upgrading headlight wiring

[Chris]

I am in the process of designing a loom to do just that Adrian. The ARB ones (M002 and M004) are not cheap and are geared to H4 lamps anyway. The headlight wiring has to be the thinnest cable on the whole vehicle. I have never understood that. My experience over the years has been that when you upgrade the lamps (higher wattage) the corresponding increase in amps seems to cook the plastic holders and turn them into carbon, where they basically start to short and your lights get dimmer. Had this happen on at least three separate vehicles now. I actually keep a spare replacement kit ready for the next time. So, I shall be using the signal from the standard main and dipped beams to trigger relays with heavier duty cabling to the lights and better lamps too. Main isn't actually that bad, but the dipped is chronic. Not a tricky thing to make up. Web reports are that it is well worth doing.

Chris

 

[Graham]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

I shall be using the signal from the standard main and dipped beams to trigger relays with heavier duty cabling to the lights and better lamps too.

Chris

Thats by far the best way to get more volts, and the capability for higher amps draw lamps.


Graham

 

[Chris]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

Yes, Graham. The feed will be directly from the battery terminal (via appropriate fuse box of course). Now, I am no scientist, but in simple terms I reckoned that simple Watts divided by Volts would give me a requirement to handle about 4.5 amps per lamp for a 55 watt filament. Wired only in 2mm throughout I'd still have enough to allow for losses and still be on the money. We are not talking about very long cable runs here folks and I am not running 4 lamps down any single piece of cable anyway. 2mm in this new super thin walled stuff should handle 25 amps.

The lamp holder tails seem to be 2mm so I figured go with that all the way. Nice and easy to work with too.

Decent relays will be used, not just the Halfords £2.78 ones for racer boys lights. Not figured the layout yet as there is still 16" of snow piled on the bonnet and oddly I can't get it open.

Chris

 

[adrianr]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

Hi Chris. I'd be glad of a bit of guidance once your moose has new improved eyes. Me likes bright lights.

Cheers buddy.

 

[Chris]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

Of course Good Buddy. 10.4 on that.

C

Had the thought that I would simply run a flying lead from the battery to the back of on headlight and touch it on and off to see if there is a difference.

 

[adrianr]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

Does this assist? :
http://www.lcool.org/technical/80_serie ... iring.html

 

[Chris]

Re: H.I.D Conversions

I think that before we go any further we should split this thread as we have diverged somewhat from the whole HID original.

Can someone do that please. Let's go with 80 series upgrading headlight wiring or something.

Chris

 

[AndyCook]

i put a relay system in my 4runner, as lights were going wonky as the current ran through the column control stalk, and it was carboning on the contacts.
the upgrade kit i got from USA, as i was too lazy to make up my own, was a great improvement, much brighter on dipped beam. i think it was ...... brain ticking over. .....getting there..... ummm
aha I remember!!!

project 4crawler!

Upgraded Headlight Wiring Harness:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks ... ghts.shtml

I followed the tips to cleaning the contacts, then 6 months later i failed again, so i bought the wiring loom with relays and it fixed the problem and it was fine after than, and my mate who now owns the 4runner hasn't moaned about any headlight probs!

 

[Chris]

nice one. now i think that this one requires the combined brains of us all. i have looked at the lcool posting and to me, it's like reading the chemical formula for hydroflouric-carbon 1- 3 acet.dimethrylbFred-nitrilic sulphate and asking will it clean brass?

not a scooby doo. all i do know is that when i just tried a quick patch into the dipped beam from the battery onto the lamp connector, there was a significant increase in luminescence. so, that's worth doing. now, some interesting stuff that i didn't know before as i hadn't had a fiddle about

the dipped lamp is an h4 with three prongs. earth, and two separate filaments. but only one get used. when you click to high beam, the dipped light stays the same and the other headlight comes on as well. that is also an h4 fitting (i think - it was dark outside so could be wrong) but only an h7 two pronged lamp. ie single filament. so why does it need twin headlamps? can we just use the one h4 lamp and switch on the unused part?

so it would be possible to to actually utilise the two filaments in the dipped side plus the single in the main beam side as well giving six illuminated filaments. with me so far? odd thing is that when i 'jumped' the unused contact to make the other filament come on in the dipped side, there was a click and the other side came onto full beam. as in the other side of the car not the same lamp cluster? there is a very non original looking relay tucked away down the side of the battery which is obviously wired into the loom somehow. this needs further investigation. i am a bit foxed there. i thought that it had been put there at some point for some spot lights by a previous owner. it still could be of course. interesting the the picture of the m002 loom from arb has three relays. i have been pondering this and i wonder if that is what they have done. brought everything into play.

well, it's a start.


chris

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

IIRC the OEM arrangement is for the other element to come on with high beam Chris.

 

[Chris]

Jon, I specifically tried that. It didn't. I had the bulb out of the lens unit so I could see. I would have said that this was obvious. So it was my first check. I do wonder if this tapped in relay might be doing something odd to my set up. I might start by surgically ripping that out.
Many normal cars have the two elements come on at once, so I don't see a problem if they do. Going to get pretty warm I'd think, but it should be in the design limits.

Chris

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

on high beam the low beam element should go out and the high beam element turns on instead. High beams came on when you energized that contact because they're connected together. The element must be gone in your bulbs that's all I think.

 

[Gary Mead]

Chris ,I would also like some of your wisdom on this headlight re-wiring,when you find the answers.
I was going to try fitting higher watt bulbs but i dont want to cook everything and cause me more problems .

cheers Gary

 

[Chris]

Nope. Mine doesn't. Like I said, I tried that. Only way to make the second element light up was to run a lead from the battery. Something not right in there before we start. Tried different combinations Jon. The other side of the headlights lit up, but the same filament stayed on.

Gary, not going to get much wisdom from me, but you are welcome to learn from the pathetic fumblings of a desperate man.

Chris

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

yours is "special" then I think

 

[Chris]

Oh thank you!

Someone has definitely intervened in my loom.

C

 

[Chris]

OK, can someone with an 80 check to see what happens when you go from dipped to full beam. Does the outer lens go out and the inner set come on? Does the outer set stay on as well? Does it stay on and get brighter?

Whaddya got?

C

 

[adrianr]

Hope I have not misunderstood question..

Switch from low to high the low beam element in the outer set goes out and the high beam comes on, as does the inner high beam units so you end up with 4 lit.

If you flash the lights you get all six elements lit.

 

[Chris]

Spot on Adrian. Right, mine does NOT do that. Outer element stays exactly as it is and the inner one comes on as well. The two outer elements do not do a swap like yours. There's something odd going on then with this added relay. I shall remove it.

Is full beam generally OK then? Mine is OK ish, but then I am not getting the same as you. If it is OK then I shall look perhaps at just upgrading the low beam to start with.

Chris

 

[adrianr]

High Beam is good - i did have the 110 w bulbs for a while but they blew over course of a year so back on normal ones. yours does sound special.

its worth checking the voltage at the lights - i read about it somewhere. mine was (from memory) about 12.5 v many seem to be much lower - wiring etc. i recall if the volts are low and you stick in higher watt bulbs then you are going to cook things.