Does anyone know if they make a relay that has an LED indicator to replace any of relays in the Power Distribution Box? I just feel it will be a quick visual aid in troubleshooting electrical problems.
Relays
- Thread starter bobsxlch
- Start date
OP
A few months ago I put a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail so I could tell at a glance the pump was working. Yesterday, the jeep wouldn't start but it cranked, I seen the pressure gauge was at zero, so I switched the horn rely for the fuel pumps and it started right up. I thought it would be nice to have an indicator on the rely to just do a quick visual to see it's pulling in. Anything that helps me troubleshoot the jeep quickly and easily is a plus. Anyhow, thanks for the response.
C.J. Roberts
TJ Addict
OP
I actually thought about it and was just discussing it with the electrical tech at work. We have some cube relays that have transparent housing so you can see the coil pull in and some have led's to let you know they are functioning. Just looking for quick and easy way to troubleshoot an electrical problem.
The closest thing I know of are relay testers, which go between the PDC and relay and have connection points on them to connect a meter. I have a kit made by Lisle, like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRQSYY4/?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRQSYY4/?tag=wranglerorg-20
Swapping the relay with another one in the box is as quick and simple as that needs to be.
Good relays do not fail that often.
OP
OP
This is really cool. Twice in the past week I’ve had a situation where I wanted to measure voltage with the relay in place but w/o (easy) access to the underside of the PDC it’s not possible. Although for $150 I’ll just jam test leads into the cavities and alligator clip to the loose relay.
OP
Each of the individual relay sockets is available from Lisle separately, at more reasonable cost. You just have to figure out which one you need:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lisle+relay+test+jumper&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
I bought the master kit because I own vehicles from multiple manufacturers spanning several decades of model years and just wanted my diagnostic kit stocked.
Definitely gets expensive to piecemeal it, but seems like I've only ever needed 2 of those. I have those in my amazon cart to be "snuck in" next time I have a big enough order to get one of them in unnoticed.
Yes, it is more expensive to piecemeal your collection. They do also sell two 4-piece kits (both together, it's all 8) with just the relay sockets, which might cost a bit more, but get you four for just a bit more (assuming both are in the same kit, of course):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MCX6LY/?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044YS7O4/?tag=wranglerorg-20
yeah, the pictures were terrible and I couldn't tell which set had which. That and I can't bring myself to spend $60 on this sort of thing. And guaranteed the first time I need it it will be in my garage while working in somebody else's garage.