Wiring up a semi race car.

[HIZOKU]

i have started planning my wiring for my car. these are the options im thinking about as the car is a race car but still semi street driven

how would you go about some items and what items you think would not be needed or items i have forgotten? car is a X81


Headlights Switch
High Beam Switch
fog lights Switch <<< i do some hills driving and fog driving but would high beam be fine or should i add this to
parkers Switch <<< Pointless you think?
indicators Switch
tail lights Switch
brake lights Via brake switch.
License plate lights. Switch
Hazard lights Switch
starter Switch
Fuel pump Switch
Fans x2 Switch also setup to turn on and off at set temp.

battery
alternator

Gauges -
speedo <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one via ECU
tacho. <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one Via ECU
fuel gauge <<< Direct to sender im guessing.
Water Temp
Oil Temp
Oil Pressure
Fuel Pressure
EGT
A/F
Boost


Wipers on/off
Windscreen washer

Meth

Now the below items i want to mount to stock switch's how would i go about doing this new fuses on its own circuit? since it is just for the doors?
Central Locking ?
Electric Windows MAIN
Electric Windows Slave

And do i need a defroster? or forget about it
Defroster

i plan on using a ARC 8000 switch panel and maybe a 4000 to depends on how i go about things and peoples ideas.

[styler]

Would recommend a 6 pole FIA kill switch

2 main poles Battery
2 poles ignition cut
2 poles alternator bleed

This allows for battery and ignition cut while bleeding the alternator
to ground through a resistor while the motor is still turning over but not firing
after the switch is activated.

[convertableTA23]

Rewiring a complete car and keeping that aspect road legal is a huge task. You need to keep some sort of key ignition for roadworthyness, even if it is just a on/off style switch.

As for lights, parkers, tail lights and number plate lights should be opperated by one switch, headlights should be opperated by anther switch which can only be on when parkers are on, high beam on another which can only be on when headlights are on. Fog lights must also be seperatly switched and only be on when parkers are on (and in some places turn off when high beam is turned on). You must have a hazzard switch and the indicator switch should be mounted on a stalk by the steering wheel. Brake lights must work even with the ignition off/key out and must work off a switch on the pedal box.

Wipers i would definatly wire up both speeds and then a momuntary button for washers.

I would have a key type switch feeding power to the switch panel, then a ignition switch feeding power to most other switches. A momuntary start button can then be used. For the fuel pump i would use a switch that drams it's supply after the ignition switch (i think roadworthy even requires this). The fan switch i would also wire up after the ignition switch.

I'm guessing you are using aftermarket guages so just wire them up as per the instructions

For roadworthy you do need a demister fitted (some use 12v hairdryer things)

The electric windows, the factory switch should have one wire as a power supply, just supply this power, but you can only supply it power when the key is turned on once again for roadworthyness. After the switch just wire it as per factory. If you want to use after market switches for this you also can, for simplicity you would require momuntary double poll double throw switches.

It can all be done just remember you need lots of different coloured wire and a heap of connectors and even more time.

I have wired up a few diffent off road race cars to a few different specs, just remember to read through the adrs that apply to your car and the racing catogory specs and make sure everything is legal before you start.

If you have any q's shoot me a pm.

If anyone else thinks differently to me feel free to mention, there are alot of diffent methods to doing this stuff.

[oldcorollas]

Licence plate switch = life fail

just put it on the park/tail/dash light circuit.

[big_zop]

Is there any reason you cant keep the stock stuff for the gear you need and remove what you dont want? A lot of the factory switch gear and wiring is neatly designed and will do what you need without needing to completely redo the required circuitry. Yes i know how hard it would be as I am going through the same thing/car.

That said, if you dont want to go down that path then i would be interested in your factory wiring

[HIZOKU]

Alright i should clear things up it is a RACE CAR but does see the street in the wee hours of the morning when dark. Wont have key ignition will have kill switches and so on.

I have a kill switch FIA one

How would i go about wiring up the windscreen wipers at two speeds? as my one had a controller that it no longer has anymore.


Most things i have a idea on how i will wire it up the basics it is more the combo of how i will do it.

im thinking i will just keep it to basics with the lights. EG head light on off high beam on off i don't think i will wire up parkers and indicators like i said owned the car for two years and i think i turned parkers on once and fog lights i turned one once at a servo as i found out what a switch done and never turned them on again.


http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/100/116/116-8000R.jpg here is the 8000 im thinking about getting and i think i will buy the 4000 for the lights this way i can mount light switches near the steering wheel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAxpsVLJvoo

and video info on the 8000 version

[wagonist]

Why are you planning on ditching the factory wiring & switches?
I went through this with my Excel. Admittedly, it's a really basic car and pretty much had electric nothing.
But after stripping the rear of the loom (ie dashboard and back), I saved a whole 3kgs maybe (and a non running car).
Instead I stripped out the interior, rear wiper motor, sound deadening, heater box, fan & A/C.

Have you got aftermarket ECU?

It might be easier to get the wiring loom out of an older carbied car from the early 80s (which most likely has almost nothing electrical) & adapt that to suit?

[oldcorollas]

tbh, the factory stalks are REALLY convenient for switching a whole lot of stuff. edit: and if they are just switching relays, they are pretty reliable.
fumbling for switches for kights or wipers during race = fail

just put tail/park/dash/licence plate lights on same circuit on the "parker" circuit of the stalk.
you might want the dash/gauge backlight seperate so you can switch it on during race, but not have curent draw of parkers and tail lights. but good to have them in poor weather on the track anyway.
park is first stage of headlights, so all those lights are always on when headlights are on (in road situation).

2 speed/variable speeed wiper, use the factory stalk switch and box.

if you keep factory stalks, and using deep dish wheel/boss extension, they are well out of the way while driving, and they keep stuff so neat.


regarding wiring. i had a diagram, but lost it
IGN swith powers a relay (MAIN), which provides power for low current stuff, and provides switching power for relays for everything else (EFI, lights, i put injectors adn pump on their own relays, etc)
for switches, i'd have FP and fan override switches, but still run them so they are turned off by the MAIN relay

fuel cutoff relay (in the event of rollover) is also a good idea, or tachometric(?) relay to kill FP dead in case of engine failure.

speedo/tacho, depends on your ECU/gbox sender.


too many switches is a pita. keep it simple, use a simplified version of original wiring diagram and just remopve most of the connectors and shite. or draw your own simple version.
fuse everything. closer to battery for fuse - better, as less wire to fry and set car on fire in event of bending...

[HIZOKU]

Yeah i don't have many switches i think 12 max and that is if i run lights on there own

And i have removed everything i have no aircon/heater i have removed the PPS steering JZX81 have. most of my gauges are aftermarket other then fuel speed and tacho.

it more just used for the lights windows and basic items to start the car and wipers i think the list above im going to drop it down a bit more i don't think i will end up wiring parkers and fog lights. i wil have both fans it own switch indicators on stalk.

wiper i will have on its own switch not adjustable as the car scares the shit out of me in the wet so if it is raining im not going to be driving fast im going to be looking for somewhere to park it. LOL



Headlights Switch
High Beam Switch
indicators Switch stalk
tail lights Switch
brake lights Via brake switch.
License plate lights. Switch
Hazard lights Switch on stalk
starter Switch
Fuel pump Switch
Fans x2 Switch also setup to turn on and off at set temp.

battery
alternator
kill switch

Gauges -
speedo <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one via ECU R154 1jzgte autronic SM4
tacho. <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one Via ECU R154 1jzgte autronic SM4
fuel gauge <<< Direct to sender
Water Temp aftermarket
Oil Temp aftermarket
Oil Pressure aftermarket
Fuel Pressure aftermarket
EGT aftermarket
A/F -aftermarket
Boost -
aftermarket
Meth - already has its own circuit just need to add power to it.
Wipers on/off
Windscreen washer

Meth

Electric Windows MAIN
Electric Windows Slave


I have removed a couple things like central locking to as fuck it the thing is a race car if someone is going to hope in passenger side i can reach.

Now fuse wise for the gauges should i have them all to a power supply as in 12V going in then that branches off to how many things i need to power up with 1 fuse? or a fuse for each one it powers up?

im going to work on a rough diagram tomorrow and will post it up to get some ideas from what elect friends have told me most of the work is in the planning stage

[thechuckster]

fwiw, I've used the factory switches for lights & wipers for the MZ11, the elec windows have been moved to the centre console.

One thing I am changing is shifting relays for lights/fans out to the engine bay and rear, relays for fuel to the boot, and having a power rail lines feeding them - will simplify the console wiring a bit and also reduces amount/length of high-current cable runs.

e.g. instead of 4 headlight relays in the cabin, with 4 x 10-15A wires heading out to the front, there will be low-current sent out to relays hiding behind lights and one power line going from main fuse point to front of car for lights. The switches are fuse protected as is the power line.

Would suggest that weight and reliability be your primary goals.

[oldcorollas]

as above. keep high power wires to minimum length, especially stuff like headlights. headlights, one big fuse off battery, one big power wire going to 4 relays (easier to have 4 so you cna safely run 100W+ off each), 4 big power wires with shortest possible run to globesm, then 4 neg wores back to one large neg wire sirectly to battery = least voltage loss.

the long wires running around car should be effectively "signal level" wires to switch relays to turn on power close to each device. fuse should be on battery side of each relay. fuses are there to stop fires if things get shorted. whole wires can burn up as fast as fuses in the event of a short (or a crash) if they are not rated properly.
main issues are reliability, adn what happens if you hit something/roll over etc.. need to stop fuel and stop ignition sources

Headlights Switch keep on stalk
High Beam Switchkeep on stalk
indicators Switch stalkkeep on stalk
tail lights Switch combine with licence plate
brake lights Via brake switch.
License plate lights. Switch combine with tail lights and gauge illumination
Hazard lights Switch on stalk wherever
starter Switch
Fuel pump Switch better to have primary control by ECU, then easily visible/useable kill switch
Fans x2 Switch also setup to turn on and off at set temp.

battery
alternator
kill switch

Gauges -
speedo <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one via ECU R154 1jzgte autronic SM4
tacho. <<< How do i wire this sensor on box direct to cluster or is there another one Via ECU R154 1jzgte autronic SM4
fuel gauge <<< Direct to sender
Water Temp aftermarket
Oil Temp aftermarket
Oil Pressure aftermarket
Fuel Pressure aftermarket
EGT aftermarket
A/F -aftermarket
Boost -
aftermarket
Meth - already has its own circuit just need to add power to it.
Wipers on/off keep on stalk
Windscreen washerkeep on stalk

Meth

Electric Windows MAIN delete
Electric Windows Slavedelete

Now fuse wise for the gauges should i have them all to a power supply as in 12V going in then that branches off to how many things i need to power up with 1 fuse? or a fuse for each one it powers up?
gauges use hardly any power. fuse then branch off for +12V for all gauges.. daisychain them. you could put fuse off EFI relay, or off an ACC relay to seperate them. daisychain the power or gauge back lights too. can daisychain the earth if it is good size and preferebly connected direct to battery or main earth.
good to keep stuff seperate, but adds weight

ediyt, have a look at a modern toyota loom, most of the wires are tiny. big wires = extra weight and extra cost, so they use low currect capability wires to turn stuff on remotely..

[HIZOKU]

Yeah im trying to group everything as best i can. been flat out today just got out of a meeting.

So i will work on the wiring diagram tomorrow or tonight if i can get time.

[mullett]

Dude...go to summit racing. Look up Painless wiring looms. Purchase. Enjoy.

[HIZOKU]

Dude...go to summit racing. Look up Painless wiring looms. Purchase. Enjoy.

ARC 8000 Same thing switch panel, power distributional board with fuses/relays, and loom and half the price and look at the diff

Painless
ARC 8000

[mullett]

I'm down with that too! Either way it's a lot less PITA than starting from scratch!