Impreza Spotlight Dash Switch/ Plug

[GC8E2DD]

Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for? I've put some spots on the car and plugged them into the loom (which I don't think has been used before), and now I'm trying to sort the dash switch. I got given a switch off an older Impreza which I'm hoping has the same wiring. It fits in the hole at least. Here are some pics.

Switch I shoved in is on the left ...

One of these two was plugged into the blank, the brown one I think. The white one fits the switch, but doesn't seem to do anything. Then again, if it was the right one I might just have a bung fuse/ switch/ bulbs whatever, which is part of what I'm trying to figure out.

There is this plug which is bound to the loom, and I vaguely remember reading something about the spotlights and a pink plug, but it has a completely different layout to the other dash switch plugs.

Any ideas? I don't know what I'm doing =]

[Guest lan_killa]

I would probably start off with the correct switch for your car (V4 and upwards fog switchs should all be the same) and go from there.

The switch should in theroy be driving a relay which will then drive the fog lights. Its possible that the relay and fuse for the fogs arent installed either. Get out your multi meter and start probing around would be my suggestion

[Firenza]

forgive the question, but i cant check cuz im writing this on my phone! Anyway what type of impreza have you got?

if it didnt originally come with fogs, then i assume itll be like my sti,and not have the full loom for lights. I have wiring going from the switch area leading behind the firewall and i have wiring leading from the lights but it does not join up to the rest!?! and my car was stock standard when i attempted it.

id love to know why subaru would do it (and how to connect it), cuz it seems an odd thing to remove just for model differentiation.

[GC8E2DD]

Hrm, I don't have a multi meter. I wouldn't have thought they'd change the switch, but I'll go have a look at pick-a-part, not confident though. Firenza, I have a V4 STi, so I don't think it has ever had the spots. I figured since it had the plugs for the lights it must have the whole lot (especially when I saw all the spare plugs behind the dash). Maybe the relay isn't there. Will have to try and follow the wires from the spots in daylight.

[turborunner]

hi ive got a v2 sti and have just fixed my spotlight problem which some mechanic had disconnected the relay and forgot to connect it backup.

the relay on my car was found on top of the a/c box behind dash if you remove your glovebox and lookup to the right hand side you should see a plug connecting into a small square relay which is clipped into a bracket on the a/c box.

[Guest loren]

That pink plug is for a relay I am sure. Pretty sure I have some spare relays on my loom, and have a multimeter.

Drop by today and I'll see if I can help.

[GC8E2DD]

Cool Loren. PM me.

[turborunner]

i cant remember the colour for the switch plug but the manual for the 93to96 impressa says its the brown one with five wires. it also state the cruise control one is also a brown but has 6 wires.

Ok according to the manual it should be 1=wb white with black stripe 3=bw Black with white stripe 5=b black 4=wy white with yellow stripe 2=* *=with illumin control=yl yellow with blue stripe without=b black

and the relay plug according to manual is black with 4 wires 2=Green with Red stripe 1=white with yellow stripe 3=Black with white strip 4=White with black stripe.

hope this helps ive also had a nosey at the 99 to 01 manual and that has different plugs but the manual i read is for left hand drive one the switch plug is grey which has five wires

1=BLue with white 3=black with white 5=yellow with blue 4=white with yellow 2=yellow with blue

[turborunner]

also in the same manual as the 99 to 01 its the red plug with 4 wires 2=Red with blue strip 1=Blue with white stripe 3=Black with white stripe 4=white with black stripe

[GC8E2DD]

Cheers tr!

[Guest loren]

ok, I have the wiring diagram for a pre 97 impreza and according to it, the front fog light

switch is brown, and the relay plug is black. The relay is behind the glove comp.

edit: doh looks like tr has the same diagram.

[Guest boostin]

FOG lamps have the same plug for the switch across many models. I tried a switch from a 99 Foz in my 90 Legacy and it plugged in and worked. So basically, if you find a connector that fits in the switch, that will be the wiring you need.

[Guest loren]

Turned out he just needed the relay which attached to the the pink plug in the pic. The wiring diagrams were completely wrong. Not only wrong about the location of the plug and relay, but wrong about the colour of every single wire.

[GC8E2DD]

Yeah, so you can't necessarily trust that there aren't variations to the factory looms. So a few things to note for anyone interested ...

*) The plug for the switch was the brown white one.

*) The relay lives in the pinkish socket behind the fuse box

*) The wires for the relay from memory were; white/red, black/yellow, green/black, and blue/red

*) Old (pre facelift) switches work fine on post facelift GC8 Imprezas

*) If your car didn't come from the factory with spots, all the plugs and wires are probably still there on the loom. You might just need to plug in a relay for an instant lighting upgrade from the not very bright spotlight covers.

Thanks for the relay Loren.

[DRFVDR]

 boostin said:

FOG lamps have the same plug for the switch across many models. I tried a switch from a 99 Foz in my 90 Legacy and it plugged in and worked. So basically, if you find a connector that fits in the switch, that will be the wiring you need.

I dont think they care about the correct terminology Boostin,I been trying on here for years

[GC8E2DD]

No, because language is all about conveying concepts. Everyone knows what I'm talking about when I say spotlights - except maybe boostin and DRFVDR =P

Foglights are generally yellow, because when you are driving in FOG you want a light that doesn't diffuse easily so as to make your car more visible. The lights I just put on my car would be the worst thing I could use in FOG, however they appear to provide quite good directed light which is what I call a spotlight.

[Guest boostin]

In that case they are driving lights, and should be mounted higher up.

[Guest loren]

Those lights don't qualify as either fog or spot lights, they are there to look cool only.

[GC8E2DD]

At six thirty this morning I actually thought they provided a significant increase in lighting over my headlights. So there.

[Firenza]

What was it you fitted, tbh, I haven't a clue whue when it cmes to electrics! Any of you in the know near Auckland willing to give me a hand?

[DRFVDR]

HOLD ON BACK THE TRUCK UP

 GC8E2DD said:

At six thirty this morning I actually thought they provided a significant increase in lighting over my headlights. So there.

and at 0630 was the visibility lessened by fog/rain/snow if not then driving with your FOG lights(which is what they are) on is illegal

[GC8E2DD]

Haha, who said I was driving ;]

Firenza, maybe ask Lan Killa nicely. He is in Auckland. I suspect your loom is identical to mine (your car is my car +2 doors), which means you probably just need to put a relay in the pink plug pictured above, shove the white plug into a switch and you're away. The relay looks like this;

You can't see the top here, but it is just an enclosed silver cylinder with writing on it. About the diameter of an old fifty cent coin.

[Guest lan_killa]

yeh, I can help ya out PM me