How to install a Toyota switch
There is nothing better than having all of your accessories available at your fingertips while you sit in the driver’s seat. A well set out dash board can make your life easier and safer while on the road.
Toyota dash switches can have an endless amount of functions depending on your situation. They can be used for spot lights, winches, driving lights, fridge power and the list goes on. Correctly wiring these items can be the difference between a good day out and about, or a shocking one. In this installation guide, we will go step-by-step through the process of installing your Toyota dash switch so it will never let you down.
There are many ways to connect wires including crimps and soldering etc. How you choose to connect your wires is at your discretion.
Equipment required:
- Wire cutters
- Optional equipment: multimeter, soldering iron, solder, heat shrink
Step 1:
Locate your vehicles dash circuit. You can use a multimeter to test the wires to see if you get a power reading when the vehicles dash lights are turned on. The location of this can vary between vehicles.
Hint: If you are stuck, look for a power outlet (for example: cig plug/usb charger/switch) and back track to find its wiring.
Note: If you wire straight from a power source like the battery, the switch will be illuminated constantly and will eventually run your battery flat
Step 2:
Once the dash circuit has been located, you will need to connect “red wire 2” (as pictured in our wiring diagram) to the power wire of the dash circuit. You can also connect the black wire on the switch with the earth wire in the dash circuit.
Step 3:
Run a power wire from your power source (commonly the battery) through an inline fuse and connect it to the green wire on the switch.
Step 4:
The final step to wiring your dash switch is to take “red wire 1” and wire it into a relay which will send the power to your accessory (For example: winch/light bar/fridge etc). You will need to wire the switch into the relay’s positive input terminal.
Why use a relay?
Simply, the switch uses a low current circuit, and the accessory you are turning on uses a high current circuit. The relay allows this to happen without failure of the low current switch circuit. If wired without a relay the high current circuit can cause catastrophic damage to the low current switch circuit, accessory and vehicle.
