How to Install a Rocker Switch
A rocker switch is a small, low-profile switch that can be installed to control nearly any type of auxiliary device on your car. The switch gets its name from the one side of an angled piece of plastic is pressed to flip the switch. Each time a rocker switch is flipped, the angled plastic pad rocks to raise one side of the switch when you depress the opposite side. You can get illuminated, clear or opaque rocker switches. These units even come in a wide array of colors to match the look of your car.
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Things You'll Need
- Wrench set
- Rocker switch with installation kit
- Roll of 12 gauge wire
- Wire pliers
- Wire stripping tool
- Auxiliary light
- Automotive fuse
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses
Instructions
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1
Lift the hood of your car and locate the battery. Unhook the cable from the negative terminal of the battery with the appropriate wrench. Pull the cable away from the battery so that there is no possibility of it touching the post until after the project is complete.
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2
Examine your rocker switch. Set your multimeter to check resistance by reading ohms. Touch one probe on your tester against the middle terminal of the switch. Alternate the other probe between the two outside terminals to see which gives you a reading that is closest to 0 ohms. This is your ground terminal.
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3
Mount the rocker switch under the dash of your car as recommended by the manufacturer. Install the switch using only the installation kit that comes with the switch. Run a piece of 12 gauge wire from the center terminal on your switch to the frame of the car. Pick a bolt, loosen it, wrap the stripped end of the wire around the bolt and tighten it with a wrench.
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4
Hook up a wire between the positive terminal of your battery and the positive terminal in an empty slot on your car's fuse panel. Pay close attention to the owner's manual for your car when looking for the positive terminal on the fuse panel.
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5
Connect a wire between the free terminal on your fuse panel and the center post on your switch. Connect a wire between the positive post on your switch and the positive post on your auxiliary light, or whatever the switch will be controlling. Connect a ground wire from the negative post on the auxiliary light to the frame of the car.
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6
Push an appropriately sized fuse into the panel between the wires of your new circuit. Reconnect the negative cable under the hood to your car's battery. Flip your rocker switch back and forth slowly several times to test the new circuit.
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Tips & Warnings
Cut each piece of wire so that there is 1 inch of slack to prevent excess tension.
Cut wires only with wire pliers.
Strip each end of every wire only with a wire stripping tool.
Check the specs for your specific car. 12 gauge wire is common, but, you may need 14 gauge or other wire to match your car's needs as outlined by the manufacturer.
Work gloves and safety glasses are required when working with hand and power tools.
Never perform any electrical work on a vehicle without unhooking the cable from the negative terminal of your battery before beginning the project.
Never create an electrical circuit in your car without a fuse to protect the vehicle from fire damage in case of an overload or short in the system.
References
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