Recently, in light of the adoption of rules on the use of automobile lighting in the daytime, the issue of installing additional lighting in the form of fog lamps has become especially acute.
The introduction of such equipment allows drivers to avoid the need to turn on low beams during the day. And this, in turn, will lighten the load on the entire electrical system of the car. This is why you should consider installing fog lights. This also applies to VAZ 2109.
Reasons for installing fog lights
There are two main reasons why car owners install fog lights:
From a functional point of view, fog lights on the VAZ 2109 increase the safety of vehicle operation, and this is always a worthwhile endeavor. This increase is achieved by improving visibility in difficult road conditions. The fog lights of the VAZ 2109 perfectly complement the main headlights. When driving in fog, a situation often occurs when the lower boundary of the fog is above the fog lights, but below the main headlights. In these cases, PTFs are the only means of illuminating the roadway.
In the dark, PTFs located closer to the road perfectly illuminate the side of the road. This helps keep the car on the main part of the road surface, preventing skidding during emergency braking. Finally, simply increasing the luminous flux by switching on additional lighting fixtures improves driving comfort, especially when driving in conditions of heavy snow with blizzards or heavy rain.
The aesthetic reason is less significant. Due to the installation of PTF it is difficult to stand out from the crowd - many people have such headlights. Unless it will be some kind of exclusive fog lights, which then it makes sense to install at a service station. It’s difficult to make a twenty-year-old car look sharply fashionable with the help of PTFs, but installing them certainly won’t make things any worse.
Installation kit
To implement the project you will need:
- two fog lights with mounting brackets;
- normally open relay for connecting lighting devices;
- button for turning on fog lights;
- single-core wire with a cross-section of 1 sq. mm, approximately 4 meters long;
- fuse 16A;
- connection diagram;
- contact blocks - if they are not included in the kit with headlights and relays.
If you already have something from this set, purchase the rest. And if you have to buy everything, then consider purchasing the entire boxed set. It includes everything you need, and there are also detailed installation instructions.
Connecting fog lights on a VAZ 2109 will require certain tools. You will need a 10 mm wrench, a screwdriver, side cutters, a shoemaker's knife for stripping wires and electrical tape. This is the minimum set. It is sufficient if twisting technology is used to connect wires.
Another option for connecting PTF, which most experts recommend, is soldering all connections and using heat-shrinkable materials for insulation.
What you need to buy
If you are installing fog lights (VAZ 2114, you can watch the video in the article), then first of all, of course, you will need lighting equipment. You need to select according to the characteristics of the car. For example, in VAZ models such as 2110, 2112, 2114 and 2115, there are plugged technological holes in the bumper, and accordingly it makes sense to purchase lights based on their shape.
But the classics 2108 and 2109 do not have such holes, and you need to take equipment with mounting posts. When installing fog lights on a VAZ yourself, you need a standard coil of wire 5 meters long. General purpose relay with 4 contacts. Power button suitable for the type of instrument panel. Male and female connectors for wires.
Installation of headlights and wiring
The standard bumpers of the VAZ 2109 provide special places for mounting fog lights. If your car still has its original bumpers, it is best to fix the headlights in their original places. If they were changed, consider fixing the fog light brackets not to the bumper, but to the car body. Attaching to a bumper, especially a non-standard one, increases the risk of misalignment. This may result in blinding oncoming drivers and the risk of losing lights. Do not forget about the requirement to place the PTF no lower than 25 cm from the road surface and no further than 40 cm from the vehicle’s overall dimensions.
Need for installation
It’s good when on the latest model cars everything is initially provided for these lighting devices. All that remains is to buy equipment that corresponds to the technological description, and without further ado, insert it into standard niches, connecting the wires provided by the manufacturer.
What if there is none of this? You can go to the nearest car service center and pay the technician to wait for the results of the work. Well, after reading this article, you can do it yourself. The main thing is to have at least some skills in working with the tool.
PTF power button
The choice of installation location for the fog lamp switch depends on whether your car has a high or low dashboard. If it’s high, you’re lucky, your option has a standard place for the PTF switch on the VAZ 2109. It is located to the left of the steering column between the rear fog lamp switch button and the rear window heating switch button. This place is closed with a plug. To install the button, remove the decorative panel covering the left speaker of the audio system and remove the speaker itself. This will give you access behind the dashboard necessary to install the button. Connect the PTF activation block and the indicator block for this activation, and then install the button in place.
If you have a low panel, it will be more difficult to install the button. There are two options. The first is that you can parallel the activation of the PTF with the activation of some other system, for example, rear fog lights. The second is to organize a special place for this button. Such a place could be a muffled socket under the central air duct of the ventilation system, next to the heated glass switch of the fifth door.
To install the button in the low tidy, you will have to dismantle the panel located between the central nozzle of the ventilation/heating system and the heater controls.
Carrying out the process
If you have a VAZ 2106, installation of fog lights can be carried out in a short time. First you need to install the lights themselves on the car. Here everything depends on the imagination of the car owner. Some people attach them near the radiator grille, some hang them under the front bumper, and some hang them on the bumper. This is a personal matter.
The main thing is to securely fasten it, this is what installing fog lights (VAZ 2114) with your own hands is all about. Now installation of electrical wiring. You need to secure the relay in the engine compartment to turn it on. And there are no special restrictions here, the main thing is that wires can be connected to it, and away from the exhaust manifold and radiator. That's all the requirements. And now attention is the most important thing! The main trick here is to connect the button and relay correctly.
If you purchase VAZ 2115 fog lights, you can install such equipment yourself. A standard general purpose relay has four legs numbered - 85, 86, 87 and 30. Regarding the relay, any car enthusiast should know that contacts 85 and 86 are an electromagnetic coil.
Current is supplied to it, the core acquires the properties of a magnet and closes contacts 30 and 87. Therefore, you need to fasten it to ground from contact 85 and from 85, run the wire into the interior to the button. Apply “+” to pin 30 with the battery. And already from the 87th contact, bring out two wires, cutting in the fuses. When a VAZ 2110 is available, do-it-yourself installation of fog lights can be done in the shortest possible time.
Connect the button as follows: one contact goes to the relay - pin 86, connect the second to the “+” of the ignition switch, having previously called it with a test lamp. Carefully insulate the joints and you're done. You can use it. Any car enthusiast can easily install fog lights on a VAZ 2109. The main thing is to use the prescribed technology.
Headlight adjustment
Adjusting foglights is a responsible matter. If the headlights are not adjusted correctly, there is a risk of causing inconvenience to other road users and creating a safety hazard. Rough adjustment of the PTF can be done independently. To do this, select a horizontal area near a white vertical wall. The verticality of the wall can be checked by eye, but it is better to verify the horizontality of the site using tools. A two-meter building or water level is suitable for this. Having found a suitable place, place the front of the car against a white wall at a distance of 4-5 meters from it. It will be good if direct rays of bright sunlight do not fall on this wall. Measure the distance from the center of the headlight to the ground. Turn on the fog lights. Measure the distance from the center of the light spot to the ground. The center of the spot should be located 2-3 centimeters below the center of the headlight.
This adjustment is quite rough. For more accurate results, you need a specialized stand at a service station. If you order the installation of a PTF at a service station, the adjustment will be included in the price automatically and will be carried out without fail.
Installation materials and requirements
So, first you need to stock up on the following tools and materials:
- Directly fog lights.
- About three meters of single-core wire (red) with a cross-section of 0.75 squares.
- Relay with normally open contacts, a metal plate for fastening and a block with wires.
- Button (most likely, it is already installed next to the heated rear window switch).
- At least five screws.
- Screwdriver, 10mm wrench, utility knife and pliers.
- Heat shrink insulation and electrical tape.
- 16 Amp fuse and socket for it.
How to install fog lights on a VAZ 2109?
So, the installation begins. To carry it out, you must first install the headlights in the intended location. After this, take the wire and connect it to the right fog lamp (positive terminal). Lead the wire into the engine compartment and connect it to the harness running under the radiator. Bring this to the left fog lamp of the VAZ 2109, and then make a connection with its lamp. Insulate all bare areas; for this it is best to use heat shrink.
Connection to standard mounting block 2109
Next, the wire must be brought to the installation site of the electromagnetic relay, whose normally open contacts serve to supply voltage to the fog lights of the VAZ 2109. The plus from the battery comes to one terminal through a 16 Ampere fuse, from the second it will be removed and go to the fog lights connected in parallel.
Two wires are connected to the contacts of the relay coil: one immediately to ground, and the second lead to the button in the cabin. Now all that remains is to supply negative power to both fog lights of the VAZ 2109, and apply positive power to the second contact of the button from the ignition switch (to prevent the fog lights from turning on when the ignition is off).
PTF connection - diagram for any car
Now I would also like to make a visual notification about the inclusion of fog lights on the VAZ 2109 on the dashboard. Unfortunately, not all modifications have an indicator lamp built into the panels. But you can cheat - if you have a carburetor, and there is a lamp indicating an engine error, then you can use it (as an option - a seat belt indicator).
This lamp must be connected to the break in the wire going to the ignition switch. You will get a closed circuit, but if the indicator lamp or relay coil fails, the fog lights on the VAZ 2109 will not turn on.
Tools
Here again, everything depends on the car model. But in any case, you will need a screwdriver, pliers, a test lamp and a crimper for the male-female terminals. If necessary, wrenches to secure the lights. By the way, you can purchase ready-made terminals with wire sections.
In principle, this is even more convenient than clamping these terminals yourself, but you definitely need to tighten them with simple pliers. By the way, for the relay, you can purchase a ready-made plastic platform with 4 10 cm wires coming out. Fog lights (VAZ 21099), the installation of which can be done independently, requires the need for wiring. So, everything is at hand, you can start.
