Best way to make fogs turn on with parking lights?

[Fender0122]

So I've tried my best to look through all the fog light installations to figure out the how to do it, but I'm curious if anyone has an easy way of making the stock fog lights come on with the parking lights.

Here's what I'm thinking of doing, but could use some help in identifying where the locations are or if there's a better way of doing it:

I remember that aftermarket fogs use a relay system, just like stock, to add a circuit to the system. Relay uses 12v from battery to power the lamps, while there is a source wire that signals the relay to switch on and off. My question here is, where is the source wire that goes from the headlights (low beams) to the fogs to tell them to turn on? I would like to jump it to the parking light wire instead and would like the switch to still work at the stalk.

What I don't want to do it tap into the 12v that powers the parking lights to actually power the lights, since that will load the circuit more than I would like. Now, I could run a wire from the relay to the parking light to steal a signal wire, but I'm curious if I can do all of it in one location instead of running wires through the firewall.

Thanks for anyone's input!

[4honor]

I would also like to somehow separate the fogs from the headlights, where it's just simple on/off based on the switch on the stalk. They should just stop making things too complicated~ Too bad I don't understand any of the electrical science behind it... :\

[Cockatoo]

I tapped into the passenger side turn signal since it was the closest thing to the harness for me... Black is ground and the green is the constant (+)...

[SkAsphalt]

I tapped my fog lights into my side marker lights so that they power on when those are activated, those get activated with the parking lights and that is what I wanted. The extra cable length is maybe 1.5 feet tucked under my bumper, side marker power down to the fog light harness. Easy peasy
note, my fog light harness has its own power line and fuse..

[toast]

Originally Posted by 4honor

I would also like to somehow separate the fogs from the headlights, where it's just simple on/off based on the switch on the stalk. They should just stop making things too complicated~ Too bad I don't understand any of the electrical science behind it... :\

Technically (I think it is a federal requirement) fog lights are only allowed to be on with the low beams, not parking and not high beams. That is why cars are wired the way they are.

The relay method above will work if you always want your fogs on with the parking lights. If you want to be able to switch them off as well you will have to run two lengths of wire into the cockpit and interrupt it with a switch. You can break either the power activation line or the ground. Using this method you will have to disconnect the stock power connection or else install a diode to prevent your relay power from powering back into the stalk and possibly causing other issues.

If you want to use the switch on the stalk you will have to look at the wiring diagram and trace the power into the stalk switch and move that from the headlights to the parking lights.

During really dense fog it can be much better to run only fogs and no headlights, so I wouldn't mind doing this either. I'll take a look at the service manual and see what has to be moved to use the stalk switch.

[Fender0122]

Originally Posted by toast

If you want to use the switch on the stalk you will have to look at the wiring diagram and trace the power into the stalk switch and move that from the headlights to the parking lights.

During really dense fog it can be much better to run only fogs and no headlights, so I wouldn't mind doing this either. I'll take a look at the service manual and see what has to be moved to use the stalk switch.

Yup that's what I want to do, and for those reasons. I also like to run just the fogs at dusk so cars can see me when I don't need headlights on yet. I guess it's just habit since none of my cars ever had DRLs, so it's probably not as necessary now but I like the look.

I'll see what I can do as well as far as finding that power lead and report back.