Need help locating parking light wire

I'm installing my Hella 500's on my jeep, but the kit didn't come with a long enough wire to splice into the headlights up front. I'm trying to locate the parking light wire under the dash but there are wires everywhere! When I'm under there(the dash) I can see the huge loom of wiring that runs through the firewall, I just don't know which wire to splice into. Anyone happen to know a site or just know off hand what color the wire is for the parking lights? Any help is greatly appreciated! BTW it's a '92 XJ, 4.0 I6, auto, np 231, w/ factory fog lights.

In re-thinking this I came up with a different solution... I plan on installing the switch for my Hellas right beside the main shifter. Would it be safe for me to just tap into the wire that feeds the light that lights up the panel that shows what gear your in? Is that going to overload anything?

You didn't say anything about a relay, which is advisable, the Hella relay with the integral fuse is a good thing. Driving lights, draw a fair amount of Amperage, trying to use too small of a feed wire, will blow fuses (if your lucky) or melt wires if your not.
I saw a pretty good diagram on the modified board awhile back a search may turn it up again or maybe it's to old to retrieve from search, I'll have a look.
I usually run a fused large hot wire straight from the battery, to a relay and then you can pull power, for a switch, to activate the relay from most anyplace.

Sorry, shoulda mentioned that. I'm using the Hella 500 kit, which includes relay, switch, wiring, etc. The switch has three prongs: ground, load and supply. One of them needs to be spliced into a headlight or parking light wire, so the lights can only be used then. I want to splice it into the parking wire, so I can use them when I want, not just with hi/low beams. I assume wiring it so the switch lights up when the parking lights comes on activates the switch in some way. I was wondering if splicing into the light for the gear panel would be safe?

That's fine since you're using the relay. It wouldn't work wired directly.

This install is turning into much more than it should be! I realize this should be pretty dang simple, but for some reason it just isn't. The trouble I'm having is with the switch that Hella supplied in the kit. It's a 3-prong switch (which you can see below), that says "Earth, Load, Supply" from top to bottom. Earth is obviously the ground, but I'm unsure as to the other two. What one goes to the relay and what one goes to the spliced wire? The kit didn't come with a ground wire for the switch, but I have no problem going out and buying a few feet of wire. In the supplied instructions it shows a two prong switch being used, with no ground wire coming from the switch. Would that setup work?

Supply is power in, load is power out and the ground is for the indicator or lighted toggle, built in the switch, probably.
http://www.rallylights.com/useful_info/auxiliary_lamp_wiring.htm
The ground on the switch is most likely just for the inicator light. If the indicator lights with the switch off, it's probably bassackwords.

Not quite sure I fully understand that. Supply is power in, so that is the spliced wire correct? Then load goes to the relay, and ground goes.... where exactly? I know I'm making this more difficult than it has to be, but this kind of stuff eats at me till I figure it out. Just for clarification, this is the wring instructions I'm going off of. http://www.hella.com/produktion/HellaPortal/WebSite/Internet_usa/ProductsServices/PDF/Inst_450.pdf <--Adobe acrobat needed. Thanks again for the replies.

Your idea of getting power from the shifter lights is sound. Though not exactly legal. When you turn off the headlights (or parking lights) the driving lights should go out also. I doubt the shifter background illumination, is constant on, with the key in the run position.
The power cable in your diagram is showing the power coming from the headlight low beam, so the driving lights won't work on high beam, which is legal, in most places. But you mentioned wanting to be able to use the driving lights, in park etc. for a bit more flexibility.
Any black wire in your XJ is a ground, or most any screw or nut that is connected to (clean/no paint) metal is also a ground. The switch, ground wire, to the switch indicator light, is very low amperage and draws very little juice, so it shouldn't interfere with any other circuits or cause any problems.
Sorry I took so long to answer, I stacked a few to many windows and my computer went into a coma

Dvipercop said:

In re-thinking this I came up with a different solution... I plan on installing the switch for my Hellas right beside the main shifter. Would it be safe for me to just tap into the wire that feeds the light that lights up the panel that shows what gear your in? Is that going to overload anything?

Click to expand...

NO it would not be a good idea because the interior lights are on a dimmer and the relay is made to run at the full 12volts. Just run a wire from the left front marker light and get on with it.

JoBo

Good point Jobo, hadn't thought about that. Which brings me back to my original question...anyone know what color the parking light wire is under the dash????

Dark blue and red, I'd use an exacto knife and peel away a little insulation and use a test light to be sure. Anybody who has spent much time with the XJ harness is kind of hesitant to make a definitive statement.

Thank you much! Now I just have to wait for the rain to stop to go finally install them...

i just ran the relay wire that activates it from the accessory fuse so whenever the key is turned in the ignition i can have them on, in case all i need is those lights and none of the others, id think that wiring it to where you have to have your reg. lights on to turn them on is just not cool, in a way i like full control over everything.. so thats how i ran mine

AKswampheep said:

i just ran the relay wire that activates it from the accessory fuse so whenever the key is turned in the ignition i can have them on, in case all i need is those lights and none of the others, id think that wiring it to where you have to have your reg. lights on to turn them on is just not cool, in a way i like full control over everything.. so thats how i ran mine

Click to expand...

Kool YES legal in most states NO.