Towing electrics

[JimDay]

I have just purchased a 7 way bypass relay for my V70 in the wiring diagram it states for one connection "+ 12v Fused I/P" & another as "OV Earth I/P"

Now I have been out of the trade for some 20 years now so can anyone tell me what "I/P" stands for I am guessing that the "12v Fused I/P" needs to be ignition switched as the unit stays live all the time if wirede direct to the battery but I don't understand what the term "I/P" stands for.

[Clan]

Input i would think??? 12 volt input and earth input ...

[JimDay]

Cheers for that "Clan" any ideas if there is a 12v ignition switched feed near the load area on the V70 so I don't have to run a feed al the way to the ignition switch

[Michael J]

Day-running lights? My 240 has them, so it's impossible at the back end to not have the tail sidelights on whenever the ignition is switched on (regardless of main lights switch).

Of course, if you leave the car with parking lights on then that would also power up the relay...

[JimDay]

Cheers for that Michael but I don't have my DRL's switched on mind you having said that I don't turn the actual headlight switch off this time of year, I just turn the ignition off.

Not sure if the wiring would handle the 7 way relay power drain if I were to connect it's feed into the tail light feed.

Is there any other ignition switched feed at the rear of a V70 that anyone knows of .

[Michael J]

Originally Posted by JimDay

Cheers for that Michael but I don't have my DRL's switched on ...

That's the point, you don't have to - it's the same as lights "off". You can't avoid having the 5W tail lights on if the ignition is on, the only thing you can do is choose which of the various front end lamps are working.

How much power does the relay feed actually draw?



Ed: it's probably best to bite the bullet and run 20ft or so of wire from a suitable switched fuse though.

[JimDay]

Originally Posted by Michael J

That's the point, you don't have to - it's the same as lights "off". You can't avoid having the 5W tail lights on if the ignition is on, the only thing you can do is choose which of the various front end lamps are working.

How much power does the relay feed actually draw?



Ed: it's probably best to bite the bullet and run 20ft or so of wire from a suitable switched fuse though.

Think I will have to do just that & run a feed from the ignition switch or switched fuse as you say Michael, as the relay feeds the tail lights,stop lights & indicators on the trailer/caravan

[JimDay]

Originally Posted by JimDay

Think I will have to do just that & run a feed from the ignition switch or switched fuse as you say Michael, as the relay feeds the tail lights,stop lights & indicators on the trailer/caravan

Although thinking about it, it would have to be fed from the light switch otherwise the trailer/caravan tail lights wont have a feed if I park up with the engine switched off, so in effect there would be no parking lights on the caravan, so maybe I need to splice a feed into the rear light loom in front of the bulb failure unit. Yes or No has anyone fitted one of these 7 way bypass relays & found a way round this or not.

[Michael J]

I don't even know why it needs a relay unless it's for "auxiliary" power to the caravan. Many years ago I had a Cortina estate with a towbar and the electrics in that were simply paralleled off from the rear lights.

[JimDay]

It's mainly to stop the bulb failure device from throwing up false warnings Michael plus on some cars I believe the wiring is a lot lighter gauge so splicing into them would cause problems & possibly burnt out wiring due to over loading the circuit, I originally had mine hard wired direct into the rear lights but it started fashing the bulb failure warning lights when I pressed the brake pedal
(technology is wonderfull)
You need a seperate relay for the caravan auxillary circuits such as the fridge & charging of the caravan battery