Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Can someone tell me how to wire up my grid heaters to LEDs

[Seed Guy]

I want some LEDs in my truck so i know when the grid heaters are on. Thanx guys.

 

[MD500E]

Just tap a wire on to the switched side of one of the two relays that power the grid heaters. they are located under the drivers side battery. run the wire into the cab and to the light. Then all you need is a ground wire. Also not a bad idea to add an in-line fuse where you attach to the relay. You can also attach the wire to to one of the grid heaters. I just think attaching the relay makes for a cleaner looking install. good luck.

 

[Bigsaint]

I ran mine right off the grid heater terms. , with a common ground and thin wire, works well. It's a cheap and fun mod. , for sure.



Scott W.

 

[mongoose]

Like bigsaint, i tapped mine right from the grid heater terminals. I used a cat5 wire up to the led's and placed a appropriate sized resistor inline before the LED's. IIRC it was a 120 or 150 ohm resistor for a 2. 5 volt super bright blue LED.



I used two LED's, one for each grid heater. during the winter they dance back and forth. Neat light show with the super bright blue LED's. they light up the entire cab of the quad cab truck. No need for the interior light.

 

[dremelts]

OK, that will tell you that the relays are working and you are getting juice to the heater grids, but is there a way to actually tell if the heaters are working? I posted this same question about the fuel heater a while back and never got an answer. In the winter I would really like to know for sure that the fuel heater is working, not just that it is getting power to it.

 

[JCyrbok]

wire

Mongoose, are u talking about Cat 5 phone/data type wire?



What kind of led's do u use? Are there 12 volt kind so you would not have to step the voltage down with a resistor to keep from frying the led?



J-

 

[WestTN]

monitoring grid heaters

The easiest way to tell if the heaters are actually working is to look at the battery voltage gauge. It WILL drop if they are working beacuse they pull around 100 amps.

 

[Bigsaint]

Ditto what Dennis said.



Scott W.

 

[illflem]

About the only way to tell if the fuel heater is working is to install an ampmeter in series with it's wiring.

 

[mongoose]

Jcyrbok, yes, I used Cat5 telephone wire. There are 12 volt LED's in a couple of colors, but if you are like me and want something different, then there are more options in the 2. 5 - 3 volt line. colors like purple, white, blue, and even LED's that change colors when power is applied to them. I have some that change from blue to red to yellow all by themselves when hooked up to power. It's all in what you want them to do.