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Super clean roof mounted light install

T

ThE HiV

NAXJA Forum User
Location
VT
I've got a nice setup for the roof of the XJ planned out with 2 hellas on my roof rack. I want to know if theres any real clean way of getting power up to the roof. I dont want to drill holes in the roof or between the doors. I was thinking maybe something coming up through the weather stripping on the hatch. Ive done a quick search but cant find any nice clean installs that dont go through the roof.

If any one has some links or pics of how they routed power up to the roof Id like to see it.
 
Either through your trim and out the driver/ passenger door around the gutter to the rack or through the hatch like you said...the hatch requires a lot of wiring though so I just have mine going through the door jam for now.
 
I dont see how its possible to do that. you need both a hot line and a ground, and if these hellas are 100w each that is at least a 12 guage wire. (if its more than 240 watts total, you need to go to 10 gauge)

So if you just wrap it under the top of the door frame, the door will beat it to death and probably short your system.

Did I understand this right?
If not, sorry.

Jesse
 
Bolt a deepcycle Otima up there with them.
Did mine like this.
IM000383.jpg

IM000382.jpg
 
noresttill said:
I dont see how its possible to do that. you need both a hot line and a ground, and if these hellas are 100w each that is at least a 12 guage wire. (if its more than 240 watts total, you need to go to 10 gauge)

So if you just wrap it under the top of the door frame, the door will beat it to death and probably short your system.

Did I understand this right?
If not, sorry.

Jesse
Click to expand...

You understood it right...I had a 10 guage wire going through the door jam for almost a year and I didn't get any kind of wear on the wire...

He does not need a 12 guage wire though...there is a link somewhere but
if he is running 200 watts on a 12 volt system he is only putting out 17 amps...or say 20 just to be safe. With that in mind he could run a 16 guage wire.
 
those Harbor Freight lights Langer1? I've got a pair just like those on my bumper. Decent for the $15 or so they cost.
 
ThE HiV said:
I've got a nice setup for the roof of the XJ planned out with 2 hellas on my roof rack. I want to know if theres any real clean way of getting power up to the roof. I dont want to drill holes in the roof or between the doors. I was thinking maybe something coming up through the weather stripping on the hatch. Ive done a quick search but cant find any nice clean installs that dont go through the roof.

If any one has some links or pics of how they routed power up to the roof Id like to see it.
Click to expand...
Back to the question.
On 85 to 90 XJs the roof rack rails are mounted in rubber and so are insulated.
They are held on with rubber plugs through the roof.
It would be easy to ground one and make the other switched + 12 volts.
The cross mounts are Nylon and steel so you can pick up the power from the adjuster nuts.
Now you have no wires and rack cross rails can be moved as needed.
 
langer1 said:
Back to the question.
On 85 to 90 XJs the roof rack rails are mounted in rubber and so are insulated.
They are held on with rubber plugs through the roof.
It would be easy to ground one and make the other switched + 12 volts.
The cross mounts are Nylon and steel so you can pick up the power from the adjuster nuts.
Now you have no wires and rack cross rails can be moved as needed.
Click to expand...


This sounds pretty interesting. I have a 93...would this work for the factory rack on these. i kind of understand what your saying but not enough to actually do it. have you done this or do you have a schematic to follow or anything
 
ThE HiV said:
This sounds pretty interesting. I have a 93...would this work for the factory rack on these. i kind of understand what your saying but not enough to actually do it. have you done this or do you have a schematic to follow or anything
Click to expand...
I have never done it and don't know if it could be done on a 93, but it's sorta like a Model train that has the power in the tracks.
 
andrew2516 said:
You understood it right...I had a 10 guage wire going through the door jam for almost a year and I didn't get any kind of wear on the wire...

He does not need a 12 guage wire though...there is a link somewhere but
if he is running 200 watts on a 12 volt system he is only putting out 17 amps...or say 20 just to be safe. With that in mind he could run a 16 guage wire.
Click to expand...

The maximum recommended fuse size for 16 AWG is 7.5 amps.
The maximum recommended fuse size for 14 AWG is 15 amps.
The maximum recommended fuse size for 12 AWG is 20 amps.

Jesse

EDIT: BTW Langer, very clean.
 
On the subject of wire size, if the lights draw 200 watts, divide watts (200) by the voltage (12), and you get 16.66666 Amps, or 17 amps. 12AWG is good up to 20 A., although for continuous duty (3 or more hours) you need to upgrade to the next size (NEC). 240 watts gives you 20 A., so to be safe, use 10AWG. Don't forget to fuse the wire!
 
I wired all of my lights up to a trailer harness bought pieces at walmart hooked up the other end of the harness to my amp wire when not in use i roll up the wires and place them underneath the rear seat. when in use i flip up the rear seat fish the wires through the rear window roll it up as much as possible and simply plug the trailer harnesses together walla they are working. just recently i wired up a light for night time repaires that can plug up to
 
langer1 said:
Back to the question.
On 85 to 90 XJs the roof rack rails are mounted in rubber and so are insulated.
They are held on with rubber plugs through the roof.
It would be easy to ground one and make the other switched + 12 volts.
The cross mounts are Nylon and steel so you can pick up the power from the adjuster nuts.
Now you have no wires and rack cross rails can be moved as needed.
Click to expand...
Bad idea jeans.
Don't buy them.

You do NOT want 12V positive on an outside rail of your vehicle.
Got rain? Ice? a rack that happens to cross the rails?
Open your hatch and look up. There is a sealed rubber tube that runs the wires from the chassis to the hatch. Drill a hole to fit a grommet right next to it. Make sure the hole is toward the top so no water leaks into it.
Seal it with silicone after running the wires to be sure.
 
My 90 uses torx bits through the rail into metal nutserts - so the rail is grounded. Oh well.

But since one of the nutserts pulled clear out I now have an excuse to put power throught the hole and seal that. The CB cable can go through it too.

The more it falls apart the more I can improve it - aren't old Jeeps helpful?
 
any one have pics of running power to the roof through the hatch, or know of anywhere I can find some.
 
noresttill said:
The maximum recommended fuse size for 16 AWG is 7.5 amps.
The maximum recommended fuse size for 14 AWG is 15 amps.
The maximum recommended fuse size for 12 AWG is 20 amps.

Jesse

EDIT: BTW Langer, very clean.
Click to expand...

I always just went by this site...
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

I might be wrong but I have figured out how many amps I need to wire things and I have been going by this chart to pick the size wire I need.
 
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