High Beams = No Lights
#1
High Beams = No Lights
Hey folks, i've got an issue with my headlights. Often when I switch to highbeams I lose my headlights completely. It will also happen randomly while the highbeams are on. Switching back to lowbeams always fixes it instantly. My guess is it's in the switch, and it's starting to get pretty bad (highbeams work maybe %50 of the time)
If it is the switch, is there any hope of rehabbing these 30 year old switches or should I just start looking for a new unit?
Either way, let me know what ya'll think.
Thanks!
If it is the switch, is there any hope of rehabbing these 30 year old switches or should I just start looking for a new unit?
Either way, let me know what ya'll think.
Thanks!
#3
#5
O.P.,
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the witch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the witch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Voltage Drop Comparisons:
With Sealed Beam & Engine off
Stock Wiring
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.05V, Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 11.15V
Voltage drop in wiring: 0.9V
volt drop = 7.5% of battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt 11.94, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 10.07
Volt drop: 15.7% of battery voltage!
After Retrofit / (h4 conversion harness):
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.31V, : Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 12.11V
Volt Drop: 0.2 = 1.6% of Battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt: 12.24V, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 11.78V
Voltage drop: =0.46V = 3.75% of battery voltage
With Sealed Beam & Engine off
Stock Wiring
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.05V, Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 11.15V
Voltage drop in wiring: 0.9V
volt drop = 7.5% of battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt 11.94, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 10.07
Volt drop: 15.7% of battery voltage!
After Retrofit / (h4 conversion harness):
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.31V, : Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 12.11V
Volt Drop: 0.2 = 1.6% of Battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt: 12.24V, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 11.78V
Voltage drop: =0.46V = 3.75% of battery voltage
#6
O.P.,
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the witch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the witch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Voltage Drop Comparisons:
With Sealed Beam & Engine off
Stock Wiring
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.05V, Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 11.15V
Voltage drop in wiring: 0.9V
volt drop = 7.5% of battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt 11.94, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 10.07
Volt drop: 15.7% of battery voltage!
After Retrofit / (h4 conversion harness):
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.31V, : Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 12.11V
Volt Drop: 0.2 = 1.6% of Battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt: 12.24V, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 11.78V
Voltage drop: =0.46V = 3.75% of battery voltage
With Sealed Beam & Engine off
Stock Wiring
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.05V, Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 11.15V
Voltage drop in wiring: 0.9V
volt drop = 7.5% of battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt 11.94, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 10.07
Volt drop: 15.7% of battery voltage!
After Retrofit / (h4 conversion harness):
Low Beam:
Batt: 12.31V, : Across low beam filament (pins 1 & 3): 12.11V
Volt Drop: 0.2 = 1.6% of Battery voltage
High Beam:
Batt: 12.24V, Across high beam filament (pins 2 & 3): 11.78V
Voltage drop: =0.46V = 3.75% of battery voltage
Just read through this:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#WiringHarness
And I fear this may be quite a bit beyond my electrical abilities. I drive a 22r and a 12 valve for a reason...
Is there an idiot fix? Hehe
#7
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
i'm not an electrical wiz, but i used info from RAD and 4crawler to add an h4 headlight harness to my truck. a one to one and a half hour project. it will take longer to remove the headlight switchstalk and disassemble it to clean the contacts. that's a three hour project if you've never done it.
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#8
i'm not an electrical wiz, but i used info from RAD and 4crawler to add an h4 headlight harness to my truck. a one to one and a half hour project. it will take longer to remove the headlight switchstalk and disassemble it to clean the contacts. that's a three hour project if you've never done it.
#10
Good job, Wallytoo!
sweitzerworks,
What Wally made is the alternative to buying "h4 conversion' harness. Personally, I prefer to make things my way than buy from someone I do not trust.
The voltages I posted above merely shows improvement from stock compared to modified wiring that fixes what 4Crawler calls "convoluted wiring". Many people are not aware that this is more essential for the headlight system. Merely "upgrading" to higher wattage bulbs without the "H4 conversion" will subject the switch contacts to worse currents than what yours already saw.
sweitzerworks,
What Wally made is the alternative to buying "h4 conversion' harness. Personally, I prefer to make things my way than buy from someone I do not trust.
The voltages I posted above merely shows improvement from stock compared to modified wiring that fixes what 4Crawler calls "convoluted wiring". Many people are not aware that this is more essential for the headlight system. Merely "upgrading" to higher wattage bulbs without the "H4 conversion" will subject the switch contacts to worse currents than what yours already saw.
#11
Good job, Wallytoo!
sweitzerworks,
What Wally made is the alternative to buying "h4 conversion' harness. Personally, I prefer to make things my way than buy from someone I do not trust.
The voltages I posted above merely shows improvement from stock compared to modified wiring that fixes what 4Crawler calls "convoluted wiring". Many people are not aware that this is more essential for the headlight system. Merely "upgrading" to higher wattage bulbs without the "H4 conversion" will subject the switch contacts to worse currents than what yours already saw.
sweitzerworks,
What Wally made is the alternative to buying "h4 conversion' harness. Personally, I prefer to make things my way than buy from someone I do not trust.
The voltages I posted above merely shows improvement from stock compared to modified wiring that fixes what 4Crawler calls "convoluted wiring". Many people are not aware that this is more essential for the headlight system. Merely "upgrading" to higher wattage bulbs without the "H4 conversion" will subject the switch contacts to worse currents than what yours already saw.
At this point however, I'm a little confused. Am I buying a harness or building a harness? Either way I'm not totally sure what I need :/
Last edited by sweitzerworks; 01-08-2018 at 07:44 PM.
#12
REPEAT:
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the switch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its (contact) life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Your choice: Make your own H4 conversion harness (see schematic on 4Crawler's website) like Wallytoo did OR buy from online store.
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the switch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its (contact) life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Your choice: Make your own H4 conversion harness (see schematic on 4Crawler's website) like Wallytoo did OR buy from online store.
Last edited by RAD4Runner; 01-08-2018 at 07:50 PM.
#13
REPEAT:
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the switch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its (contact) life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Your choice: Make your own H4 conversion harness (see schematic on 4Crawler's website) like Wallytoo did OR buy from online store.
High Beam flash works, correct? That confirms it is the switch contacts.
You can probably rehab the contacts but need to get H4 conversion harness to:
1) Help extend its (contact) life.,
2) Eliminate the excessive voltage drop from bad factory wiring. To illustrate how bad the factory wiring is:
Your choice: Make your own H4 conversion harness (see schematic on 4Crawler's website) like Wallytoo did OR buy from online store.
Thanks folks for the info!
#14
#16
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
sweitzer, one thing about using the harness/h4, the dash indicator will become too dim to see in daylight, and be barely bright enough to see when driving at night. 4 crawler has a section on this, but i haven't figured it out yet. although i'd like to have a working indicator, functional switch contacts are more important.
#17
1) Try replacing the low-beam indicator bulb with LED (Pls let us know if anyone has done this successfully), OR
2) To put a resistance in parallel with that relay coil (from pin1 to pin3). Not sure what value, yet, but I would try the shunt resistor used with LED turn signals (to band-aid hyper-flash).
With fix option #2) when indicator is on, it will run higher than necessary current through low-beam contact in order to keep high-beam indicator off. Not as high as with stock wiring but still unnecessary. The design of the high-beam indicator is another screw-up from engineers trying to be fancy.
What's wrong with simply wiring the high-beam indicator in parallel with high-beams (between pins 1 & 2)?! DUH! This is what I want to do but have no time to trace the wires.
#19
So I found this:
I know it's a cop out, but I started pricing out what I need I and I was probably going to spend more money building the harness myself.
Does this harness look decent?
Let me know.
I know it's a cop out, but I started pricing out what I need I and I was probably going to spend more money building the harness myself.
Does this harness look decent?
Let me know.
#20
So I found this:
https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-Rel...wiring+harness
I know it's a cop out, but I started pricing out what I need I and I was probably going to spend more money building the harness myself.
Does this harness look decent?
Let me know.
https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-Rel...wiring+harness
I know it's a cop out, but I started pricing out what I need I and I was probably going to spend more money building the harness myself.
Does this harness look decent?
Let me know.