Advice Wiring Lower Grille Light Bar
 

I'm looking for some basic advice or guidance on wiring my new OEM lower grille light bar. I got it installed over the weekend and thought I could handle following the wiring directions but after looking under my dash and trying to figure it out, I just didn't feel comfortable splicing wires and really just finding the correct wires needed. As a note, I already have the OEM roof lights (dealer installed in 2011) and I really don't have any experience doing electrical work. Can anyone recommend some specific resources that might help in the learning process? Would love if it were Hummer-specific but I just haven't found a magical video tutorial of someone wiring their H3 grille lights like I hoped for. I'll continue to look and try to educate myself but throw any resources my way if you know of any.

Oh, and here's another wrinkle to all of this...I broke the retainer clips that held the second round "cutout" in the dash bezel where the OEM off-road light switch was going to live. So, in what could be considered not one of my finer moments, I decided to stick the switch in the bezel and carefully apply some Gorilla Glue Epoxy around the backside edge. I did not account for any spreading and I didn't look at the switch carefully enough to see that the components that allow the switch to push in and out were not internal. So unfortunately I ruined one of the more difficult Hummer parts to come across and I will have to move forward with a cheap rocker switch of some sort. Would like to still be able to utilize that opening in the bezel but I don't know if that's possible any more since the switch retainer clips snapped off. I guess I could always look into modifying the hole somehow to still utilize the space but given my genius problem-solving skills with the glue, I don't know if I have much faith in that aspect. Really doesn't matter that much to me, though. I'd prefer to have working grille lights but gotta get past the wiring hurdle first. This forum is gold for H3 owners so please let me know what you think. But don't hold my momentary lapse in glue judgement against me! Posted GM's instructions below and the lights after install.

13. Locate black blunt cut wire labeled "ground" on right side of driver's footwell above footwell lamp. This wire may be taped up onto the harness. Splice this wire to the black wire in Pin B of the switch connector. Use the splice sleeve provided and the splice procedure on page 1. Note: If vehicle is equipped with trailer electric brake or roof-mounted off-road lights, this wire will be used already. Use a splice clip to connect the ap propriate ground wires together.
15. Locate blunt cut wires under the I/P on left side of driver's | footwell above parking brake. These wires may be taped back onto the harness branch. If so, cut tape to free wires. Splice the brown blunt cut wire to the brown wire in Pin A of the switch connector using splice procedure on page 1 and the splice sleeves provided.
16. Splice the green blunt cut wire to the green wire in Pin C of the switch connector using splice procedure on page 1 and the splice sleeves provided.
17. Using tie straps provided, tie strap the wires to other wire bundles out of the driver's footwell.
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I have been waiting.................. and waiting................ for Broken Halo to come along with all his engineering and electrical wiring packed brain to throw out some excellent thoughts on this subject. :D

Welllll, since you asked. In the wire harness behind the battery you'll find 4 bunt cut wires. These will come out thru the firewall above the parking brake. That is how you will feed the wires from the dash mount switch to the engine compartment where the grille mount light wires will be. If you bought the entire kit there should be instructions on wiring into the fuse block. If you don't want to go that route you can wire direct but make sure you go thru a relay switch DON'T FEED FULL POWER THRU THE DASH SWITCH! Just a little tip. I bought some 'chicken wire' type mesh and bent up a cover to go over each lamp to protect from flying rocks or whatever. I had a stone break one of my lamp lens and you have to buy the entire lamp assembly at a cost of $130! https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s/thumbsup.gif
Edit: After re-reading your post I see you DO have the instruction sheet which is pretty much self explanatory even without electrical wiring skills. If you ask specific questions I can try and answer them. As I said, the wires by the parking brake assembly exit the firewall behind the battery. You didn't say if you've already wired the light harness to these or not. More info needed and maybe some pictures of what you're having trouble figuring out.

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Much appreciated. Yeah I need to first decide what to do about a new switch. Not sure if i'm going to attempt to route it through the bezel with the broken button retainer clips still or find a different place for that. But I will definitely follow up with some specifics when I get back to it. Wife wasn't too thrilled with me spending most of last weekend in the garage while she was with our son so it might not be tomorrow!

I do have one question pertaining to the switch though. Almost all I've seen have male connectors but the light bar kit i purchased with the OEM button does not have them. 1) Can i use the same wiring that came with the OEM kit and if so, 2) will I need to buy mini spade connectors in order to make that work?

That, or you could solder pigtails on them. If you buy a different switch just know that the OEM you have lights up when 'ON'. So you may want to pick up a lighted switch. That's why the OEM switch has (3) terminals. 12v pos. in,, 12v pos. out, and GRND. The 12v pos. out is what will feed the relay switch which in turn powers the lights.

I searched and searched for a lighted aftermarket switch that would fit the OEM hole but could not find one. The unlit switch I linked to in your WTB ad will snap into the OEM hole without requiring any modification of the panel to work. I could not find a 3 terminal lighted switch in that same form factor. If you do find one, please post it here so others can find it! :)

If you do decide to use the switch I recommended, unless you are a soldering expert, I'd go with the auto store mini spade connectors. The switch from Amazon is very heat sensitive and even when heat sinking the terminals the internals will be easily melted when soldering pigtails.

NMH3 so i'm going to try something that looks promising so far. I ordered the basic Rough Country backlit switch a few days ago and it came today. As I was looking around the dash area to find a spot I noticed this standard 20mm RC switch fit pretty good inside the cigarette lighter outlet (with the cover still attached). Took a few minutes but finally pulled the interior socket, followed by the cover. By orienting the cover exactly how it was originally aligned in the bezel, the RC switch stayed pretty solid. It's not perfect but it's close so I think I'm going to try my luck with a very small amount of glue where the edge of the switch meets the cover to better stabilize the switch. You can't see it from the pics I added but there are a few tiny spots where the switch does not cover the entire outlet. I don't really see this as a huge deal though. I did take a utility knife and cut the outlet cover piece off the outer edge as well.

But I have yet to come across a post where someone took the existing 12v outlet and added a rocker switch. Figured I'd try this first before doing something more permanent. I honestly thought about trying to use a shank or hole saw to open the 15mm factory off-road light switch location slightly to fit the RC 20mm clearance but that made me a bit nervous. Will post an update once I get the courage to bust the glue back out again and attach it back to the bezel. Should make good use of that outlet though. Valentine One and Garmin are hardwired and I can't remember the last time I actually used those outlets for something other than to stick my fingers in and remove the bezel.
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Okay finally got the grille lights up. Switch lights up blue when turned on just as expected but the relay makes a horrible buzzing noise once I flip the switch on. Any recommendations on where to start investigating?
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Closest I could find is 16mm, should thread in, or open the hole a bit? 16mm 12V LED ON OFF Push Button Power Switch Latching with Wire Socket Harness

I decided to order 1 to test it out. It's a lighted latching switch with harness included. I attempted to thread in, and made it halfway, before my irwins started to slide on the switch, causing plating damage. I then took my 15mm forstner bit, opening the hole a few times until I could thread it in by hand. Removed the o-ring and threaded it in by hand, some from the front then reach around the back and turn it until it's flush. Now I have to find a use for this switch. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...524591ab0b.gif


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