How to install a light bar

oldmanskiDo you have it wired through a separate switch? I would hope so and in the harness going to the light bar, there should be a relay. The relay is a little black box looking thing. If this harness doesn’t have one of those and you are directly hooking the light bar power to the battery it is not safe and could potentially start a fire and drain the battery so to speak. I’m sure if the battery was weak it wouldnt take much to kill it so a new battery will help but make sure to wire it up correctly and safely so it doesn’t cause any problems in the long run. If you want, send me a picture of the wire harness or directions you have and I can try and help guide you to do it correctly.

I installed car stereos/alarms/remote starts/lights etc. for 10 years professionally.

CrunnchyVanManyea it does have a relay and it is on a separate switch, I don't have the new harness yet, should be here later in the week. But I still have the old harness sitting in the engine bay.

As far as the positive and negative wires go, should I put the negative wire on the negative side of the battery? before I had it connected to one of the bolts that you can see in top middle of this photo

oldmanskiOkay, glad to hear it has its own relay and separate switch. You can hook the ground to the negative of the battery if you like but a good clean metal surface(scrape the paint)of the van is good too. They can draw a fair amount of power when in use so it is good to have the van running while using the light bar. A good battery is always a good thing to have, they can get pricey but I have always ran a red top or even a yellow top Optima in all my rides and have had good luck and life out of them. Sounds like you had it wired correctly and safely so a new battery will probably cure the problem. I have seen some crazy shit when it comes to wiring in cars/motorcycles and surprised they havent gone up in flames. Good luck

MiIfHunterWhat’s in the van man?

CrunnchyVanManRad, thanks!! I think my problem may have been the old battery (my shop guy says ive been running less than 50% for a while until I replaced it last week when I was at 20%) mixed with not having a good ground, and maybe partly the empty lead that goes nowhere? either way ill give it a go when the new harness comes in, is it cool if I PM you if I have any issues in the future?

CrunnchyVanMana couple months ago I bought a light bar for my van, and after 4 days to a week it would drain my battery, then id take it off the battery, wait a couple days, reconnect, then it would do it again. and by drained the battery I mean, it would be completely dead, id take the wire off the battery, and it would start up fine without even needing a jump


I did a sketchy install where the wire went around the A pillar and down into the hood cuz I couldn't find the right hole for it through the firewall, this frayed the wire after a couple days and I think this lead to draining my battery, either that or I didn't ground it right.

Also with the wiring harness I got it has 2 leads rather than just one so I think that could have drained it too. either way I ordered the right harness this time, I got a new battery cuz the old one was already on the outs, and I know where the right hole is, anybody have experience with light bars that could shed some advice? Im not sure what im doing wrong

**This thread was edited on Nov 23rd 2020 at 12:58:48pm

CrunnchyVanMangot a bed, some storage, sick ass checkered floor, and some dope lights

CrunnchyVanMana couple months ago I bought a light bar for my van, and after 4 days to a week it would drain my battery, then id take it off the battery, wait a couple days, reconnect, then it would do it again. and by drained the battery I mean, it would be completely dead, id take the wire off the battery, and it would start up fine without even needing a jump


I did a sketchy install where the wire went around the A pillar and down into the hood cuz I couldn't find the right hole for it through the firewall, this frayed the wire after a couple days and I think this lead to draining my battery, either that or I didn't ground it right.

Also with the wiring harness I got it has 2 leads rather than just one so I think that could have drained it too. either way I ordered the right harness this time, I got a new battery cuz the old one was already on the outs, and I know where the right hole is, anybody have experience with light bars that could shed some advice? Im not sure what im doing wrong

**This thread was edited on Nov 23rd 2020 at 12:58:48pm

CrunnchyVanMangot a bed, some storage, sick ass checkered floor, and some dope lights

MXmxNice ski van. Thinking of making one myself. Did you do anything to insulate it?

CrunnchyVanManYea! ive got Havelock wood and reflectix. highly recommend it, it was such a fun project

MXmxDid you find what’s draining the battery?

do you feel cramped in the transit connect? It’s one of my choices for a van.

MiIfHunterDo u smoke weed in that van man

CrunnchyVanMansofar so good, I got a new harness and installed yesterday....

Honestly its a pretty decent space, I mean you are pretty limited for headspace and width but if you're under 6'0" you can make do just fine, it just makes it hella cozy and stays warm longer so that makes it worth it.

the only downside of the TC is that it doesn't have a lot of power, trying to push her going 70+mph over steep hills is a bit of a struggle, gas mileage is great tho

MXmxMaybe the new generation van would have more power? I had one at work and was amazed how it drives like a focus (which is basically what it is).

If the van a full time thing or just for skiing?

MiIfHunterWhy do u want to live in a van man?

CrunnchyVanManIt’s cozy and cheap and I like bein close to nature

MiIfHunterDo u live in the van man full time? Where do u shit? Where do u shower

CrunnchyVanManUpdate, been at least a week since I installed and sofar no dead battery, I think I did something right