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LS Swap Main Relay wiring problems

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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 06:09 PM
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Default LS Swap Main Relay wiring problems

Hey guys so I have a 5.3 inb my 1995 montero that I am wiring up, I wired the fuse box and I tested to see if the relays would switch the PCM and the other ignition fuses on. this is how I have my ignition relay wired up:

Pin 30: Goes to the fuse buss to turn them on with ignition. Should be what the relay turns on
Pin 86: My trigger wire from the Montero that sends ignition power to the relay when the key is turned
Pin 87: 12v power straight to the battery
Pin 85: ground

So, my 12v gets power, my ground is grounded to the engine and body, my keyed ignition gets 11volts when turned . The ignition wire from the montero gets 11 volts when there is no relay in it. When I put the relay in, it goes to 0.16 volts so the relay basically just passes my keyed 12v from the montero and grounds it out. I am fairly certain that my relay is wired wrong, I just dont want to mess it up and short something out. Yes I tried other relays and had the same result. LT1 swap doesnt give the actual pins of his relay and where they go. I am not using the same style fuse box as him.
Thanks guys.
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 07:45 PM
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this might help you...
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Lightn95
https://youtu.be/aVyX33jYdoY

this might help you...
I wired it exactly like his. I tested 5 different relays and none of them clicked. or ever got power to the fuses.
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 07:58 PM
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Technically you have your battery wire backwards. Terminal 30 should go straight to the battery. 87 and 87A are outputs. Are you sure that you are using 87 and not 87A?

You should be able to hear the relay click without connecting any of the battery connections. If 85 is ground and you apply 12v to 86, it should click on. If that's not happening, you have the wrong terminals.

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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Haggar
Technically you have your battery wire backwards. Terminal 30 should go straight to the battery. 87 and 87A are outputs. Are you sure that you are using 87 and not 87A?

You should be able to hear the relay click without connecting any of the battery connections. If 85 is ground and you apply 12v to 86, it should click on. If that's not happening, you have the wrong terminals.
I tried switching the constant battery to pin 30 as well, that did not work. The weird thing is that when the relay is out and I turn the key, pin 86 gets power. 11 volts but thats enough to trigger the relay. But when i plug in the relay, it basically grounds pin 86 to 0.16 volts.
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 08:55 PM
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Alright guys so apparently 11 volts is not enough to trigger this 12 volt relay. From what I have read as little as 8 volts should trigger the relay. For some reason, the wire i used to trigger the relay gets 11 volts in accessory power and on position, but then gets the full 12.5 volts in crank so that how I was able to see that it works. Thank you guys for your suggestions, it looks like i am just going to have to find another wire to trigger the relay. Or buy a better relay that is able to operate on 11 volts
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 11:02 PM
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Here is what you can try:

Unplug all of the terminals, except leave 85 to ground. Now, take the wire you have to battery and touch that wire to the 86 terminal. Does it click now?

Here's the thing: Its not voltage, per se, that activates the relay, its current. The fact that your "ignition" wire to pin 86 is dropping to almost 0 volts indicates it might be something else, with a lot of resistance in line some where.

If you get a proper relay click when you jump battery directly to the 86 terminal, then you need a better ignition wire.
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Old Apr 29, 2020 | 11:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Haggar
Here is what you can try:

Unplug all of the terminals, except leave 85 to ground. Now, take the wire you have to battery and touch that wire to the 86 terminal. Does it click now?

Here's the thing: Its not voltage, per se, that activates the relay, its current. The fact that your "ignition" wire to pin 86 is dropping to almost 0 volts indicates it might be something else, with a lot of resistance in line some where.

If you get a proper relay click when you jump battery directly to the 86 terminal, then you need a better ignition wire.
I ended up using a different wire to power the relay. The wire I am using now gets power in ON and CRANK, not ACC power like the other one but I guess that is okay. Everything is working now, I hear the relay click and it fires up my fuel pump relay as well. I guess the current was not strong enough in the first wire. I am glad it was something simple like that! Thanks you guys!
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