Full Size Warning Light Bar Installation Guide

Many Roof Mount Warning Light Bars can be installed at home with a little patience and about 1 to 2 hours of time. Ideally, a mechanic should Install it on your vehicles roof. Unfortunately this can cost upwards of 500 dollars just in labor. All of our roof mount warning light bars come with the necessary mounting hardware and can be installed on any car, truck, or heavy equipment.

Inspection: Take a look at your light and make sure you have all of the components. You should have the light bar itself with the wiring already attached. There should also be a long white wire cover which runs into the control box along with two long wires (red and black) that are used to power the light. We also included two steel roof straps with matching L shaped brackets. This will be the only hardware you need to install it.

Options: There are many ways to install this light, take into account the type of vehicle before beginning. For cars and trucks up to 2500 it is recommended to use the steel roof straps outlined in installation option 1 below. For tow trucks, semi's, and big rigs it's recommended to use option 2 or 3 below. 

Installation 1: These steel roof straps are meant to be modified to fit your particular car or truck. For extra paint protection you can attach a layer of soft material (rubber, foam, or tape) to the inside of the bracket to make sure the paint is not scratched. Open the side door of your vehicle and try to hook the curved bottom into the door jam. You may want to pull up on your weatherstripping and slide the hook underneath it (if the bulge in the weatherstripping is too large you can cut a small amount of rubber from the inside of it to make it lay flat. If there is a gap in between the door jam and inside of the hook (there often is) use a grinder or hacksaw to cut off the short section in the hook just enough to let it sit flush.

If you cut off too much the hook will not hold. You can also bend the remainder of the strap to match the contour of your car or truck. The other end of the roof strap is where you attach the L bracket that attached to the bottom of the light bar using that big bolt sticking out. Now take your light bar and center it on your vehicle where you want it to sit (make sure it lines up with the roof straps). Then take out the large bolt and slide it back through, tighten each large bolt evenly. The L bracket may be installed in any orientation, either on top of strap or below it, whichever works best for you application. Ensure that both the large and small bolt on each end of the L bracket are tight before operating the vehicle. If the light bar begins to smack up and down on your roof once you pick up speed you simply need to tighten the large bolts on each side.

Installation 2: For Snow Plows, Wreckers, Tow Trucks, and Semi Trucks where roof straps are not an option, the light bar can be bolted directly to a headache rack, fiberglass roof, trailer roof, or any other flat surface. The black brackets on the bottom of the light bar have small round rubber feet. In the center of these feet you'll find a nut and bolt holding the feet in. These bolts can be removed and a larger bolt can be used to run through the feet into any surface for a solid mount.

Its usually easiest to adapt the light bar to existing mount points. By simply loosening the bolts that hold the bracket to the body, you can slide the bracket up and down the channel. The legs are malleable and can be bent inward and outward to match existing mount points.Its usually easiest to adapt the light bar to existing mount points. By simply loosening the bolts that hold the bracket to the body, you can slide the bracket up and down the channel. The legs are malleable and can be bent inward and outward to match existing mount points.

Installation 3: Another option for large vehicles is to remove the black brackets entirely and mount the light bar directly to the surface. The bolts connect the brackets from the bottom and if you have a surface where you can drill all of the way through you can mount it flush, with no brackets. The light bar is sturdy and not sensitive to vibration so no vibration dampening is needed.

Wiring: Wiring up this light bar is extremely simple. Run the red wire to any 12v power source, and the black to a solid ground. Running the wires directly to the battery is a common method of doing this. The light bar requires only a trickle of power to operate, so most power sources will work. Fuses are already wired in, so no need to any more.

Troubleshooting:

1. Moisture on lenses after heavy rain: After extremely heavy rains this may happen due to the light bars ability to breathe, but air will circulate through the light and clear it out in 2 to 3 days. If the water begins to pool in the light, the unit needs to be resealed. Contact us for assistance.

2. Light bar won't power on: Try using a different power source, things like a weak battery or bad ground connection will prevent the light bar from turning on. You should also check the entire length of wires to the light bar for cuts or sections where the wires have been damaged and are grounding out. Check the white connect near the control box and make sure all wires are snug inside of the connector. If pulled hard these can come loose, simply tug at each wire on both sides of the connector see if they have come loose, if so then push it back into the connector till it clicks. If your light still isn't powering on check the control box itself for damage as well as the small fuses in the wiring near the control box. If it still isn't powering on then contact Warningworx.

3. Light Bar won't change patterns: Your battery is weak, any less than 12 volts and the light bar will turn on but won't change patterns. The only other option is that the controller is damaged. Contact Warningworx for a replacement.

4. The light bar is changing patterns on it's own or powers on by itself: this is due to strong interference from a CB radio or other powerful electrical device in your vehicle. You can attach a universal dome light or magnet on the headliner right below the light bar which will absorb this signal. Another option to wire up the red wire of the light bar to a power source that only has power when the vehicle is turned on.

5. A section of LED's isn't lighting up: this could be due to a blown LED chip, which we can fix for free, or simply a loose wire, which we will also fix for free.

Advice and Tips: Installing your warning strobe light bar can be a daunting idea but remember that we warranty our lights for 2 years and if you manage to break your light during installation (unlikely!) just let us know you were following our guide and we'll send you a free strobe light bar free of charge.

For wreckers and tow trucks, remember to leave slack in the wiring if the loading platform is lifted up. It's important that the warning light bar stays visible during the entire tow so it is ideal for it to be mounted as high as possible.

We provide free support and consultation for any light bar install and have helped numerous customers install warning light equipment on their vehicles. 

If you decide to open the light bar up for any reason, remember that the lenses are "tongue and groove" meaning that each side fit into a corresponding side with matching grooves. The male end fits

Thank you for reading our guide. Call us at (804) 739-3784 if you need any advice or installation support on your full size warning light bar.