# Fog light relay problem



## jreckeweg (Aug 31, 2007)

So I used the ecs fog light kit on my 10' jetta about a year ago and everything worked fine, with the exception of being much dimmer than my 06 gti fogs. Well about two months ago a rock broke ne of my fogs and yesterday I finally got around to fixing them. I got new housings and lamps put them in turned them on and they looked good for about 45 seconds then both fogs went out. 

So I tested the fuse and it is good. Tested the lamps and they are both good.. So I'm thinking it's the relay, but how often do fog relays go bad? And does anyone know a general part number for them.

Thanks guys

Jeff


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

How was the relay mounted?

Isn't there a part number on it?


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## jreckeweg (Aug 31, 2007)

The relay is mounted next to the battery on the firewall. I can pull it out but I was hoping to have a new one before I tore things apart. 

Jeff


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## andylyco (Apr 21, 2003)

It's crazy you started this thread today- I was just about to start a very similar thread!
I have a '10 Sportwagen with the ECS fog light harness and OEM fogs and headlight switch. My problem is that my fogs have yet to come on! 
I'm quite capable; I've already made sure that the fuse is good, the lights work, and I can jump the (blue wire) relay from the + battery and the relay clicks and the fogs come on. If I have the fog light switch on and I jump the blue wire on the relay, the fogs come on and stay on even after I remove my jump wire, but as soon as I cycle the headlight/fog light switch, the fogs won't come back on. It's almost like the voltage from the OEM fog light switch isn't enough to activate the relay! 
My voltages:
12.08V from blue wire in ECS harness (from foglight switch) to brown ground wire in harness
12.21V from red wire in harness (+ from main fuse panel) to brown ground wire in harness
12.22V from + battery to brown ground wire in harness
My troubleshooting:
I thought the relay was broken (ECS sent me a new one), and I've since tried 2 other relays from my Corrado Ecode headlight harness, and none of them work.
I triple checked all 3 grounds (1 from the relay/harness, and 1 from each fog light) and I even segregated the grounds from the driver side fog and the harness to make sure there wasn't any weird voltage feedback keeping the relay from activating.
I've tested everything with the car on and off; no change.
I'm curious to see if you are having the same problem. With ignition on and the fog light switch on, can you jump a wire from the + battery to the blue wire? (pull the relay about 1/4 inch out of the relay harness and touch the jumper to the spade that plugs into the blue wire) If your fog lights activate and stay on even after removing the jumper, then we're having the same issue!
Edit- if your relay is bad, the one you need is a 30-40Amp dual-output. It's 5 spades- 12V power, ground, 12V switch, and 2 outputs for the fog lights. You can buy just the relay from ECS tuning for a couple bucks, or try your local auto parts store:
http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SJ-85251/


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

jreckeweg said:


> The relay is mounted next to the battery on the firewall.


If you post a picture I might be able to help. It might be a standard Bosch-style relay - but a lot of cheap relay "kits" use other relays. Most of the relay failures I've heard of came from improper mounting.


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## jreckeweg (Aug 31, 2007)

So im at work but I found a pic of the engine bay to be able to discuss.









The relay is mounted next to the battery on the stud that comes off the fender with the relay prongs facing down. The fuse then goes under the fuse cover.

I think my problem might be different than yours andylyco due to mine working fine for a year or so before I caught a rock and then both lamps burned out. But I will try the jumper thing and stop at Napa on my way home.


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## truwagen (Jun 14, 2007)

Any updates on this? I might be having a similar problem.

I installed my fogs today with an ECS relay kit and they worked fine the first time I turned them on. Since then, they haven't worked at all. The fuse is OK and I don't see why my grounds would be bad -- used the recommended locations and a good amount of dielectric grease on them. 

Jumping the blue wire relay is something I will end up trying for troubleshooting.


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## jreckeweg (Aug 31, 2007)

Yes for an update I ended up replacing the relay and all was well for a day or so and then the lamps blew. But they were the lamps that came with my new housings and I'm pretty sure they were crap lamps. I replaced the lamps and everything has been working for about a week or so without any problems. So here's hoping that fixed the problem for good.

Jeff


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## truwagen (Jun 14, 2007)

jreckeweg said:


> Yes for an update I ended up replacing the relay and all was well for a day or so and then the lamps blew. But they were the lamps that came with my new housings and I'm pretty sure they were crap lamps. I replaced the lamps and everything has been working for about a week or so without any problems. So here's hoping that fixed the problem for good.
> 
> Jeff


Hmm.. so bad ECS relay and bad bulbs. Were these ebay housings/bulbs?


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## jreckeweg (Aug 31, 2007)

These were E-bay housings, lamps and ECS Relay (The one from the original Kit I got). One of my ECS housings got hit with a rock so I needed to replace it. and for $35 I got a new set off e-bay, I say that they are IDENTICAL to the ones I got from ECS.

So i'm not sure what the heck happened, it was a very odd sequence of events. 

Jeff


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## truwagen (Jun 14, 2007)

K. Thanks for the info. I purchased a set of fogs off ebay (with hella/vw labels) as well as the ECS relay kit. So perhaps my problem is the bulbs are blown, something I haven't checked. I'm going to pick up a cheap multimeter to test some of the wires too.


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## andylyco (Apr 21, 2003)

I still haven't figured out my problem- see my post above for a full description. If I have a EUREKA! moment I'll def post up on here. I'm using OEM headlight/fog light switch, OEM lights, etc.


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## andylyco (Apr 21, 2003)

I finally tracked down my problem- my North-American OEM headlight switch (with built in fog light) must not have been putting out enough juice to kick over the relay. I ordered the $58 European headlight switch from ECS tuning and just installed it moments ago, and EUREKA! Fogs and everything else works. :thumbup:


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