Subaru Crosstrek Electrical Accessory Upgrade (Part 1 - Relays & Power Distribution)

[@johnrigdon5863]

You make me want to be a better Crosstrek Owner. 🤟

[@TomtheDilettante]

LOL! Time will tell if the Crosstrek agrees with everything I've done to it so far. You may end up being a more kind owner than I :)

[@rodh2168]

Nicely presented. A very clean and orderly setup. I was not liking drilling the firewall and routing wire so I went the wireless route. The wireless unit under the hood has four circuits for driving lights, LED bar, basket side lights and ditch lights. I did buy the switches that go in the lower left dash blanks. I'm considering taking the PCB out of the wireless switch fob and connecting it to the switches in the blanks. The fuse/coin holder allows easy access for this.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for watching Rod! I admit, I really really like the wireless solutions and had been shopping around for one before considering this approach. Some of the nice wireless solutions are a bit pricey even though I think you get a good bang for your buck. I'm doing this mostly to see if I can do it and learn something along the way. Hard part is still ahead (putting together a switch panel and actually practically connecting something to this Frankensteined panel). We'll see. Thanks again for watching and have a good one!

[@pf465]

Good stuff and very clean looking. I used ABS on mine also, but mounted in on the driver side close to the battery. I left a flash light under the with my go camera recording to check the clearance.

[@TheAdventureZombie]

That's a great idea using the strut tower bolts as a platform. I really love what you did here, man. Love the editing as well. Also, thank you for the shout out :)

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks man, and my pleasure. I added Premiere Pro to my Adobe subscription (previously just had Photoshop and Lightroom) and I gotta say, it's a lot of fun. Huge learning curve for me, but still fun to tinker. I still think your Voswitch idea is bad ass, but for now I'm stubbornly compelled to see if I can make this thing work LOL. I just ordered some cheap 2-way switches (nothing fancy like backlit rockers). I think I'm going to go for the subtle / hidden / sleeper look for the accessory switches. Might change my mind, but that's the current plan. Anyway, thanks so much for watching and have a good one! Looking forward to your next video!

[@pidesign5024]

you have great video tutorials. Super clear language. (and the relay demonstration *was* helpful)

[@alanmohn4146]

I like the set up. As a retired mechanic I always hated chasing someone's home wiring. This panel is clean and easy to follow. I am going to subscribe just to see how you finish the project. I might steal your idea when I add accessories to my Forester.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks! Yeah, I've tried to sort out people's rats nests before too. I feel like that's all I do anytime I dig into our home wiring. There's just something sexy about clean runs whether it's wiring, plumbing, welds, etc... LOL. Anyway, thanks for watching and I'll try to keep this mini-series flowing to document progress.

[@rwilcox_71]

You went and got medieval on that sucker! Awesome work and video man! A mad scientist and his lab! I love it! Can't wait to see the upcoming mods!

[@TomtheDilettante]

ha! yeah, my garage is definitely a "lab". Glad these walls can't talk. There's a reason I have 2 large fire extinguishers and 2 fire blankets in here ;)

[@chrisnesbit6823]

Yeah, love the revised intro! Crosstrek doesn't have a ton of space for accessory mounting. It's a head scratcher for sure. Wish you would have done this video this past summer when I was struggling with the exact same thing.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for watching! And yeah, not a whole lot of real estate for mounting things. There are some great "out of the box" solutions for doing this, but this was just one of those "I wonder if I could do this from scratch?" kind of things that was too hard to resist trying :)

[@StevePatak]

I like the ground switched method. The only thing I would personally change would be a method to prevent accidental battery drain. Maybe a 3 way switch that sends power to a solenoid that's activated by an accessory circuit trigger for when the car is running or manually via the switch. Also excellent shirt.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for watching Steve! Good idea on the battery drain. I considered it, but am imagining wanting to run things like camp flood lights (LEDs) with the ignition off. It will just be up to me not to be a dumb ass and let it drain the battery LOL. Should it come to that though, I always roll with a portable jumper to get me out of trouble. I'm intrigued by the idea of a solenoid that only allows power to the distribution block when the car is running...I might explore that just for the fun of it :) Have a good one!

[@carlbillingham2670]

@@TomtheDilettante this is a great idea, I have not seen a single system that allows for separate permanent and accessory powered circuits. This is definitely worthy of your dilettantish tendencies ...I dare you! 😉

[@MatthewHeiskell]

Tom, this is excellent content! The "ground switching" makes perfect sense, but I would not have thought to do that. Thanks for the instructional videos!

[@TomtheDilettante]

Glad you liked it! I got the ground switching idea from an Overlandbound video you YT. Made a lot of sense to me when I heard it too which is why I copied it here :) It's nice to be able to just run a single 18ga wire per circuit into the cabin and complete the ground locally by the switch. I'll get some shots of my wired up switch panel soon to share. Thanks again for watching!

[@aberolick7857]

@@TomtheDilettante just remember that even though you're ground switching, if that 18ga wire shorts somewhere it's still going to get 12v from the relay, albeit only something on the order of a couple hundred milliamps. and you'll know when your accessories mysteriously turn on ;)

[@stephens8175]

Well done! Very good explanation on how relays function. I am saving this video for future reference!

[@TomtheDilettante]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@garyvarner6351]

Great stuff! First clear explanation I’ve heard about relays. Will keep watching and may do this, although inclined to get the OOB solution.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thank you for watching! If you're looking for an OOB solution, here is that video I referenced from "The Adventure Zombie" where he put in a Voswitch panel (kzbin.info/www/bejne/e162mK2tfK6oe9U). As for me, I'll stubbornly stick to this plan for now until it fails or just becomes impractical LOL. It's a great learning experience regardless which is why I like doing it. Have a good one!

[@jonathonbaugh4994]

I like how you made this relay panel from scratch instead of using a prebuilt relay box. I also built something like what you did and mounted it on top of the strut tower simply because there is almost no extra space in the crosstrek engine bay and i didn’t want to cover up my existing fuse boxes. The only thing i would be concerned about is water corroding the terminal blocks. For that i put dielectric grease on the wire terminals. Great video!

[@TomtheDilettante]

@@jonathonbaugh4994 Thanks for watching! Yeah, an out-of-the-box solution would have no doubt been simpler. This was just one of those "I wonder if I could build one" experiments LOL. I like the idea of using dielectric grease on the terminals. Think I'll follow your advice on that soon as an added layer of protection. Thanks again and have a good one!

[@louisGauto]

Awesome channel I'm a fan of DIY and like your style

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm still trying to find a "style" to be honest so pardon any experimenting that has yet to occur :-) im kind of a dork and have been having fun experimenting on the platform. Never would have guessed people other than me would enjoy it lol. But seriously, thanks for watching and keep the feedback (positive or constructive) coming. Much appreciated.

[@jcoats5529]

You can put a bit of lipstick on the stand offs and set the abs on top to transfer the locations

[@TomtheDilettante]

I like that. Thanks! Wonder if the wife has any lipstick she'd be willing to sacrifice to the car gods.

[@vtblueknight]

Nicely done.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thank you kindly!

[@Syljay46]

An Electrical Schematic added to the video would be very useful for visualizing the electrical system . . and for constructing it. "A picture is worth a thousand words"

[@TomtheDilettante]

Good idea. I’m exploring creating a website to house such stuff.

[@ghettojohnny]

Great Video! Did I miss the Circuit Breaker Link or did you not do a Parts List Link? No affiliate Link?

[@Daverr]

The main 50A breaker should be as close to the battery as possible. Right now its not really protecting anything except that 2 inches of wire going to the distro board. Other than that its a nice little set up!

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for sharing, and you're absolutely correct. Another viewer commented something similar and explained the reasons why and I've since moved the breaker to within 8" of the battery as a result. Perhaps I should do a short video on that to help share the knowledge :) Anyway, thanks for watching and chiming in with some solid advice!

[@juanw618]

Mouse Rat FTW!

[@TomtheDilettante]

haha! I was hoping a couple people would pick up on my "fun" tee shirts. Maybe I'll make it part of my gimmick LOL

[@robanderson2140]

Hey Tom, First, thank you for the awesome videos. I'm in the process of building on a power distribution relay panel for my 2023 Crosstrek. I have one question i believe the way you currently have the power cables wired in this video they are configured for always on 12v, correct (direct relay and device power to battery)? How would I wire it so the relay is only receiving 12v power with ignition on while still being a switch to ground? Would it be 86 = keyed ignition (do i need a fuse here too?) on. 85 = switch to ground. 87 = power to light/accessory. 30 = fused direct battery 12v positive. ? Also where can I tap into a good keyed ignition on point for all four relays? Maybe a quick three minute Thursday video will help idiots like me lol. Thank you in advance for your help. -Rob

[@imo8249]

Excellent

[@chrisnesbit6823]

Tom, one question: did you put an in line fuse by your battery terminal in addition to the circuit breaker? That seems like a long run to the breaker and opportunity for a short with all the engine heat and obstructions on the way...

[@TomtheDilettante]

Very astute observation :) I actually ended up relocating the breaker closer to the battery for that exact reason. Another viewer pointed out this risk and I was like "oh shit...good point!" LOL. My video on that one is the last half of here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/haacaHlup7V6nsk Thanks for watching and for the feedback! Folks like you are inevitably gunna save me from myself :)

[@user-cl2es9iu1j]

Tom, right from the first I thought the panel looked cool on the slant. Would the panel and parts cleared the hood by being slanted? Great idea to use strut tower bolts for base.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Mounted 90 degrees from current with a slant it was interfering with the hood. Not the panel itself, but the relays were contacting the hood ribs. Ah well.

[@brandtdaniels]

How do you like those Water Bricks? I’m not too thrilled on the design. I saw something similar called Aqua Bricks that seem to have a much better design.

[@joelclark3557]

Hell yeah did you get that shirt at the shoe shine stand?

[@TomtheDilettante]

LOL! Glad to see some folks show some love to Mouse Rat and Parks and Rec :)

[@nickassante6402]

How has this setup been working for you? I am thinking about attempting this on my own crosstrek. I love this idea for the mounting but I think I'm going to go with more of an OOB design for the switches.

[@TomtheDilettante]

Hi Nick, thanks for watching and chiming in. I've been happy with it so far. Functionally, it's done everything I needed it to do, and reliably. TBH, this was more of an experiment to see if I could do it and maybe save some money while I'm at it. My best friend has a SwitchPro in his Land Cruiser and I won't lie...it's a really really nice device. I just picked up an old GX470 as an overlanding toy and will probably outfit it with an OOB solution like a SwitchPro now that I've scratched the itch to see if I could build one myself LOL. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for watching!

[@nickassante6402]

@@TomtheDilettante yes it does thank you. I bought the AUXBEAM off Amazon. Planning to create the platform similar to yours and attach that. It's bot pretty decent build quality and was a bit cheaper than what adventure zombie used. Ty for the reply!

[@lescerros4399]

how come you didn't install everything on the right since you would use less wire to go into to the firewall just curious I plan on doing the exact thing to my crosstrek but want to do it on the right if possible.

[@CoopAssembly]

How do you stop a voltage drop resulting from all the extra lights being powered? I would like to add a 50W accessory to my 2000 Legacy without seeing a voltage drop, which I am seeing (like 0.5V drop). Cheers, Mark

[@carlbillingham2670]

Just watched this again and thought I should mention that I’ve always been told that relays should be mounted vertically not horizontally. I have seen a few explanations as to why from ‘the spark could ignite fuel’ to ‘it drains any moisture out the bottom and stops it affecting the internals’. I don’t know what is the correct answer but may be worth further investigation...

[@TomtheDilettante]

Thanks for sharing! Gotta admit, I hadn't heard of that before, but I'm not an expert on these either. As you say, might be worth experimenting. The particular relays I used are advertised as sealed and water proof so it's my hope that moisture and/or spark jump concerns would be minimal or non-existent. Point taken though as these may be legit concerns for other relays or just in general. I'm now envisioning a "Mythbusters" style video trying to get a relay to blow up an enclosure LOL! Hmmmm....

[@codyboone6287]

Can you add links to where you purchased everything from?

[@eurothrasher2823]

I made the identical panel using your video, even the same manufacturer components with the exception of the relays, that brand hard to find. Presently I have power to the feed bank to the relay, however no power going to blue wire when grounding the black wire terminal. And typically one can hear when a relay is working with a click sound. I am not hearing that as well. Ruling everything else out I am assuming it has something to do with the relays internal schematics not being the same / color matched to your's ??

[@TomtheDilettante]

As I understand it, wire colors may vary but relay terminals follow a pretty consistent convention. check out the diagram in the link below. Your accessory's power should flow from terminal 30 to terminal 87 when the relay is energized (closing the circuit between 30 and 87). The relay is triggered by power to terminal 86 and ground to terminal 85. This is assuming of course your relay's terminals are numbered (most I've seen are). Hope that help a bit. Good luck! wholefoodsonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/120-volt-relay-wiring-diagram-120-volt-relay-wiring-diagram-elegant-wiring-diagram-for-relays-12-volt-relay-carlplant-likeness-15g.jpg

[@MS-kf3se]

Question: I'm not that familiar with relays. What is the advantage of having this relay setup as opposed to wiring directly to the fuse box?

[@michaelwhitehurst]

It depends on the load. Some accessories need more power than the switch itself can handle, so putting a relay in the middle keeps you from burning up your switch.

[@jcoats5529]

What's up with the blue one behind you?

[@TomtheDilettante]

Parts car. J/K, it's the wife's '19 crosstrek. Bone stock for the most part. She likes to keep things simple, I like to make things difficult.

[@nicholashein1238]

@Tom the Dilettante Can you add the parts list for this video so that anyone who would like to replicate this or do something similar knows what you used? Thanks

[@nicholashein1238]

Also, what is the blue wire that is seen in the video when you are trying out the strut tower stand-offs? What guage? What does it go to? What is the device the blue line connects through (fuse of some kind)?

[@elmerborders3976]

How will this react to the elements?

[@TomtheDilettante]

Jury is still out on that one. So far so good. Been thru 80 degree F to -15 degree F, rain, snow, sleet, and some mud, water and frozen crud offroad so far without issue. The relays I got are pretty solid and weather proof. The rest of the board is likely going to be the area of concern. Another viewer suggesting putting some dielectric grease on the fittings so I think I'll do that as soon as it warms up. If / when if fails on me, I'll be sure to post something about it. Fingers crossed that won't be anytime soon :) Thanks for watching!

[@stuartwalker6409]

Gonna have to start using G.A.F

[@mrspookypoo727]

Would this setup need to be weather proof?

[@TomtheDilettante]

Good question. Though I'd prefer EVERYTHING be weather proof, this is not. And I'm counting on the idea that it doesn't need to be. The relays are marine / weatherproof relays so I'm not worried about them. I used heat shrink on all the wiring connections so I think they should be okay. The terminals have a cover over the, but are by no means water proof. I figure it's high enough in the engine compartment and under the hood that its exposure to the elements is minimal. And I'm certainly not going to take any water crossings that high as the plate is well above the intake (so I'd have bigger trouble if I got that deep than a soaked power block) :) Bottom line is that the jury is still out. I'm going to roll with it like this for a while to see how it holds up. I may be doing a cross-country to Utah next month for some overlanding / winter camping so fingers crossed. With rain and winter here in the Chicago area, I'll keep an eye on it and report back as to whether or not it sees a lot of weather. Thanks for watching and have a good one!

[@tannerking1617]

I did the same project just a little different if your looking for a cleaner more sealed box let me know and I’ll send you some pictures

[@tannerking1617]

Iztor Universal 6 Way Blade Fuse Holder Box with Spade Terminals and Fuse,5PCS 4Pin 12V 40A relays for car Truck Trailer and Boat www.amazon.com/dp/B076L1G4VX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4F62CW5RTCEQXP5ZQ5QM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@TomtheDilettante]

Oh dang! That's nice! Didn't see that one on my searches. Thanks for sharing!

[@franknovatsky5403]

@@tannerking1617 Does this housing have a single positive (+) input for the entire fuse line, or do you need a distribution buss to bring power from a single large line and distribute it to each fuse in the housing?