Headlight relays

[Stanglover]

Wow that’s so long I couldn’t read through it. Ever since I put the headlights on a relay the dash lights have been even brighter than just going to the led lights in the dash. No brainer. Then going to the leds for the headlights, dash lights are brighter than ever!

Yeah, sorry guys for the long read. I should have  condensed it more than I did.

I think the point is; when using LED headlights, relays may not be necessary, but can't hurt if one choses to add them. I think it may come down to doing the tests Bill suggest and the results may be dependent the state of the wiring in each particular vehicle. As we know, old wiring can affect the current draw therefore affecting the brightness of the headlights.

 

[Stanglover]

OK...I read it too, but your rationale for DRL's through the sportslamps were not as clear as what you told me, which is why I suggested a relay.  You want the DRL's to work without running lights on the rears, which means there is no "parking lamp" circuitry (65-68 has it) or other circuit that is distinct from other functions from the headlight switch.  Tapping into a RUN-only line is what you want (they will be on anytime the engine is running), but unless you use LED's in the sportslamps, the current draw will swamp most of the run-only lines available in the engine compartment and either blow a fuse or cause a fire if not fused.  Use of a relay to power the sportslamps, whether LEDs or incandescents, is safe and effective.  If you use LED's without a relay and someone else comes along and puts in incandescent bulbs, then the risk is there.  Spend another $10 and eliminate a risk.

 Midlife, I see exactly what you are saying and a very good point indeed. I am running LED's in the sport lamps, but as you say, someone else (my car or any other) may not use LED's and/or be aware of the possible fire problem if using incandescent bulbs. 

Your point is well noted and I now see clearly WHY a relay ought to be used at least on the DLR's. It will be added for sure if I do decide to go that route. 

Thank you for your clarity and knowledgeable help.

 

[Stanglover]

Well, as I have truly hijacked this thread, I may as well finish it....... as far as I'm concerned.

I bought all the relays, connectors and other parts needed from Bill at Hi-Po Parts and, following the schematic on his website, I was able to construct my own high/low beam relay harness. This wasn't the cheapest option, but probably worth it in the long run. I had to buy 25' rolls of colored wire, so that was more than I wanted to pay. Unfortunately, the sales guy was unaware they had trailer wire (4 colors) by the foot and that would have been ok. I could have bought 8 feet at a buck a foot. I did have to buy a roll of black 16 gauge for the grounds regardless. On a positive note, at least that hardware store's price for wire was half that at a nearby auto parts store. Oh well, now I have lots of wire if I want to make another harness......... or not!

Anyway, the result was perfect and it all works well. Pretty it ain't but it works. One thing I will say is, "if you need a foot of wire, add an inch and so on". I may need to move the relay block over away from the rad, but there was a convenient 1/4-20 weld nut to screw the relay holder to. If it gets too hot in that location, I can easily move it.  It does look like my interior light could be a tad brighter, but hard to see in the daytime. All I need to do now is take it out after dark for a proper test and set beam angles.

As for the DRL idea, that's on hold for now. I have no clue how to wire that up with a relay to work only when through the ignition key. I did however buy the extra relay from Bill, so I have one if needed. If I do it, I'll catch up on this post.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

 It does look like my interior light could be a tad brighter, but hard to see in the daytime. All I need to do now is take it out after dark for a proper test and set beam angles.

Geoff, You are speaking of your dash lights, correct? I'm hoping to hear you have decent improvement there, but it may take going to LED on those bulbs as well before that happens. I still plan on doing this when I get the car out of storage in October.  

 

[Stanglover]

Geoff, You are speaking of your dash lights, correct? I'm hoping to hear you have decent improvement there, but it may take going to LED on those bulbs as well before that happens. I still plan on doing this when I get the car out of storage in October.  

ALL my lights are now LED type, with the exception of the ALT bulb in the idiot light cluster. That bulb as we know MUST remain incandescent.

I even made my own blue dome lights for the 3 center gauges. And yes, I got all my LED stuff from Bill at HiPoParts.com

Sounds weird that your car is now in storage for the summer, That's hard for me to get my head around. I WISH we could have that choice here!

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

Sounds weird that your car is now in storage for the summer, That's hard for me to get my head around. I WISH we could have that choice here!

It's been 115-118* here all week. Not going away any time soon. Horrible time to drive a classic, even if it has A/C. Worse time to try to work in the garage. So the Mach goes in storage and the boat comes home. In Oct. They will swap and the boat will go up, and the Mach will be home again until the following June. In short I just need a bigger garage. LOL.

 

[Stanglover]

It's been 115-118* here all week. Not going away any time soon. Horrible time to drive a classic, even if it has A/C. Worse time to try to work in the garage. So the Mach goes in storage and the boat comes home. In Oct. They will swap and the boat will go up, and the Mach will be home again until the following June. In short I just need a bigger garage. LOL.

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A nice problem to have in a way. Here, it's about 85, but the humidity is brutal. At least your heat is dryer, but 118 is a tad too high I'll admit.

Safe boating.

 

[Stanglover]

So folks, update time on the LED headlights and relays. Now it's getting dark earlier, I was out last night and took a few pics that I hope show the true benefits of going to LED headlights with the relays as described before. Below, the pic of the dash clearly shows they are definitely brighter now the headlight are directly off the battery via the relays.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

So folks, update time on the LED headlights and relays. Now it's getting dark earlier, I was out last night and took a few pics that I hope show the true benefits of going to LED headlights with the relays as described before. Below, the pic of the dash clearly shows they are definitely brighter now the headlight are directly off the battery via the relays.

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That .heic format is crap for photos. A lot of programs won't open that format. See if you can convert them to .jpg or .png

 

[Stanglover]

That .heic format is crap for photos. A lot of programs won't open that format. See if you can convert them to .jpg or .png

Yes, I found that out. I used my f'n cell phone to take the pics. I found If I edited the pic and resaved it, it converted automatically to .jpg 

I still can't believe the difference between the Halogen and these LED's. HIGHY recommended upgrade. I wish I'd done this a long time ago. See post above for the pics!!

Thanks for the heads up. 

 

[Don C]

It's been 115-118* here all week. Not going away any time soon. Horrible time to drive a classic, even if it has A/C. Worse time to try to work in the garage. So the Mach goes in storage and the boat comes home. In Oct. They will swap and the boat will go up, and the Mach will be home again until the following June. In short I just need a bigger garage. LOL.

I remember those days, I travelled to and worked 2 or 3 days a week in Las Vegas for about 5 years, and then lived there for about 7 years. When the temperature gets to 90, here in Oregon, the humidity seems worse than the heat in Las Vegas. I guess I'm a desert rat and not a duck  :classic_cool:

 

[Stanglover]

I remember those days, I travelled to and worked 2 or 3 days a week in Las Vegas for about 5 years, and then lived there for about 7 years. When the temperature gets to 90, here in Oregon, the humidity seems worse than the heat in Las Vegas. I guess I'm a desert rat and not a duck  :classic_cool:

Indeed Don, it's the humidity that is a killer (figuratively) around SW Ontario too. You feel like you are wearing it. 

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

I remember those days, I travelled to and worked 2 or 3 days a week in Las Vegas for about 5 years, and then lived there for about 7 years. When the temperature gets to 90, here in Oregon, the humidity seems worse than the heat in Las Vegas. I guess I'm a desert rat and not a duck  :classic_cool:

No doubt about it. I'll take our dry 110* over your humid 90* any time. I hate humidity. We have had a super wet monsoon this summer though. Top 3 of all time I believe. We have some moisture from Hurricane Nora (Not the one in New Orleans) headed this way Tues/Wed. It may put 2021 over the top. I love the rain, we need the rain, but this July and August we were scorching hot WITH the humidity. We had some days it was just horrid outside. At least now we're down around 100* to high 90's. The 110+ days should be gone.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

So folks, update time on the LED headlights and relays. Now it's getting dark earlier, I was out last night and took a few pics that I hope show the true benefits of going to LED headlights with the relays as described before. Below, the pic of the dash clearly shows they are definitely brighter now the headlight are directly off the battery via the relays.

Now that the pics are loaded, they look great Geoff! I have the relays here, and honestly was not going to use them because the LED's were already so good, but I'm going to add it now to see if I can brighten my dash lights as well. Thanks for the photos!

 

[Stanglover]

Now that the pics are loaded, they look great Geoff! I have the relays here, and honestly was not going to use them because the LED's were already so good, but I'm going to add it now to see if I can brighten my dash lights as well. Thanks for the photos!

Thanks Chris, As I said, this is probably the first real opportunity I had to see the interior lights in full darkness, and yes, they are much brighter to my old eyes. The brightness will depend on the type of LED/SMD's you have I'm sure. I have HiPoParts Elite series II SMD lights.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

All of Stanglover's recent headlight posts got me trying to remember who was running relays and who wasn't. I still have Rocketman's kit, but STILL haven't put it on yet. Also have Stanglover's protective shields but STILL haven't done that yet either. Although my car sees virtually no water, still good for the occasional wash. My lazy butt needs to get these done. I do need brighter dash lights, but not in any hurry to pull the cluster right now, so if adding the relays helps in that regard until I take the time to pull it and swap to LED's, that's extra motivation to get it done.

 

[Stanglover]

All of Stanglover's recent headlight posts got me trying to remember who was running relays and who wasn't. I still have Rocketman's kit, but STILL haven't put it on yet. Also have Stanglover's protective shields but STILL haven't done that yet either. Although my car sees virtually no water, still good for the occasional wash. My lazy butt needs to get these done. I do need brighter dash lights, but not in any hurry to pull the cluster right now, so if adding the relays helps in that regard until I take the time to pull it and swap to LED's, that's extra motivation to get it done.

WHAT!!! you haven't got the relays in yet, nor the shields??? I know you said it's too hot in AZ in summer to work on or even drive the car, but what have you been doing? Too much boating I suppose!
However, I really do believe relays do make a huge difference to the lighting and takes the load off the old harness. The headlight switch is now just that, a switch.
Thanks for your support over the last couple of years or so.

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

WHAT!!! you haven't got the relays in yet, nor the shields??? I know you said it's too hot in AZ in summer to work on or even drive the car, but what have you been doing? Too much boating I suppose!
However, I really do believe relays do make a huge difference to the lighting and takes the load off the old harness. The headlight switch is now just that, a switch.
Thanks for your support over the last couple of years or so.

LOL. Now that the cooler weather is here, and more important things have been fixed, that stuff has finally made it to the short list. : )