Did you use a fuse for the wire to the battery before the switch?

If you have a multimeter then check to see if you have source battery voltage at the lights power wire with the positive lead at the lights power wire and the negative lead at the battery negative. If you read 12volts or near then try to see if your ground is good by moving the lead from the negative terminal to the lights grounds.

 

what i also tried doing just to see was running a wire directly to the battery and seeing if the lights powered up but nothing .

 

what i also tried doing just to see was running a wire directly to the battery and seeing if the lights powered up but nothing .

did you run just a power wire or both power and ground to see if it would power up?

 

Any ideas on what could be wrong?

So as previously asked, did you fuse the power feed at the battery? What size wire are you using and what type of switch and what is it's power rating? Start at the battery and work your way towards the lights with a meter. What type of lights are they?

 

yes there is a fuse on the power wire (wire from the switch to the battery). Wire size is 16 or 14, i cant remember off the top of my head. And i will have to get back to you on switch type and rating, it was just some plain switch from walmart that i picked up, nothing fancy.

 

ok, just be be clear, where exactly is the fuse? Is it right at the battery?

 

its connected to the terminal then about a foot of wire then the fuse then its ran to the switch

 

Ok good, just wanted to make sure. You really need a multimeter or at least a test light. How many terminals are on the switch?

 

three, one connects the ground wire, another connects the power wire, and the other connects the accessory

 

ok, well, when you turn the switch on, does it light up?

 

Sounds to me like the ground you've got on the lights is the problem, did you clean a spot on the steel where you grounded or just run a screw in?

 

then i have a multimeter, but i really dont know much about using it. where do i connect each end to so that i get a reading. I am really no expert in electric so I dont know how to do these things nor do i know how to actually even read a multimeter so if you could better explain that would be great.

 

yup i took a screw driver and cleaned the rust off the steel for the ground.

 

and no the light on the switch doesnt light up when i turn it on

 

On the multi tester, turn it on to the ohm setting, touch the leads together to check you've got it on the right setting and it should go to 0
Connect one lead to one wire of your lights
Touch the other to your ground, if it goes to 0 your all set if it doesn't you've got a bad light or a bad ground I'm guessing a bad ground the metal where you've grounded it to should be clean and shiny sandpaper works well.

Now switch the meter to the DC volts setting something above 12 if your meter has different ranges. Connect the red lead to the + battery post and black to the - to test you should get 12.xx volts on the screen.
Go under the dash and connect the red lead to the wire you've got coming from the battery and black to your ground, you should see the 12.xx volts again
If you don't see 12.xx volts you have a bad connection between the battery and switch check the fuse first and verify you have the wire hooked to the 'supply' terminal of the switch and the wire going to the lights hooked to the 'load' terminal.

 

well, if the switch isn't working, then the lights probably won't work either.

 

ya i know that, but what was weird was when i ran a wire straight to the bat from the lights just to test them they didnt work either. So i dont really know whats going on with them. I will try that. My multimeter is old tho haha, its not digital its got the pointer and like 100000 things on the screen.

 

The power straight from the batter to the lights is why I suggested you clean up the grounds a little more. FWIW you can get a digital meter from wally world or harbor freight for under $10 that will do what you need it to.

 

A simple test light would probably be all you need here instead of buying a multi-meter. What you're trying to find out is if and where you have power. A test light simply needs a good ground to help you find power - if it's there at all.

Another problem you might have is incorrectly wiring the switch - if it happens to be a lighted switch. Does your swithch have two or three connections on it? (If it has just two, disregard this whole paragraph.) If it has three, it should have a legend either molded into the case or on a sticker on the side. On lug should be from your fused / hot lead. Another should go to your lights and the third should be a ground. Get this mixed up and you won't get power where you need it.

Another silly thought. Did you fuse blow along the way due to a problem? Your wire diameter sounds a little light and we don't even know how many amps your lights are drawing yet. If it blew right away, that would explain a few things and I've seen far stranger things happen.

And finally, remember the advice a wise Service Manager taught me many years ago: "Almost all weird electrical problems are a bad ground."

 

I see a couple problems... Your switch can't handle the draw... Go to an auto parts store and buy a push pull switch like in the old headlights. Get something that will last. Since your using Walmart parts/pieces... Those connectors are trash. You need to make sure that your main grounds... are all connecting to the body. Even if it's a newer truck you still have some coating that you have to go through to get good contact. My suggestion...on your main grounds drill a new hole and put a steel bolt and then silcone the top of the bolt/connector. Biggest problem is the switch by far!

Good Luck

 

I see a couple problems... Your switch can't handle the draw... Go to an auto parts store and buy a push pull switch like in the old headlights. Get something that will last. Since your using Walmart parts/pieces... Those connectors are trash. You need to make sure that your main grounds... are all connecting to the body. Even if it's a newer truck you still have some coating that you have to go through to get good contact. My suggestion...on your main grounds drill a new hole and put a steel bolt and then silcone the top of the bolt/connector. Biggest problem is the switch by far!

Good Luck

I'll agree but disagree, the switch is a problem running as it's currently hooked up, it would be fine if run with a relay. That is the way I prefer since you can run any switch you like. The connectors he's using are probably fine since they're probably using crimp connectors and not the scotch lok's.

IMO here's what you need to do bristol. Get a roll of 12 gauge black and red, a relay, a package of female spade connectors, a package of ring terminals to fit the battery connector, package of butt connectors and a can of liquid electrical tape.
Run red 12 gauge with a fuse from the + battery to pin 30 on the relay
Run red 12 gauge from pin 87 to the lights
Run black 12 gauge from pin 85 to the - battery
Run some of your 16 gauge wiring from the 'load' terminal of the switch to pin 86
Run 16 gauge from the 'supply' terminal to a switched 12v source under the dash
Run 16 gauge from the ground terminal to a clean source under the dash.
Connect both lights to the red 12 gauge at the back
Clean up your light grounds and reconnect them
Seal all of the connectors with the liquid electrical tape.

That way you take all of the load off of the switch, you can't accidentally leave the lights on and you'll get plenty of power to the lights.

 

Get a roll of 12 gauge black and red.

So then you must know what the current draw of the lights are.

 

Get a roll of 12 gauge black and red.

So then you must know what the current draw of the lights are.

Nope just assumed they were the standard 35-55 watt round lights you find on most equipment.

 

Oh ok, I am still waiting to hear from the OP on what type of lights, so we can figure out exaclt what the electrical ratings are. Tough to lay out the whole system properly without all the info.

 

not exactaly sure on the type of lights, they are off of my buyers tailgate salt spreader, they came on the unit when i purchased it. And they are just the standard round lights