Awesome video I had been looking for a day now before seeing yours. All I wanted to know was how to hook my whip lights to my bus bar! And now the location 😂and you showed all the ways.Thank you.
Good job on this video. I don't know a lot about electrical stuff so some of it is over my head unfortunately. I have tapped into fuses in my vehicles to hardwire dashcams, radar detectors. I'd love to try it on my X3. Subbed.
I have the same light bar but I do not have the key on an off wire that plugs to the wiring harness which will cause the lights on the switch to stay on leading to a dead battery. I have tried to find that wire that you add on to the bottom of the bus bar but can’t find it. Please help? Thanks for the great video.
Great video, do you have a wiring diagram for the relay. Curious where the ignition wire hooks to the relay system. I’m sure it on the relay diagram when you get it but figured I would ask. I like the set up. Thanks again.
Thanks! You know I do not.. I believe it did come with a diagram, if I remember right there is just one smaller terminal which would be for the ignition wire and the the other 2 poles are bigger for the current.
I did not know about the tail light plugs. The previous owner has a rats nest behind the passenger side seat. ALL the acc are on the battery. How he did it I have no clue. Piles and Piles of wiring on top of both posts. I am definitely getting that fuse block. Thank you for this video I am thinking about a second battery. When does the battery say FU I have too many accessories loaded?
@@wernergarage7078 I'm in the process now. Got a second battery gonna run them in parallel. Can you do the big 3 upgrade on the x3 or wouldn't be worth it since there is no alternator and just uses a stator?
Thanks for the Video. I have a 2017 Commander Limited. Wouldn't it have been just as easy to wire the fuse box off the ignition side of the bus bar? I don't I have a option to purchase the pig tail you referenced?
Thanks. I just got a x3 Max xrs and installed light bar and stereo from the Ignition in the bus bar. I’m wanting to do lighted wips but was not looking forward to running cables again, and thanks to your video discovered about the tail light option as power. Subscribed. What is the conector to tap into it called? Thanks!
Nice video thanks. Have a question. Could you have ran the ground wire @ the fuse box to chassis ground at the front of the car or was there no good area to attach ground? Also curious what size fuse you are using on the lightbar.
Hi Wayne, That's a good question. I figured since I was already running the positive that it would be best to take the ground straight to the battery. I think going straight to the chassis would be fine but you might try starting the car and making sure your not getting any interference if you are using a comms system or a radio. If you do get interference I would proceed with going strait to the battery as that could resolve it. I don't remember the fuse size for the light bar, mine came with one so I just used that size. I double it's more than 15amp as LED's don't pull to much. If you have an amp reader you could test what it pulls and go off of that. Keep in mind all these bars are slightly different and pull different amps.
You could, I just don't know what's all running of the bus bar and liked the idea of going straight the battery and keeping the bus bar out of play. Totally up to you and would probably be fine.
First let me say awesome video and I love the fuse box idea! I have a question. Can you explain what you mean by you tapped in to the pigtail under the dash? Does that mean you ran the pigtail positive and negative all the way back up the tunnel to the relay you installed? I can see that the ground jumper from the battery went to the relay. But I also see another red small red wire going back towards the front of the car.
danumber11 thanks for the nice comments! You are correct, I ran a smaller gauge red wire from the pigtail tap in under the dash (ignition switches power) to the relay in the back. This turns the relay on which then activated the fuse box so that the fuse box is only powered with the ignition is on but uses the direct 6awg wire directly from the battery as the power source. You could put the relay under the dash if you like but it is fairly big and then you have a constant heavy gauge wire running to the dash always hot, in my opinion it's better to have the relay closer to the battery.
Ok thanks for clearing that up for me. I have a 2020 xrs rr that it just purchased and I'm wire up all my accessories. I had thought about doing what you did but didn't really know what was the best way to go about it. So thank you very much for the video!
Hey so I bought the adapter that goes from the taillights to the whips and I'm getting a check brake alarm when I hit 15-20 mph. Did you have anything like that happen to you?
Hey man- You make some good videos, BUT I just wanted to point out (and maybe you already realize this), but when you referred to the wiring at the middle bus bar, you had the negative & ignition power line incorrect. Since a lot of people are watching these videos (myself included), after buying a new X3, to get some advice for DIY’ing their own electrical work, I thought it was important to point this out. The top black 6ga wire is negative, the middle 6ga red wire is power all the time (direct from battery), and the bottom red 10ga or 12ga wire is powered only when the vehicle is on/ignition power. A lot of other people are making RUclips videos, and wiring a large amount of lights to that small ignition power source on the middle bus bar, which is horribly incorrect.
Do you think i would be able to run 6gauge wire from the bus bar to an aftermarket fuse panel like the one he installed here? Or would it be best to run it from the battery through a relay and tap into the accessories wire like he did
Hi I was wondering if you could help me... I recently bought a used can am X3 and it had a large LED wire for radio on its roof that lit up all colors. It got ripped off in a forest and lost it. Recently found out my brake lights don't come on/work. After watching most of your video here I suspect the previous owner may of used the power from the brake lights to power the LED. How do I check to see that/how do I reconnect the wires to get my brake lights to work again? I'm a total newbie when it comes to all of this, I appreciate any feedback
In most cases the taping in to the brake lights does not disable them it is a Y connector that sends the power to both. I would start by using a meter to see if the wire from the broken LED still has power. If it does then the brake lights might just be in plugged or cut and could be easily reattached. If it does not have power then maybe the damage of the led light shorted the brake lights out and it might just be a blown fuse.
Hey so I just ordered everything! The only part I’m confused about it the pigtail part. The pigtail leaves you with a positive and negative. Negative goes to negative on new fuse box and the positive runs back to the relay? If that all correct lol how do I know which wire under the dash to pigtail off of? Any way to easily identify it? Thanks!!
So the large positive wire goes to the relay and then extends to the battery, the relay works as a switch and uses the smaller red wire to the pigtail behind the dash. The smaller red wire goes live when the ignition is turned on, this then activates the relay allowing the power to run from the larger red wire through the relay and up to the fuse box. The pigtail that you order off of the link, will only plug in to one connector right under the center console
@@wernergarage7078 i have a 2019 and can’t seem to find any wire clips that fit this pig tail. I idea what the original wire is plugged into that I’m tryin to add pig tail to?! Thanks!!
@@danielfeeley8988 so we did my buddies 2019, it is a white plug that sits under the center console just below where the 4x4 control is. There are 2 pigtails, one is for the tail lights and the other is for the console, did you confirm you ordered the right one?
I have the same fuse box. Im having a hard time understanding how you mounted it under the dash. I see the area and the room for it but what did you mount it too? You mention a plate. Been staring up under my dash for 20min trying to figure out how you mounted that. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Wayne, I used a clamp that attaches to the tubing (part of the frame) in that area. I then just made a plate that mounts in between, clamp on one side fuse box on the other.
Can you explain a little more about how you cut in the relay before the fuse box. I see power in and out and I'm assuming that the the other two wires ground and ignition came from the bus at the center counsel. And did you add another relay at fuse box can you explain what the pigtail under there is for. Is it to power the switch and what if you have multiple switches please help
There is only one relay, it is before the new fuse box right at the battery. It has a ground wire and an ignition wire that turn it on. You can get have the ignition wire come from the fuse box or from an ignition under the dash which is what the pigtail is for. The relay under the dash is for my light bar and has nothing to do with the fuse box setup.
I have not installed one yet but I would assume the black is ground, red is to positive power and the orange is probably switched power from the ignition, It would be best to take power from a fuse box like I did or you could get it from the bus bar under the console next to the passenger seat, it has all three of those connections. Hope that helps!
Werner Garage I actually already installed it at the bus bar I have black on top orange in middle and red on the bottom but I believe that it’s been draining my batterie that’s why I was asking
And when you wire a light bar with the fuse box you basically just run like 14 gauge wire positive and negative to the fuse box without any inline fuse or relay that comes in a wiring kit for a light bar?
You do not need an inline fuse if your using a fused connection on the fuse block. You can still use an included relay with a light bar, you are just getting the power source from the fuse box.
Hi, I have an issue with the steering wheel, it’s very hard to turn. I just bought a new DPS power steering but it still doesn’t work because it has no power to the DPS. Is that anything to do with wire? Please help me.
Hi Austin, the DPS is a full electric set up. If your not getting power to it, it's not going to work... I would try to back track the wiring from the power steering unit and see where it goes. The wires go setup in this video does. It effect the DPS in any way. Also check the connections on the back of the DPS switch. Hope this helps!
Hi Mario, they were extras a buddy gave me. He got them off of Amazon, I can't find the link but these are close to what they are: www.amazon.com/Meerkatt-Clearance-Indicator-Waterproof-Universal/dp/B07DKXMTFF/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=1+inch+flush+mount+led+lights&qid=1630071193&sr=8-8 If you hunt around on Amazon you should have several choices.
So I have updated the description with the links, the seller I got mine from is out of stock, search amazon with a similar description and make sure the pictures are the same and you should be good!
Efrain Ramirez here is a link to one that is in stock! www.amazon.com/Can-Am-Maverick-Light-Harness-License/dp/B07XF6FJJ3/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=can+am+x3+quick+harness&qid=1587318688&sprefix=can+am+x3+qu&sr=8-3 Let me know if you need any help, and if you have not done so please subscribe 😁
Wiring has nothing to do with the battery capacity, it's protecting the existing wiring in the car, doing a double battery setup in another video but you still want proper wiring....
@@wernergarage7078 I never said it did. You mentioned it having a small battery. Fist thing I did was place another accessories terminal at the front of the car and swap out the batter with a bigger one. Also put a larger alternative on it. Zero issues.
Thanks for the feedback! Don't plan on submerging the car as the fuse box is not rated for that. The relay I believe is so if you found a properly rated fuse box you would be good!
Awesome video I had been looking for a day now before seeing yours. All I wanted to know was how to hook my whip lights to my bus bar! And now the location 😂and you showed all the ways.Thank you.
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
Good job on this video. I don't know a lot about electrical stuff so some of it is over my head unfortunately. I have tapped into fuses in my vehicles to hardwire dashcams, radar detectors. I'd love to try it on my X3. Subbed.
Thanks! Let me know if you ever need help!
I have the same light bar but I do not have the key on an off wire that plugs to the wiring harness which will cause the lights on the switch to stay on leading to a dead battery. I have tried to find that wire that you add on to the bottom of the bus bar but can’t find it. Please help? Thanks for the great video.
Great video, do you have a wiring diagram for the relay. Curious where the ignition wire hooks to the relay system. I’m sure it on the relay diagram when you get it but figured I would ask. I like the set up. Thanks again.
Thanks! You know I do not.. I believe it did come with a diagram, if I remember right there is just one smaller terminal which would be for the ignition wire and the the other 2 poles are bigger for the current.
I did not know about the tail light plugs. The previous owner has a rats nest behind the passenger side seat. ALL the acc are on the battery. How he did it I have no clue. Piles and Piles of wiring on top of both posts. I am definitely getting that fuse block. Thank you for this video I am thinking about a second battery. When does the battery say FU I have too many accessories loaded?
Sounds like you have a bit of a project on your hands. Ditching that old wiring and putting in a fuse box would be the best way to go.
@@wernergarage7078 I'm in the process now. Got a second battery gonna run them in parallel. Can you do the big 3 upgrade on the x3 or wouldn't be worth it since there is no alternator and just uses a stator?
Thanks for the Video. I have a 2017 Commander Limited. Wouldn't it have been just as easy to wire the fuse box off the ignition side of the bus bar? I don't I have a option to purchase the pig tail you referenced?
You could do that as well.
Nice, I run my whips off the battery, when we park at night in the dunes, I leave my whips on so others can see us
Don, I do the same, I rewired the whips to a switch so I can run them when parked as well.
Thanks. I just got a x3 Max xrs and installed light bar and stereo from the Ignition in the bus bar. I’m wanting to do lighted wips but was not looking forward to running cables again, and thanks to your video discovered about the tail light option as power. Subscribed. What is the conector to tap into it called? Thanks!
Glad I could help! Enjoy the new ride!!
Nice video thanks. Have a question. Could you have ran the ground wire @ the fuse box to chassis ground at the front of the car or was there no good area to attach ground? Also curious what size fuse you are using on the lightbar.
Hi Wayne,
That's a good question. I figured since I was already running the positive that it would be best to take the ground straight to the battery. I think going straight to the chassis would be fine but you might try starting the car and making sure your not getting any interference if you are using a comms system or a radio. If you do get interference I would proceed with going strait to the battery as that could resolve it. I don't remember the fuse size for the light bar, mine came with one so I just used that size. I double it's more than 15amp as LED's don't pull to much. If you have an amp reader you could test what it pulls and go off of that. Keep in mind all these bars are slightly different and pull different amps.
Great video! So me tapping into the buss bar just for whips will be fine? Do I need a fuse somewhere in between? TIA
Yep, you should be good! I would still fuse the whips just to be safe. Thanks for watching.
@@wernergarage7078 thanks for the quick response! What size of fuse do you recommend and where should I put it ? TIA
Instead of running a relay, could you just add a fuse box from the bus bar? It seemed like pretty heavy gauge wire that was run to that?
You could, I just don't know what's all running of the bus bar and liked the idea of going straight the battery and keeping the bus bar out of play. Totally up to you and would probably be fine.
First let me say awesome video and I love the fuse box idea!
I have a question. Can you explain what you mean by you tapped in to the pigtail under the dash? Does that mean you ran the pigtail positive and negative all the way back up the tunnel to the relay you installed?
I can see that the ground jumper from the battery went to the relay. But I also see another red small red wire going back towards the front of the car.
danumber11 thanks for the nice comments! You are correct, I ran a smaller gauge red wire from the pigtail tap in under the dash (ignition switches power) to the relay in the back. This turns the relay on which then activated the fuse box so that the fuse box is only powered with the ignition is on but uses the direct 6awg wire directly from the battery as the power source.
You could put the relay under the dash if you like but it is fairly big and then you have a constant heavy gauge wire running to the dash always hot, in my opinion it's better to have the relay closer to the battery.
Ok thanks for clearing that up for me. I have a 2020 xrs rr that it just purchased and I'm wire up all my accessories. I had thought about doing what you did but didn't really know what was the best way to go about it. So thank you very much for the video!
Awesome! I have some more videos coming, mine will be around the same HP as the RR once completed, love the improvements of the 2020!
I'm made the jump from a rzr and yea holy cow this machine has power!
Hey so I bought the adapter that goes from the taillights to the whips and I'm getting a check brake alarm when I hit 15-20 mph. Did you have anything like that happen to you?
Hey man- You make some good videos, BUT I just wanted to point out (and maybe you already realize this), but when you referred to the wiring at the middle bus bar, you had the negative & ignition power line incorrect. Since a lot of people are watching these videos (myself included), after buying a new X3, to get some advice for DIY’ing their own electrical work, I thought it was important to point this out. The top black 6ga wire is negative, the middle 6ga red wire is power all the time (direct from battery), and the bottom red 10ga or 12ga wire is powered only when the vehicle is on/ignition power. A lot of other people are making RUclips videos, and wiring a large amount of lights to that small ignition power source on the middle bus bar, which is horribly incorrect.
Yep, Top is negative (ground), Middle constant power and lower is acc power
Do you think i would be able to run 6gauge wire from the bus bar to an aftermarket fuse panel like the one he installed here? Or would it be best to run it from the battery through a relay and tap into the accessories wire like he did
This guy likes lights
Hi I was wondering if you could help me... I recently bought a used can am X3 and it had a large LED wire for radio on its roof that lit up all colors. It got ripped off in a forest and lost it. Recently found out my brake lights don't come on/work. After watching most of your video here I suspect the previous owner may of used the power from the brake lights to power the LED. How do I check to see that/how do I reconnect the wires to get my brake lights to work again? I'm a total newbie when it comes to all of this, I appreciate any feedback
In most cases the taping in to the brake lights does not disable them it is a Y connector that sends the power to both. I would start by using a meter to see if the wire from the broken LED still has power. If it does then the brake lights might just be in plugged or cut and could be easily reattached. If it does not have power then maybe the damage of the led light shorted the brake lights out and it might just be a blown fuse.
@@wernergarage7078 thank you very much for the reply. I’ll make sure I troubleshoot both those items. Really appreciate it thank you =)
Hey so I just ordered everything! The only part I’m confused about it the pigtail part. The pigtail leaves you with a positive and negative. Negative goes to negative on new fuse box and the positive runs back to the relay? If that all correct lol how do I know which wire under the dash to pigtail off of? Any way to easily identify it? Thanks!!
So the large positive wire goes to the relay and then extends to the battery, the relay works as a switch and uses the smaller red wire to the pigtail behind the dash. The smaller red wire goes live when the ignition is turned on, this then activates the relay allowing the power to run from the larger red wire through the relay and up to the fuse box. The pigtail that you order off of the link, will only plug in to one connector right under the center console
@@wernergarage7078 i have a 2019 and can’t seem to find any wire clips that fit this pig tail. I idea what the original wire is plugged into that I’m tryin to add pig tail to?! Thanks!!
@@danielfeeley8988 so we did my buddies 2019, it is a white plug that sits under the center console just below where the 4x4 control is. There are 2 pigtails, one is for the tail lights and the other is for the console, did you confirm you ordered the right one?
@@wernergarage7078 thanks! I found it lol.. just need to get to it lol very tight spot! Thank you!!
@@danielfeeley8988 AWESOME! Glad you found it!
I have the same fuse box. Im having a hard time understanding how you mounted it under the dash. I see the area and the room for it but what did you mount it too? You mention a plate. Been staring up under my dash for 20min trying to figure out how you mounted that. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Wayne,
I used a clamp that attaches to the tubing (part of the frame) in that area. I then just made a plate that mounts in between, clamp on one side fuse box on the other.
Why cant the positive jumper for the relay come right off the bus bar instead of a piggy tail from the front?
So you want to relay to work off of the ignition so the bus bar would be an option, I was already running everything up front anyway...
@@wernergarage7078 Ok that makes sense. thank you for the video it was very helpful.
Could you hook the jumper from the relay to the buss bar in the channel, on the accessory end, instead of going the pigtail route like you did?
Sure as long as it's key on power that would be fine. It's only working as a switch to turn on the relay to power the fuse box
Hey on the rear tail lights wires witch one out of the three can i use for turn signal
Hi Juan, I have not installed turn signals so I am not sure. Sorry I could not be more help.
Can you explain a little more about how you cut in the relay before the fuse box. I see power in and out and I'm assuming that the the other two wires ground and ignition came from the bus at the center counsel. And did you add another relay at fuse box can you explain what the pigtail under there is for. Is it to power the switch and what if you have multiple switches please help
There is only one relay, it is before the new fuse box right at the battery. It has a ground wire and an ignition wire that turn it on. You can get have the ignition wire come from the fuse box or from an ignition under the dash which is what the pigtail is for. The relay under the dash is for my light bar and has nothing to do with the fuse box setup.
I installed a particle separator which has three wires black red and orange were should I have these connectors? Thank you
I have not installed one yet but I would assume the black is ground, red is to positive power and the orange is probably switched power from the ignition, It would be best to take power from a fuse box like I did or you could get it from the bus bar under the console next to the passenger seat, it has all three of those connections. Hope that helps!
Werner Garage I actually already installed it at the bus bar I have black on top orange in middle and red on the bottom but I believe that it’s been draining my batterie that’s why I was asking
Daniel Gonzaga you might try switching the red and orange, your could have those mixed up and it's staying on all the time..
Werner Garage that’s what I was thinking thanks for reaching back
I bought a 21 in aug.at less than 200mi. Something happened to the electrical syst.need help,
And when you wire a light bar with the fuse box you basically just run like 14 gauge wire positive and negative to the fuse box without any inline fuse or relay that comes in a wiring kit for a light bar?
You do not need an inline fuse if your using a fused connection on the fuse block. You can still use an included relay with a light bar, you are just getting the power source from the fuse box.
Hi, I have an issue with the steering wheel, it’s very hard to turn. I just bought a new DPS power steering but it still doesn’t work because it has no power to the DPS. Is that anything to do with wire? Please help me.
Hi Austin, the DPS is a full electric set up. If your not getting power to it, it's not going to work... I would try to back track the wiring from the power steering unit and see where it goes. The wires go setup in this video does. It effect the DPS in any way. Also check the connections on the back of the DPS switch. Hope this helps!
Hey quick question. The description on Amazon says it plugs into firewall, not tail light. Can it be plugged into tail light? Ty.
Can you add the link so I can see it?
It’s your link to the tail light pigtail.
This is the one you want!
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DXKC28L?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
@@wernergarage7078 And thank you again. Appreciate the help.
I know this video is 2 years old, just curious on why the 100A relay if the breaker is only 50A?
I can't remember exactly it might have been what was available at that time, it would have been better to be over the breaker capacity than under.
Where did you run the ground from the pig tail? Back to the relay?
Hmm I don't remember since it's been awhile since I did the install.....
Is that fuse box water proof ?
I don't remember, I doubt it but I spray the whole car down when I clean it and never had a problem. You could be sure to order a waterproof one..
What size lug hole from 6 awg wire to relay or fuse box?
Can you drop a link for your interior lights ?
Hi Mario, they were extras a buddy gave me. He got them off of Amazon, I can't find the link but these are close to what they are:
www.amazon.com/Meerkatt-Clearance-Indicator-Waterproof-Universal/dp/B07DKXMTFF/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=1+inch+flush+mount+led+lights&qid=1630071193&sr=8-8
If you hunt around on Amazon you should have several choices.
The twilight pigtail you used has an orange wire on it and the 5150’whips has 2 wires (red/black) where did you put the orange?
If I remember correctly you just cap that one off.
Do you have the link for the taillight spit connections?
Efrain Ramirez yes I'm editing the description in a few minutes and will add all the links!
So I have updated the description with the links, the seller I got mine from is out of stock, search amazon with a similar description and make sure the pictures are the same and you should be good!
Efrain Ramirez here is a link to one that is in stock!
www.amazon.com/Can-Am-Maverick-Light-Harness-License/dp/B07XF6FJJ3/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=can+am+x3+quick+harness&qid=1587318688&sprefix=can+am+x3+qu&sr=8-3
Let me know if you need any help, and if you have not done so please subscribe 😁
Can you show a hand drawn wiring schematic?
Hi Garry, what exactly do you need to see?
Get a larger battery or run a second 🤷♂️
Wiring has nothing to do with the battery capacity, it's protecting the existing wiring in the car, doing a double battery setup in another video but you still want proper wiring....
@@wernergarage7078 I never said it did. You mentioned it having a small battery. Fist thing I did was place another accessories terminal at the front of the car and swap out the batter with a bigger one. Also put a larger alternative on it. Zero issues.
Nice! Sorry I misunderstood your post.
Hope you dont drive through water
Thanks for the feedback! Don't plan on submerging the car as the fuse box is not rated for that. The relay I believe is so if you found a properly rated fuse box you would be good!
What a mess
What's a mess??
The wires hanging everywhere, we just did this and it was a pain in the …..
We went through and zip tied it all up and got it nice and clean after we were done... I thought I had mentioned that in the video
@@wernergarage7078 yeah we did that it just took a lot longer than we thought lol
your camera work made me sick from the movement...wouldn't it be better to just run the Switch Pros SP9100
Tony, thanks for the feedback! In newer videos I'm using a new camera and some different equipment! Hopefully that will help.
This guys approach saves a ton of money vs buying the $599 switch pros sp9100