Headlight Upgrade Capability?

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Fast79Chief
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Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

Thanks.
Last edited by Fast79Chief on Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)
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dodgerammit
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by dodgerammit »

The biggest limitation of any upgrade is factory wiring.

I run stock sealed beams with a relay harness. No issues with visibility.

The important thing is getting full power to lights.

Stock wiring with upgraded lights is still going to be sub par performance compared to what you'll see with upgraded wiring.

Many conversion kits are plug and play. You unplug your factory harness from headlights, plug the new harness into one of the factory headlight connectors, mount relays near battery, hook up 12v and ground, plug your lights into new harness. Done
84 Grand Waggy-Radio Flyer (Garnet Red/3M Ebony Metallic woodgrain, with honey interior) AMC 360 :cry: 2004 4.8LS/Advance Adapter/727/242 D44/AMC20 Serehill tailgate and headlight harnesses :fsj: Ongoing thread-viewtopic.php?t=11897

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tgreese
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by tgreese »

I put the Autopal H4 reflectors and bulbs in my J20, but I installed relays. This takes the load off the factory headlight and high beam switch, and removes most of the factory wire from the headlight circuit. This also makes the lights noticeably brighter than with the switches and long factory wire path in the circuit.
Tim Reese
Maine beekeeper's truck: '77 J10 LWB, 258/T15/D20/3.54 bone stock, low options (delete radio), PS/PDB, hubcaps.
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1979bettywhite
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by 1979bettywhite »

I went the LED route with mine. You can get some rectangular buckets that have a location for you to add your own bulb (instead of a sealed light). You can then get some H4 LED bulbs. They will come with a pigtail plug that will plug right into your stock wiring. There are literally hundreds to choose from.

Much less power draw and plenty of light. Been happy with mine so far.

But relays for your sealed beams would be the other route to take. Many posts here about that method.
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Fast79Chief
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

Thanks.
Last edited by Fast79Chief on Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)
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Cecil14
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Cecil14 »

There was a member that made a plug and play harness, but he's passed away now.

The harness is not complicated to make: use the wires from one of your current headlight plugs to trigger two relays, one high beam and one low. Feed each relay with a ~10-12ga wire from the battery. From the relays, run the new feeds to your headlights.

edit: looks like Z&M makes a plug and play harness: http://stores.zmjeeps.com/headlight-har ... onversion/

Bit pricey for my blood, though. Making that short harness is not difficult, nor are the parts expensive.


aa
1983 J-10 - 4.6L(MPFI)/CS130D/Hydroboost/NV3550/D300/44/44/3.54/Disc-Disc/32s/42 gallon 'burb tank
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Fast79Chief
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

I
Last edited by Fast79Chief on Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)
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tgreese
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by tgreese »

Sorry, I just bought the parts and spliced them in.
Tim Reese
Maine beekeeper's truck: '77 J10 LWB, 258/T15/D20/3.54 bone stock, low options (delete radio), PS/PDB, hubcaps.
Browless and proud: '82 J20 360/T18/NP208/3.73, Destination A/Ts, 7600 GVWR
Copper Polly: '75 CJ-6, 304/T15, PS, BFG KM2s, soft top
GTI without the badges: '95 VW Golf Sport 2000cc 2D
Dual Everything: '15 Chryco Jeep Cherokee KL Trailhawk, ECO Green
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letank
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by letank »

Fast79Chief wrote:I agree ... that is a lot of money for that harness. I think I paid 39.95 for my Chevy K20 upgraded harness from LMC truck about 8 years ago.
I looked at LMC, it is $200 in 2018...
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Rory
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Rory »

I just recently installed a 30 amp relay on my low beams and upgraded to Sylvania Xtravision halogen sealed beams. HUGE difference in visibility and gained 1.4v at the headlights. Bulbs were $15 and I had gotten a six pack of relays a while back for about $10 on Amazon. Wiring isn't difficult, Google a diagram and you'll see. Next week I'm doing the high beams, should never melt a headlight switch again.
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Fast79Chief
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

Cool. I think I found a solution for a complete affordable USA made harness that will work for our vehicles. I'm going to test it out before I endorse it. Let you guys know as soon as I get it in.
Thanks for the info.
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)

rocklaurence
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by rocklaurence »

I baught a harness on Ebay with ceramic plugs and an in-line fuse with two relays. I did have to modify it to work with the FSJ but works fine and allows H4 balbs

1979bettywhite
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by 1979bettywhite »

I agree, a simple relay harness is pretty inexpensive an easy to make. As long as you understand how relays work, you can install it no problem. But as I said before, if you don't want to go that route, just get new rectangular buckets that you can add your own H4 light to and get an H4 LED bulb. Plug into the existing headlight plug and into the headlight bucket and you are good to go. No more than a 20 minute job.

The other advantage of the LED is the difference in power draw. They will operate more efficiently on the standard wiring and produce pretty much their full output due to the lower power draw/needs. They also emanate a much whiter color than a standard sealed beam. You will have a much yellower broadcast with the traditional style bulb. Adding the proper voltage through relays will brighten it up, but it will still be a yellow color. I can say that experiencing more of the white color that the LEDs produce helps me to see things much better at night. It's like taking your old mag light that runs on C or D batteries and putting it up against a newer LED flashlight using lithium batteries.

Take a look at this thread from a while back regarding the headlight upgrades that both Merrill and I did:

http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtop ... 10&t=14299
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Fast79Chief
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

Thanks bettywhite ... good stuff!
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)
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Cecil14
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Cecil14 »

Looks like there are a few more people over at IFSJA starting to make harnesses now:

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=186308


aa
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candymancan
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by candymancan »

My fix for low voltage and dim headlights was to just up my idle lol.. Went from like 550 to 700 idle in gear.. Doing that the alternator doesnt struggle to put out power when everything like headlights fog lights and the blower motor is on.

Prior my voltage would drop to near redline at in gear idle with all that on.. and a sligjt bump in idle on the gas pedal fixed it.. so i just manually adjusted my idle on the carb.

I also got sylvanias best headlights as well the gold or whatever they are.. They claim to only last 1 year.. but its been 2 for me so far. I also got new fog lights.. someone stripped my stock ones so i ordered some chromed fog lights just regular rectangle ines that use standard fog light bulbs. They are nearly as bright as my headlights lol.

I pointed em up a tad higher on the road a d aimed my headlights slightly higher as well.

Only downside is idle in park is kinda high at like 1100.


Here isa pic of what the lights look like.

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1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
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1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)
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Cecil14
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Cecil14 »

candymancan wrote:My fix for low voltage and dim headlights was to just up my idle lol.. Went from like 550 to 700 idle in gear.. Doing that the alternator doesnt struggle to put out power when everything like headlights fog lights and the blower motor is on.

Prior my voltage would drop to near redline at in gear idle with all that on.. and a sligjt bump in idle on the gas pedal fixed it.. so i just manually adjusted my idle on the carb.

I also got sylvanias best headlights as well the gold or whatever they are.. They claim to only last 1 year.. but its been 2 for me so far. I also got new fog lights.. someone stripped my stock ones so i ordered some chromed fog lights just regular rectangle ines that use standard fog light bulbs. They are nearly as bright as my headlights lol.

I pointed em up a tad higher on the road a d aimed my headlights slightly higher as well.

Only downside is idle in park is kinda high at like 1100.


Here isa pic of what the lights look like.
You didn't actually fix any problems, you're just burning more fuel. Take a meter out there, and I'll bet you're still getting low voltage at the headlights. The alternator only puts out so much voltage, it's not going to fix a giant resistor (super long headlight circuit). Most people aren't complaining about low headlight voltage and visibility at idle, the problem is when driving down the road, likely at ~2k rpm or more.


aa
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lkmarsh
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by lkmarsh »

When I swapped out the old T3s for halogens the dimmer switch on the floor burnt my foot and melted the carpet grommet. The light switch connector was also melted. Replaced everything and added the relays, then swapped in H4s with no problems. LEDs were crazy expensive then. Using relays to limit under dash current loads is cheap insurance against dash fires. BTDT, once is enough.
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Fast79Chief
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by Fast79Chief »

I installed an aftermarket headlight harness yesterday. 2 relays, fused power wire, ceramic plugs, and true 14 gauge wire throughout. USA made too. Will let you know tonight the difference it makes.
1979 Cherokee Chief S, V8, MSD Pro Billet Distributor with New Factory Ignition Box (are these 2 even supposed to work together?), HEI Wires, Edelbrock 1406, Edelbrock Performer manifold, 3.54 gears, Tru-Trac Locker in the rear, Turbo 400, New Quadratrac, Dual gas tanks, new 32 x 11.50's, Big 9000 winch, Homemade 2.5" full length exhaust, Custom Headlight Harness, Custom front bumper working, Custom Rear Swing-out Bumper, Class V receiver hitch ... and a lot of work to do yet. :)

candymancan
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Re: Headlight Upgrade Capability?

Post by candymancan »

Cecil14 wrote:
candymancan wrote:My fix for low voltage and dim headlights was to just up my idle lol.. Went from like 550 to 700 idle in gear.. Doing that the alternator doesnt struggle to put out power when everything like headlights fog lights and the blower motor is on.

Prior my voltage would drop to near redline at in gear idle with all that on.. and a sligjt bump in idle on the gas pedal fixed it.. so i just manually adjusted my idle on the carb.

I also got sylvanias best headlights as well the gold or whatever they are.. They claim to only last 1 year.. but its been 2 for me so far. I also got new fog lights.. someone stripped my stock ones so i ordered some chromed fog lights just regular rectangle ines that use standard fog light bulbs. They are nearly as bright as my headlights lol.

I pointed em up a tad higher on the road a d aimed my headlights slightly higher as well.

Only downside is idle in park is kinda high at like 1100.


Here isa pic of what the lights look like.
You didn't actually fix any problems, you're just burning more fuel. Take a meter out there, and I'll bet you're still getting low voltage at the headlights. The alternator only puts out so much voltage, it's not going to fix a giant resistor (super long headlight circuit). Most people aren't complaining about low headlight voltage and visibility at idle, the problem is when driving down the road, likely at ~2k rpm or more.


aa

well i dont have that problem then. My issue were dim lights at idle.. My headlights are brighter then most cars on the road i noticed look at my pic.. If you complain about that brightness then i dunno what to say. So whatever. My wagoneers headlights are brighter then my 98 ZJ and dont tell me the ZJ has no relays because it does lol.. Im using sylvania basic bulbs in the ZJ and new non cloudy housings vs the gold sylvanias in my wagoneer

Garuntee most of the ppl complaining are using 10-20+ year old headlamps.. My originals that were on the jeep when i got it 3 years ago turned on.. But they were so yellow and dim my mom who was with me when driving at night said to turn my headlights on.. i was like they are on.. lol

So i got the brightest lights sylvania make.. and it was amazing how much brighter they were. Old light bulbs loose their brightness over time and i bet if ppl just replaced em like i did they would be quite surprised.

But sure ill take my headlight out and use a volt meter with someone on the gas at 2k rpm to see whst the voltage is at on the plug and post back with a picture to see if my voltage is low at those rpms..

Any incandescent or halogen bulb looses brightness over the years.. Hell my christmas lights this year the whites i had to replace due to them being yellow and dimmer over a nee set of standard incandescent lights.. my tree looked silly with it being half white and half yellow.

Im not doubting the relays work.. but i do doubt ppl actually replaced their decades old headlights first.. And dont tell me they do because most people assume it turns on so it works fine lol.. And doing this relay harness fix may make em brightee but you still should get new headlights vs using old ass worn out incandescent/halogen bulbs.

I still have my old headlights in storage.. think ill install em and do a before picture to show you what im talking about..

put a new brake light in and see how much brighter one side will be to the old one LOL.. I had to replace all the tailight lamps because new vs old looked silly.. Same with my intrument lights on my ZJ.. one burned out.. got an identical replacement.. Now half my cluster is brighter..

Again im not doubting 13-14v is brighter then 12 or 11v but the relays are only half the problem here.. Why do this fix and say wow so much brighter... Then keep your old ass lights installed.. Get a new set of headlights as well please


edit: Here i checked the voltage going directly to the plug its 13.24v at idle in park.. Not 2k rpm. My battery terminal reads 14v So .76v drop.. But 13.24v isnt low voltage by any means.. Hell ill probly do this relay thing eventually.. but for now Replace your old lamps plz..


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1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)
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