Upfitter switch wiring help, I’m confused

[Rhinoman]

I have a used 2012 gen 1. Previous owner had 2 led lights installed in the lower grill next to my winch lead and wired to upfitter switch #1. But…..one just went out and I’m going to replace them with some bd squadron pros.

My problem is how they are wired. They are using switch 1, the proper fuse works, but they did not wire them through the upfitter wiring in passenger foot well or through firewall. It appears that they tapped power directly to a wiring harness located on the drivers side of the engine compartment near the firewall.

I didn’t know that was possible. So is it safe to reuse their power pick up?

I have checked all the upfitter wiring and switch. Nothing has been altered or used but the switch works and it’s running through the correct fuse. Help!!

 

[CoronaRaptor]

Pretty hard to help you, when we don't know what the previous owner did? You telling me that you can't trace the previous wiring to see where it's connected? It should be the same wires that are coming out behind the battery, just further downstream I'm guessing. Anyway, use the proper fuse. If your new lights only run 5 amps, put a 7 or 8 amp fuse in place, or if it's a 10 amp load, use a 12 amp fuse, etc, you get the idea, right? Just don't have a 5 amp load and leave a 20 amp fuse in place, etc.

 

[Rhinoman]

No I can see the wires clearly. They are not using the upfitter wiring. The negative leads are bolted to the frame rails near the lights. The positive wire goes up the drivers side of the engine compartment. This pic shows where they spliced into the harness on the Drivers side. Not the upfitter wires coming out on the Passengers side. Which are all there and not connected to anything. The black wire I’m holding is the current power where it’s spliced in.

 

[Rhinoman]

I can trace all the upfitter wires from the switch to the passenger floorboard and also inside the engine compartment on the passenger side. Nothing is connected. They power is connected directly to this wiring harness on the drivers side. The switch works properly and the proper fuse for that switch is also active. Pull the fuse and lights die. It looks like they spliced into that harness to bypass having to hook up the upfitter wiring somehow and got it to work as it is supposed to.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

So sounds like some moron ran new wire to the upfitter switches themselves, which sounds so odd of a thing to do. I don't know enough about the factory wiring to comment further, I know the colors of the wires for the passenger connectors and the engine harness but not where they connected on the drivers side. I'm sure somebody will eventually comment, so hang tough.

 

[CoronaRaptor]

You could check and see if you still have power to the wires in the passenger side when the switches are flipped on, that way you would know if they cut them or i they are still connected as the factory did, then you could just "cap" the other wires on the drivers side, IDK. Why do people do stupid stuff?

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

it sounds like they got power from the fuse location and not the wires on the passenger side. the fuses for the switches are on the drivers side. i would start by checking there. see if the wire is the same as switch 1 fuse wire

 

[Rhinoman]

i have a feeling you are right. It appears they are tapped into the yellow wire that would be switch 1 in the upfitter location.

The work was done, don’t know exactly where, but at a truck shop in Wyoming the same time they installed a winch and some other parts. All of the install work is done top notch.

Gonna run a continuity check this week and confirm that’s the same line. May have found an easy way to hook up my other switches. the other 3 color lines are there as well.

 

[Raptorlander]

Sounds like the skinned a cat different, but the upfitter wires behind the glove box that have the pass through wires is the standard way to go from what I've read. Check this link of BIRDMAN explaining it: https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/wire-raptor-aux-upfitter-switches.20335/#post-345541

Question from me is, the pass through wire connections in the engine bay (after you splice the upfitter and passthrough behind the glove box) are meant for whatever you wire through the engine bay (lights, winch, etc.) but if you have like a air pump or ham radio in your cab or anything using an AUX switch in the cab you would just splice it into upfitter wire without hooking up the pass through?

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

Sounds like the skinned a cat different, but the upfitter wires behind the glove box that have the pass through wires is the standard way to go from what I've read. Check this link of BIRDMAN explaining it: https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/wire-raptor-aux-upfitter-switches.20335/#post-345541

Question from me is, the pass through wire connections in the engine bay (after you splice the upfitter and passthrough behind the glove box) are meant for whatever you wire through the engine bay (lights, winch, etc.) but if you have like a air pump or ham radio in your cab or anything using an AUX switch in the cab you would just splice it into upfitter wire without hooking up the pass through?

yes. the wires below the glovebox are after the relays. the pass through wires are just that. passes through the firewall.