I have no before pics, but I'm sure most know how bad they are.:giggle:
Polished lenses again
(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/389678_340340296019866_100001316940441_858573_933181632_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/389217_340340362686526_100001316940441_858576_1064052947_n.jpg)
The regular Halogen seems to have a better beam pattern than the silverstar on the right.
(pictures taken on phone, no adjustments can be made)
Did you notice an improvement from the relays?
When I see pictures of the stock light output it makes me very happy that mine have been upgraded (see sig picture of my low beam output).
Yes. Without relays, you couldn't even tell the headlights were on.
Next step one of these days is to build HID's.
Did you take the "fun" route of cutting/splicing/crimping.... all the wires yourself or did you happen to come across a plug and play system?
Tried an ebay harness, ended up being a POS.Ended up doing it myself
I went with a plug in set up from RJM it worked great
Me also, great piece, no hassle.
Awesome, I was eyeing the RJM but didn't want to buy without feed back, BTW your blue bird looks like mine :)
Cool. Well I'm glad it made a difference for you. Now I think I'll do it while I ponder over the incredible cost of projector modding :D
Here is how i do it . This way you dont have a rats nest of wires under the hood.
(http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx46/proguns/003-17.jpg)
You can see the issue ford has with their wiring burnt connector. This is common on Fords.
(http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx46/proguns/001-48.jpg)
All fixed and ready to install headlight switch.
(http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx46/proguns/004-12.jpg)
I don't understand how Ford didn't have the sense to build them with relays in the first place....:screwy:
It is not an issue with relays. It is the switches cant hold the current. Basically the switches are JUNK. Just like the ignition switches. They also melt
Yeah that's my point. Instead of running a half mile of too small a gauge of wire to too small a switch and back why didn't they just put relays on them like we do. And like every other car does nowdays. And it's not just the headlight switch that melts, my last dimmer switch melted too:(
Yes the whole system needs SLAVE RELAYS. I install 5 to be exact to make the system fire proof. The dimmer is another area that needs a relay. The IGNITION SWITCH is first and foremost. I also feed the injector groups with 2 separate relays. This keeps the voltage drop at a minimum. I also use separate relay for the 2 fuel pumps in my car. They are in the trunk. My battery is in their and a simple slave activated by the stock pump feed wire initiates all the safety systems built in the car from the factory. Relays are great. But they also can be a pain!!!
Here is a nightmare i had to trouble shoot. This relay fed my PORT SIDE fuel pump. My car was acting very strange at high RPM. Turned out my PORT SIDE pump was intermittent. Here is the culprit. Even mounted in the trunk it got condensated and got messed up. I change out all my relays once every 2 years because of this now. Thanks
(http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx46/proguns/001-102.jpg)
yeah that's nasty.
Remember that if you're going to do HID's, spend the money. Don't just get $60 drop in kits from ebay or the like. We don't want people thinking that Thunderbird guys are douchebags who like to blind people. Go to TRS, like TbirdX3.
And buy some of those hot clear lenses form him. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/index.php
I have the same problem with relays. I carry spares in all my Megasquirted cars for that reason.
I can definitely relate to that !!!
That's the reason I haven't done it yet. I can't even afford to make payments on my truck much less spend 300 freakin bucks on a HID kit....:toilet:
Soo at risk of sounding like a noob is there a write up on how to install the relays? I have an evtm and can probably figure it out but if there is one handy I'll skim it now.
I don't know of one but here is how I would go about it:
1: Cut your headlight 12v+ wire in half.
2: hook up relay as follows
relay plug 87: hook to the end of the 12v+ wire you cut that goes to the bulb
relay plug 86: hook to the end of the 12v+ wire you cut that comes from the switch
relay plug 85: hook up to body/battery ground
relay plug 30: hook to battery 12v+
3: repeat process for high beam 12v+ wire
4: splice other side headlights into corresponding relay plug 87's and cap off signal wire, or repeat both relay processes for other side
but for all the trouble involved it would probably just be worth it to use this:
http://www.rjminjectiontech.com/products/headlight-harness
Here is a write up from NATO.
http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/installing_headlight_relays.htm
Yeah pretty much an over explanatory explanation of what I said :p
Sweet, Thanks Guys.
Will maybe look into this since my bird is mobile again :D
Also just got a mazda with projector headlights, I don't think I can go back to regular headlights :(. I've got an eye problem where I can't distinguish dark colors so night driving for me is balls.
Exactly! When I get out of my bird and into a car without projectors I quickly realize how far superior the projectors are over any reflector based light, especially the ones that were in my bird! :D
I also like relays, but I'd rather dip my stick in parts cleaner than use any pre-made harness. Seriously, relay holders, 30A standard relays, access to a wiring rack, flux, solder, and heatshrink. I'll build you harnesses that make the prebuilt look like it was rejected from the cracker-jack factory. And it's not hard, its just about keeping it clean, like these pics Tom has up.
I just finished my headlight relay harness, just have to install now. I tested it out though, works great! If I can only figure out how to wire in the system sentry to truly indicate when I have a headlamp out instead of being lit up do to the harness change.
Good thing about these cars is it is all plug and play, I can remove and go back to the original setup very easily if needed.
I think there is a solution. It's not easy, but it is possible. I'd place some really small resistor (like 0.01R) into the relay wiring harness and use an rail-to-rail OPAmp to amplify the voltage drop on this resistor. This should be enough to keep the systems sentry working properly.
If you cut the wire to the low beams under the hood, to run it to the relay, you only have the relay current running through the resistance wire. This makes the voltage drop across the resistance wire so low that the Lamp Out Module thinks a headlight is out.
You need the higher headlight current through the resistance wire.
The bottom line is; if you want the system sentry to work for the low beams, you have to do your rewiring under the dash instead of under the hood.
has anyone looked into the thermal limiter cicurit breaker in the main headlamp switch to see if "over time" is the root cause for high reistance at the output?