headlight relays
Posted: October 31, 2007, 2:46 am
I just installed a set of relays in my truck. Straight from a termination on the alternator line, using 12 guage wire.
HOLY SHIT!
ANYBODY who has not made this modification NEEDS to do it!!!!
My lights used to look brown, even at night. Now they are pure white, even in the daytime.
I think the upgrade cost me in the neighborhood of $60, but I feel that it was worth every cent.
a couple of bucks worth of wire and terminals
2 Napa BriteLites~$15 ea
2 5 pin relays with pigtails~$15 ea
2 headlight pigtails~cheep
(I had to disassemble these and replace the 18Ga wire with 12 and 10. not hard.- I felt that this was a better option than messing with the original 44 year old brittle plastic ones, which would no-doubt shatter if I was too rough with them)
I actually used 10 Ga wire for ground leads, because at some point in the near future, I intend on getting a diode (electrical one-way check-valve) to stick between the Hibeam trigger circuit and the Lobeam trigger circuit so that the lows stay on when the highs come on.
I carefully removed the original headlight harness and put it away. Taped off the connector that goes to the driver's side light, and plugged a spare connector into the plug on the right side to wire into the relays.
Now I don't know why I or anybody would ever want to re-install the original headlight wiring, but no part of the system is permanently modified (for those of you who hate messing with things).
When you do this, make sure you actually reference the relay schematic. I did not.... I took the idiot at Napa's advice as to hook it up.
55 is the trigger, 56 is the ground, 30 is the load in, 77 is the load out, and 77a is an auxiliary out.
he told me 77a was the trigger, and 55 and 56 were both grounds. that didn't make much sense, but I took his word for it instead of referencing the schematic. I was out there with a flashlight correcting my idiot-induced mistake, though simple.
I can't believe I didn't make this mod sooner. It makes a world of difference.
The wire guage may well be excessive. I don't mind that. It didn't cost too much more too be excessive, and it ain't hurtin nothin. I wanted to make damned sure that I wasn't making another under-done system. And when I make a custom grille someday, with 4 headlights, the extra wire guage will really come in handy....
I am also planning on installing a pair of door pins and a relay to operate the domelight, sometime in the close future. I think it will be really nice for the light to come on when I open the door! Like any newer car.
And I have a set of electric lock solenoids that are gonna go in at some point, so I don't have to lock the door with the key every time. That will be really nice.
I will have to re-energize the stupid cheap alarm system to do that though. I think I am going to remove the freaking 6-tone alarm, and just hook it to the horn, maybe put a switch on it so that nothing happens but the blinking lights when I want it to be quiet. The door pins will help make it behave better than it did originally.
I think I will also remove the stupid vibration sensor, so that only the door pins can set it off.
An underhood light would also be nice.... I will probably wire that to have a little toggle switch next to it. I don't feel like messing with trigger pins and relays, or spending for those mercury type tilt-switches.
And at some point in the future, I need to figure out some way of locking the hood down. I'm becoming less and less excited about the prospect of somebody messin around in there. Although I've never had trouble like that.
haha I just remembered, a couple of days ago, I had this REALLY weird dream that Aggie was parked in a big dirt parkinglot- like they have at the county fairgrounds, and I came back to her, and somebody had popped the hood, and unbolted EVERYTHING off the engine block and threw it on the ground next to and under the truck... It was incredibly strange.
A kill switch is also a must that I need to install. I can't believe I haven't done it yet, especially in light of the idiot that picked my doorlock and my ignition switch with a paperclip and drove my truck who knows how far before parking it on the far end of the parkinglot. I used my CLUB for a while after that, but the thing is a pain.
HOLY SHIT!
ANYBODY who has not made this modification NEEDS to do it!!!!
My lights used to look brown, even at night. Now they are pure white, even in the daytime.
I think the upgrade cost me in the neighborhood of $60, but I feel that it was worth every cent.
a couple of bucks worth of wire and terminals
2 Napa BriteLites~$15 ea
2 5 pin relays with pigtails~$15 ea
2 headlight pigtails~cheep
(I had to disassemble these and replace the 18Ga wire with 12 and 10. not hard.- I felt that this was a better option than messing with the original 44 year old brittle plastic ones, which would no-doubt shatter if I was too rough with them)
I actually used 10 Ga wire for ground leads, because at some point in the near future, I intend on getting a diode (electrical one-way check-valve) to stick between the Hibeam trigger circuit and the Lobeam trigger circuit so that the lows stay on when the highs come on.
I carefully removed the original headlight harness and put it away. Taped off the connector that goes to the driver's side light, and plugged a spare connector into the plug on the right side to wire into the relays.
Now I don't know why I or anybody would ever want to re-install the original headlight wiring, but no part of the system is permanently modified (for those of you who hate messing with things).
When you do this, make sure you actually reference the relay schematic. I did not.... I took the idiot at Napa's advice as to hook it up.
55 is the trigger, 56 is the ground, 30 is the load in, 77 is the load out, and 77a is an auxiliary out.
he told me 77a was the trigger, and 55 and 56 were both grounds. that didn't make much sense, but I took his word for it instead of referencing the schematic. I was out there with a flashlight correcting my idiot-induced mistake, though simple.
I can't believe I didn't make this mod sooner. It makes a world of difference.
The wire guage may well be excessive. I don't mind that. It didn't cost too much more too be excessive, and it ain't hurtin nothin. I wanted to make damned sure that I wasn't making another under-done system. And when I make a custom grille someday, with 4 headlights, the extra wire guage will really come in handy....
I am also planning on installing a pair of door pins and a relay to operate the domelight, sometime in the close future. I think it will be really nice for the light to come on when I open the door! Like any newer car.
And I have a set of electric lock solenoids that are gonna go in at some point, so I don't have to lock the door with the key every time. That will be really nice.
I will have to re-energize the stupid cheap alarm system to do that though. I think I am going to remove the freaking 6-tone alarm, and just hook it to the horn, maybe put a switch on it so that nothing happens but the blinking lights when I want it to be quiet. The door pins will help make it behave better than it did originally.
I think I will also remove the stupid vibration sensor, so that only the door pins can set it off.
An underhood light would also be nice.... I will probably wire that to have a little toggle switch next to it. I don't feel like messing with trigger pins and relays, or spending for those mercury type tilt-switches.
And at some point in the future, I need to figure out some way of locking the hood down. I'm becoming less and less excited about the prospect of somebody messin around in there. Although I've never had trouble like that.
haha I just remembered, a couple of days ago, I had this REALLY weird dream that Aggie was parked in a big dirt parkinglot- like they have at the county fairgrounds, and I came back to her, and somebody had popped the hood, and unbolted EVERYTHING off the engine block and threw it on the ground next to and under the truck... It was incredibly strange.
A kill switch is also a must that I need to install. I can't believe I haven't done it yet, especially in light of the idiot that picked my doorlock and my ignition switch with a paperclip and drove my truck who knows how far before parking it on the far end of the parkinglot. I used my CLUB for a while after that, but the thing is a pain.