring starts with the basic in line fuse (30 amp) on the positive wire. This goes to a relay which is triggered by a splice into the high beam circuit. Wiring the light bar in this fashion means that it can only be turned on when the high beams are on (making it a little more "legal" as it is controlled by the circuit you already shut off when oncoming traffic is approaching; there is no fumbling around for a separate switch).

With that said, you may want your high beams on, but the light bar off. This is achieved with the wiring of the switch on the dash. Remember the trigger wire? Its route is as follows: begin with the splice into the high beam wire, go to the switch on the dash, from there to the relay trigger. In this way, the power is passed through the relay only when the high beam AND the dash switch are BOTH on. The headlights function as normal with the dash switch off and when the dash switch is on the lightbar is on with the high beam. When headlights are dimmed to low beam, the light bar turns off as well.

You don't HAVE to wire it this way, but it is much safer and will blind oncoming traffic for less time than when trying to find a switch. If they can't see, they might just hit you head on.

The wires are run from the engine bay to the panel under the steering wheel by drilling a hole in the A pillar that is covered by replacing the trim. Here's a rough step by step.

After starting at the battery (close enough to hook up, but left disconnected until all connections are made. Don't work with live wires, you will kill lots of fuses)
- remove engine bay weather seal under windshield cowling to tuck wires into the open space below the cowling.
- run the wires to the driver's A-pillar
- remove the outer A-pillar trim
- drill a hole as shown in the photo (large enough for a grommet is recommended, but with a well insulated wire (similar to extension cord) the grommet could be omitted)
PHOTO ONE IS PASSENGER SIDE two way radio wiring; photo two shows same location with trim replaced , PHOTO THREE IS DRIVER SIDE light bar wiring SAME METHOD WORKS ON BOTH SIDES
- there is two layers of metal to drill through (the grommet will only be on the outer layer, but should centre the wire in the hole enough to prevent rubbing in the second layer)
- remove the driver door weather seal
- remove the vertical trim panel beside the dash to reveal a hole
- fish the wires through the drilled hole (grommet) and through the hole beside the dash (see photo)
- remove the panel under the steering column (put your fingers in the hole under the steering wheel and pull.
- use a flashlight, and possibly a magnet, to find the little metal clips that will most likely fly out.
- cut a little piece out of the dash side trim, right at the back so that the vertical trim piece removed in previous steps will cover the hole
- with the panel out of the vehicle measure and drill the switch mounting hole to match the empty space behind the panel.
-place the bottom tabs of the panel in place and let the panel hang (very convenient btw)
- run wires through to switch location
- mount the switch and attach wires to switch
- double check wiring steps and turn all switches OFF
- connect to battery
- test headlight function with light bar switch OFF
- if OK test with light bar switch ON.
- secure all wiring with tie straps
- replace all trim and weather seals

NOTE: there is a block of foam at the bottom of the A-pillar trim, a portion of this foam may have to be removed to avoid pinching the wiring and to allow easy re-installation of the trim.

Don't feel shy to ask for any clarification.

 

Also, buy a light bar from a reputable company at a LOCAL retailer (or a dealer website, rather than eBay or anything like that).

Mine is full of condensation (still works, just looks bad).

I bought it through a guy who got it for me online. Without a proper receipt and because he himself is not as reliable and reputable as an established business, my option to return a "waterproof" light bar in exchange for a replacement is basically nonexistent. Realistically, if the first one leaked a replacement would likely be the same quality unless it was some fluke in manufacturing.

As it turns out, I could have purchased a NightRider 30 inch curved bar from a local shop with a record of sale and an easy "walk in - walk out" exchange policy for less than what I paid for a no name straight bar off the net through a "friend" looking for a little profit for his trouble of getting it for me.

 

Thank you niver39 for the kit recommendation!

Thank you spiderman for the detailed process. I think that your step-by-step list will really help me. For the part where you put the light bar onto the same wires as the high beams, did you just splice it in and, if so, how did you do that? I am a little worried about access to the electrical in my LR3.

Thank you both again!

 

you are welcome!

splicing the high beam:

remove grill
remove headlight assembly (your choice as to which side)
disconnect electrical socket
using a test light/volt meter/wiring diagram, find the high beam power wire
build up courage
cut wire
strip and splice in relay trigger wire with a butt connector
(HIGHLY recommend using crimp 'n' shrink connector or non-insulated connector and shrink tubing).

keep in mind that lighting technology has made huge advances and even small LED "pods" such as 2 inch square or 4 inch round or 6 inch bar can put out enough light to put your headlights to shame. Large bars such as 18, 20, 30, 50 inch really should be used off road only as the basically turn night into day.

my true, heartfelt, recommendation is to use smaller lights on highway hooked to high beams as described, and use the large bar wired in with a direct switch only when off road. All my wiring is there for the large bar for now, but can easily be swapped to control the smaller lights when I get my front ARB bumper and place the lights in the fog light cut outs. I am not even sure that the current location of the 30 inch will work with the new bumper and if it doesn't I have a spare grill on hand to replace the one I cut up.

 

Great, thank you. I appreciate all of your help. If I end up following through on this project, I will keep you updated.

Thank you

 

I wired my aux lighting to the factory LR switch. It's stupid expensive for a switch (you actually have to buy the switch and then the mounting plate kit as well), but I try to keep the interior as close to factory look as possible. If you go that route, the wiring is a little confusing, but there are diagrams out there on the internet and I could probably explain them better in person. The trick is realizing that the ground is switched... not the hot wire.

Anyway, you need to use a relay so that the full current of the light bar is not going through your switch. This also allows you to run smaller gauge wire through the firewall. Speaking of which, there is one (and only one) grommet that you can use on the LR3 without having to drill a new hole. This grommet is located just outboard and below the master brake cylinder if i remember correctly. The best way to find it is to take a flashlight and go peeking around in the engine bay. One you find it, remove the necessary pieces inside (dummy pedal, a little bit of trim) and peel back the carpet. Stick something sharp (like the sharpened end of a clothes hanger) through it from the engine bay into the cab and you'll discover where it comes out in the cab. It's on the floor to the upper left of where the clutch pedal would be if you had one. Then, fish your wire through on the hanger.

 

Great thank you! I appreciate your help.

 

Not sure of your budget but I have a rigid light on my jeep, it's a badass unit. Damn near indestructible and super bright.