Head Lights

[goodnigh]

So I bought halogen head lights for the Mustang.

Are these safe to use?

My mechanic is concerned about current draw.

I looked into LED lights but these are $216 each.

mike

 

[midlife]

Best to use relays from true battery power to power halogen headlights. The current draw trips the internal circuit breaker in the headlight switch.

 

[goodnigh]

So I basically need to rewire the car.

Maybe I will splurge on the LED's.

Thanks Midlife as always

mike

 

[mudbilly]

I got turned on to these by a EBSTANG from this thread :

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-what-did-you-do-to-your-car-today?page=579

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M63...UTF8&psc=1

 

[Stanglover]

I've used Halogen headlight in my 71 for the last 7 years without any issues. I just put them in and they worked fine with way better light than the stock H/L.

Could it be newer years have different electrical systems, I have no idea. Electrical stuff and me don't go together to well at the best of times!

Geoff.

 

[secluff]

Goodnigh, it seems to be a mixed bag with results on usage of halogen headlamp bulbs. I know several people that run the halogen headlamp bulbs with no problem and others that have the the circuit breaker to pop in the headlight switch. Rocketman has a plug and play system that uses relays to take the load off the headlight switch. And as usual all show the high level of quality that can be expected of his product offerings. Check the link out and then you can decide which kit best suits your needs. Good luck with your project.  http://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-hrk-all

 

[73pony]

I run them in my 73 but I have them to wired with relays to pull battery power. One to protect the switch and also so they stay a constant brightness and don’t dim slightly when the rpms are low. Easy to do.

 

[Stanglover]

Goodnigh, it seems to be a mixed bag with results on usage of halogen headlamp bulbs. I know several people that run the halogen headlamp bulbs with no problem and others that have the the circuit breaker to pop in the headlight switch. Rocketman has a plug and play system that uses relays to take the load off the headlight switch. And as usual all show the high level of quality that can be expected of his product offerings. Check the link out and then you can decide which kit best suits your needs. Good luck with your project.  http://www.rccinnovations.com/index.php?show=menu-hrk-all

 Well Steve I just learned something I had no idea about. First and probably like most, I did not know there was a circuit breaker in the headlight switch, second I had no idea they ( halogen bulbs) needed relays. Like I said, mine seem to work perfectly, I don't notice any drop in lighting, but then I seldom drive at night other than at the start and end of the season. What Bob is selling looks to be a great idea and not very expensive either, something else to spend my pension on!!

Thanks for enlightening me......... and others.

Geoff.

 

[secluff]

Geoff, found out the hard way about the internal circuit breaker in the headlight switch. Around '77 I was in my Pewter Mach1 with my girlfriend attempting to impress her with my cars speed and my driving abilities. As Snoopy would say, "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" as I was barreling down a narrow curvy country road running around 90 MPH!  As I was entering a curve, the headlights went out. About the same amount of time it took for my butt cheeks to pinch a hunk out of my seat, they came back on. The headlights continued to flash off and on all the way back into town.

I talked to the shop techs the next day expecting to have an exorcism performed since I knew my car had to be possessed. Of course the old time techs laughed at me as they usually did and then explained the safety feature of not losing your headlights in case of an electrical problem so you could at least  get home. In this instance the headlight switch was the culprit and a new Motorcraft switch put me back on the road.

I did eventually install halogen headlamps in the same car and they ran fine without any relays. I tried to install them in one of my Torino's (with a new switch) and had to install the relays to get them to work properly.

 

[Stanglover]

Geoff, found out the hard way about the internal circuit breaker in the headlight switch. Around '77 I was in my Pewter Mach1 with my girlfriend attempting to impress her with my cars speed and my driving abilities. As Snoopy would say, "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" as I was barreling down a narrow curvy country road running around 90 MPH!  As I was entering a curve, the headlights went out. About the same amount of time it took for my butt cheeks to pinch a hunk out of my seat, they came back on. The headlights continued to flash off and on all the way back into town.

I talked to the shop techs the next day expecting to have an exorcism performed since I knew my car had to be possessed. Of course the old time techs laughed at me as they usually did and then explained the safety feature of not losing your headlights in case of an electrical problem so you could at least  get home. In this instance the headlight switch was the culprit and a new Motorcraft switch put me back on the road.

I did eventually install halogen headlamps in the same car and they ran fine without any relays. I tried to install them in one of my Torino's (with a new switch) and had to install the relays to get them to work properly.

Amusing story. Was the girl friend impressed??!! More to the point, did she go out with you again?

I did put in a new H/L switch when I upgraded my dash lights so as to have a new dimmer control. As for relays, at least I'm informed now. As I have not had any issue, I might just pick up another switch just to have on hand and do some more research on the relays. If it can improve the lights a bit, may be worth it.

Thanks Steve for your input.

Geoff.

 

[secluff]

Geoff, that was quite a night, and she was definitely not impressed at the time. She thought I had cut the lights off to scare her. Very safe to say any "Activities" I had planned involving her did not happen that night!  

I had been dating her for awhile so she was sorta used to never knowing what was going to happen next while around me. Once I was able to convince her what really happened, I was back in her good graces. And since she had a Mach 1 and realized the same thing could happen to hers, I bought myself some very valuable points by replacing her headlight switch!!  All was good until she started using the "C" word.....Commitment. Ahhh...that's another story!   Lol

 

[Stanglover]

Geoff, that was quite a night, and she was defiantly not impressed at the time. She thought I had cut the lights off to scare her. Very safe to say any "Activities" I had planned involving her did not happen that night!  

I had been dating her for while so she was sorta used to never knowing what was going to happen next while around me. Once I was able to convince her what really happened, I was back in her good graces. And since she had a Mach 1 and realized the same thing could happen to hers, I bought myself some very valuable points by replacing her headlight switch!!  All was good until she started using the "C" word.....Commitment. Ahhh...that's another story!   Lol

 Too funny Steve. Was the "C" word going to be that bad!! After all she drove the right car. But I guess if she was already in the "rear view mirror", it may have been best to leave her there.

 

[Hemikiller]

I had the same issue with mine, the halogens trip the circuit breaker after 15-20 mins of driving, even on a new switch. I ended up buying a relay & harness kit off Amazon, which I'll install over the winter.

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-002395301-Halogen-Conversion-Headlamp/dp/B0002M9QK6/ref=pd_sim_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=SX9HX0EEZN6QNEFGMEZR&th=1

FWIW, be very careful buying aftermarket headlights. A few years ago I bought a set of halogens that used a replaceable H4 bulb and the light spread was horrible. Turns out they were not DOT/SAE compliant. Those came out immediately for the set of halogen sealed beams in there now. If you want to use an aftermarket light, make sure they are DOT/SAE, like the ones that Hella makes.

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-002395301-Halogen-Conversion-Headlamp/dp/B0002M9QK6/ref=pd_sim_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=SX9HX0EEZN6QNEFGMEZR&th=1

 

[Stanglover]

I had the same issue with mine, the halogens trip the circuit breaker after 15-20 mins of driving, even on a new switch. I ended up buying a relay & harness kit off Amazon, which I'll install over the winter.

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-002395301-Halogen-Conversion-Headlamp/dp/B0002M9QK6/ref=pd_sim_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=SX9HX0EEZN6QNEFGMEZR&th=1

FWIW, be very careful buying aftermarket headlights. A few years ago I bought a set of halogens that used a replaceable H4 bulb and the light spread was horrible. Turns out they were not DOT/SAE compliant. Those came out immediately for the set of halogen sealed beams in there now. If you want to use an aftermarket light, make sure they are DOT/SAE, like the ones that Hella makes.

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-002395301-Halogen-Conversion-Headlamp/dp/B0002M9QK6/ref=pd_sim_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=SX9HX0EEZN6QNEFGMEZR&th=1

+1 on the sealed beam H/L's

On aftermarket H/L switches, do you know for sure if these have a circuit breaker built in? Mine is an aftermarket and I've had no problem to date with lights going out, but then I don't do a lot of night driving in the summer months, so it could be I just don't have them on long enough for them to trip the breaker. Hmmmm indeed!

 

[EBSTANG]

I got turned on to these by a EBSTANG from this thread :

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-what-did-you-do-to-your-car-today?page=579

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M63...UTF8&psc=1

How you liking those LED headlights?...pretty killer huh?  I've had mine in since the beginning of summer and I still get a kick out of them every time I use them. Unbelievable lighting.  LED is the way to go...LED is taking over in automobiles, homes, industry...

 

[mudbilly]

I love them and the color (or lack of). The low beams make a perfect horizontal line below which there is white light. and nothing above that line. No one coming at me has ever flashed their light because of being blinded.

With the highs on I can see to then end of a 1/4 mile driveway.   with incredibly white light.

I have the white crescent lights wired to accessory power so that they are on whenever the car in on.

Was thinking about paralleling the amber crescents off of the turn signals. But don't know if I'll do that. I was even thinking of disabling the standard front stock turn signals and only using the amber in the headlights. But don't want to get into the issues associated with not having enough resistance in the LEDs to run the flashers properly. I had tried replacing the turn signal bulbs with LEDs but the signals didn't work right so I went back to incandescents, same with the rear bulbs.

 

[goodnigh]

Best to use relays from true battery power to power halogen headlights.  The current draw trips the internal circuit breaker in the headlight switch.

Another quick question.  Does the relay setup use the same wiring to the headlights?

If you need to use the old wiring, that presents another issue.

mike

 

[Stanglover]

Goodnigh, I was wondering the same thing about wiring. As I said before, I have had no issues so far with Halogen H/L's, but that doesn't mean I will not in the future. This has been an enlightening post for sure. I was looking at the Rocketman's system as it's plug-n-play, which would be right up my ally.

As we in Ontario, are required to use day light running lights, (DLR's) I too was thinking of hooking up my sport lights so they are on when the engine is running, but I'm wondering if it possible to splice into the existing pos. wire rather than running separate wires, which would be a pain. The problem is drivers don't seem to look any further than the end of the hoods, so a car without DLR's, is harder to see without something to catch their eye. I've lost count of the number of idiots who pull out in front of my Mustang and I've had to slow or brake.

 

[Hemikiller]

Best to use relays from true battery power to power halogen headlights.  The current draw trips the internal circuit breaker in the headlight switch.

Another quick question.  Does the relay setup use the same wiring to the headlights?

If you need to use the old wiring, that presents another issue.

mike

The relay kits only use the original headlight wiring to turn the relays on. The power for the light comes from the front post of the starter solenoid, so you have true battery voltage directly to the lights.