Custom headlight relay harness:


csuengr
Posts: 1290
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:24 am
Location: Sterling, CO

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by csuengr »

serehill wrote:Just for fun I bought one of the Chinese knock off to compare. There are 2 different Kinds. I made up y mind if they were compatible I would quit making these I have built over 400 of these now in more than 30 configurations. Both were inferior & without warrantee or any tech support. I'll keep on making mine because them Chinese knock offs are exactly what I expected. I'll be making mine for a while yet.
So for the ones that have asked.
The relays do not compare with mine.
The relay plugs do not compare. My wire is a size bigger & all high amperage connections are soldered.
Mine are also taped with electrical tape instead of the plastic crap that disintegrates in 6 months.
you can pull the wires right out from under the crimped light sockets & relay sockets.
the crimp lugs are not of good quality.
Their unit is fused mine have a automatic resetting breaker.
It's true you get what you pay for. getting what you don't pay for make the difference.
there's a few other differences but these are the ones that will control life & function.
Thanks to everyone that has bought on. I never was in them for the money.
In the over 400 I've built I've warrantied one & when it was returned it was clear it wasn't a defect that cause the issue. so that's pretty a good record.
I'll put mine up against any of them. Even the 125 dollar ones.
I have to disagree. I am the one who returned the harness that I traded for from Ouray. Your crimps are horrible. They look like you did them with a pair of pliers. If you crimp correctly, you don't have to solder. One of the terminals on the harness I returned had a solder blob big enough that the terminal (on a relay) would not latch and just came out of the relay housing. You also put too much heat on them when you did the soldering as the insulation was melted. One of the crimps on a fast on wasn't done properly and the wire was loose in the box. You should use split conduit instead of tape. It looks better. You should also be using sealed relays instead of the cheap ones you put on.

I designed and built wire harnesses for companies such as Roush, Edelbrock, Impco, ATS, GM, so I know what I am talking about.
1977 Cherokee S, Ford 5.0, 5 speed, BW 1356, 33 x 10.50 BFG's. No longer my DD.
2007 Mercury Milan, 2.3L, 5-speed, now my DD. 29 mpg average.

Topic author
serehill
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Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Mesquite Texas

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by serehill »

GaJeep94YJ wrote:Serehill, quick question. How flexible is the location of the relays? I have a 5.3L in mine and would like to keep all the relays together. Would I be able to move them very far? I can't tell exactly where they are in the pics, but my relay bank is near the bulk head connector on the firewall?

Also are you relay sockets the ones that snap together?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
They are totally flexible The relay harness can be located under the hood left or right side with a one wire power extension.
1980 Honcho 258 4 speed mostly stock with 4 " lift.

WIP

You know the rude dude from IFSJA


1980 Cherokee wrangled & mangled
MSD complete system
Eddy intake
Holley 650
Comp cam 270H
4" Rusty's
Ramsey 12K winch
208
Built to drive not sit in the garage.


No longer strangled. I didn't build it for anyone else.
If you can't improve it why waste your time?

Topic author
serehill
Vendor
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Mesquite Texas

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by serehill »

csuengr wrote:
serehill wrote:Just for fun I bought one of the Chinese knock off to compare. There are 2 different Kinds. I made up y mind if they were compatible I would quit making these I have built over 400 of these now in more than 30 configurations. Both were inferior & without warrantee or any tech support. I'll keep on making mine because them Chinese knock offs are exactly what I expected. I'll be making mine for a while yet.
So for the ones that have asked.
The relays do not compare with mine.
The relay plugs do not compare. My wire is a size bigger & all high amperage connections are soldered.
Mine are also taped with electrical tape instead of the plastic crap that disintegrates in 6 months.
you can pull the wires right out from under the crimped light sockets & relay sockets.
the crimp lugs are not of good quality.
Their unit is fused mine have a automatic resetting breaker.
It's true you get what you pay for. getting what you don't pay for make the difference.
there's a few other differences but these are the ones that will control life & function.
Thanks to everyone that has bought on. I never was in them for the money.
In the over 400 I've built I've warrantied one & when it was returned it was clear it wasn't a defect that cause the issue. so that's pretty a good record.
I'll put mine up against any of them. Even the 125 dollar ones.
I have to disagree. I am the one who returned the harness that I traded for from Ouray. Your crimps are horrible. They look like you did them with a pair of pliers. If you crimp correctly, you don't have to solder. One of the terminals on the harness I returned had a solder blob big enough that the terminal (on a relay) would not latch and just came out of the relay housing. You also put too much heat on them when you did the soldering as the insulation was melted. One of the crimps on a fast on wasn't done properly and the wire was loose in the box. You should use split conduit instead of tape. It looks better. You should also be using sealed relays instead of the cheap ones you put on.




I designed and built wire harnesses for companies such as Roush, Edelbrock, Impco, ATS, GM, so I know what I am talking about.
Disagree all you want about a single harness that did not leave my shop like you received it. Or let's say how I received it to be honest. I have no idea how you received it.

Update:
I talked to the guy I donated the harnesses and they were in undamaged unopened boxes when given away at the raffle. The way they are packed the relays are protected by the wire surrounding them. This is the only one I've seen damaged like this.




All Lugs I solder are solder type or brass crimp even the manufacturer says can be soldered. There are 3 crimp insulators & they are on the switch. They are crimped with a professional crimp tool as displayed in a lot of photos
That's the only place I use them.


Yeah I have to agree there was something wrong with the harness & I did not send it out the door that way. I don't know what happened to it & I would have warranted it if it were not for the letter that was sent with it. Really uncalled for attitude in the letter. Not a return phone number or even your jeep ID forum name. Interesting. Do you have any idea how the harness got in that shape? I still have the letter & the broken parts that were returned. Even the relay housings were broken!! That's why the terminals were out of them. Again this harness did not leave my shop in the condition it was returned in. The many satisfied people on this forum & IFSJA can attest to that. Except you. Not a call or a chance to correct what obviously was not my fault & I had no chance to make it right. If you've seen pictures of my harnesses you will know they are quality. The crimp you put in your mail an open crimp you call quality say is great is a joke. I'll post a picture of it. The one fault I'm telling you about is a shipment of flag terminals that were below quality & were returned as soon as we found out about them. Long before your return of this. Anybody that has had any issue can tell you when they brought it to my attention was more that taken care of.

You may have built harnesses for impressive companies but you sure don't handle communication well. You should at least give someone with a decent reputation the benefit of a doubt. You want these big name vendors to do to you what you did to me? Maybe they did. Thrashing them publicly without giving them an opportunity to correct what is I agree a piece of equipment that never left my shop that way is uncalled for. I do not believe for one minute all the harnesses you built were completely fault free.
I don't understand what happened to this one & if you are so experienced then you should know something was wrong. If you have that much experience then you've never made ANY mistakes or had something happen from the time you built something until the end user received it then you have no experience. I remember once this was the case with an electric fan you could not make function. it was nothing you did or didn't do.
Others have successfully made the fans work.

I've built well over 500 of these & knew this day would come one day. And here it is. over 500 to one & I can deal with those odds. I know what one bad apple can do. Notice I didn't respond to your terse letter for obvious reason.

Been in customer service a long time. What's your angle what was your purpose for this? This is honestly the second complaint I have heard in over 500 of these. I pride myself on that. I warranted the last one with the agreement the guy send it back 4 years ago so I could find out what happened to it. He cut it up trying to modify it. Every single one of these are tested with actual headlights. I'm not perfect & I make it right when you act right.

Since you didn't really identify yourself or send a phone number with your mail. The dots did not connect.
Thank you for manning up & identifying yourself. Now it all make perfect sense.

Some of the people some of the time
Last edited by serehill on Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:58 am, edited 15 times in total.
1980 Honcho 258 4 speed mostly stock with 4 " lift.

WIP

You know the rude dude from IFSJA


1980 Cherokee wrangled & mangled
MSD complete system
Eddy intake
Holley 650
Comp cam 270H
4" Rusty's
Ramsey 12K winch
208
Built to drive not sit in the garage.


No longer strangled. I didn't build it for anyone else.
If you can't improve it why waste your time?

Topic author
serehill
Vendor
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Mesquite Texas

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by serehill »

So jn your thread You traded for the harness. Really what was your motivation for trading for it? You can build a better harness you claim. In your mail to me why does it state you won it randomly in a raffle I donated it to? What's up with that? Did you win it in a raffle or trade for it?Yeah I donated them to a raffle. I donated 2. No problems with the second one.
I will be sending a PM Scott to find out what he saw with the donated item & what shape it was in. I can't see him raffling off a broken item. Ironic a charity item would bite me like this.

If what you say is true why would you trade for a harness when you're such a professional builder of high end harnesses?

Really great way to communicate. Do you wonder why I didn't respond. I have to agree with you I didn't want my harness on this guys jeep either.
Image

Thanks for sending the box back I shipped it in. It wasn't damaged so i know it wasn't damaged in shipping.

Here's the socket in question which I may or may have not melted there wasn't an insulated crimp melted so what was it? The rest of the harness was taken out of this broken socket put right into new sockets with no problem & sold to a guy that had no problem with it.
Just to make sure no sockets were melted but it was certainly broken somehow. Oh yeah the great Crimp.

Image
Almost looks cut doesn't it?
Image
Nothing melted here. Yeah I would rather melt the insulation than have a cold solder joint.
Image
Great crimp. It's OK for a factory cheap crimp I would never use. Great example. it can not compare to any soldered connection. I've see tons of those corrode & fail. These are what you use when you can 't solder. Did you hand crimp this one? The truth now.
Image
Last edited by serehill on Fri Oct 07, 2016 2:25 pm, edited 7 times in total.
1980 Honcho 258 4 speed mostly stock with 4 " lift.

WIP

You know the rude dude from IFSJA


1980 Cherokee wrangled & mangled
MSD complete system
Eddy intake
Holley 650
Comp cam 270H
4" Rusty's
Ramsey 12K winch
208
Built to drive not sit in the garage.


No longer strangled. I didn't build it for anyone else.
If you can't improve it why waste your time?
User avatar

az chip
Posts: 1433
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:59 pm
Location: Mesa, AZ

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by az chip »

I have one of these harnesses. I was a US Navy Aviation Electrician. I have been a aviation technician for 30 years specializing in avionics and wiring. This kit looked great to me. I got it straight from the source. You can see my loose install pictures on page 2 if this thread. Something must have happened to the harness you got csuengr. But this guy is legit, no need to treat him like this.
'81 Cherokee Chief 81 WT Chief/MSD 6/Holley Sniper/ Rusty 4" Spring lift/ Bulltear oil adapter/K&P Engineering Oil Filter/ NP 208/ Serehill Light Harness/KC LED Headlights/ Evil Twin Fab Roof Rack and sliders/ Ross mirror mounts.

GaJeep94YJ
Posts: 313
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 12:00 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by GaJeep94YJ »

Send me his broken harness for 80% off and I'll do an independent evaluation. Then I'll replace the socket and use it.



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Topic author
serehill
Vendor
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Mesquite Texas

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by serehill »

Darn It G A Jeep I already as mentioned sold it. Pm Me I'll make you a deal. Between the feedback here & IFSJA I'm good on assessments but one more is always good.


Thanks for the PM's GUYs!!! I do appreciate it & totally agree. ;)
1980 Honcho 258 4 speed mostly stock with 4 " lift.

WIP

You know the rude dude from IFSJA


1980 Cherokee wrangled & mangled
MSD complete system
Eddy intake
Holley 650
Comp cam 270H
4" Rusty's
Ramsey 12K winch
208
Built to drive not sit in the garage.


No longer strangled. I didn't build it for anyone else.
If you can't improve it why waste your time?
User avatar

tedlovesjeeps71
Posts: 2905
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:39 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by tedlovesjeeps71 »

Just read through this thread. Sorry for the headache by a forum user Serehill. Some folks are just jerks.

So the wife and I are already planning to get your tailgate harness. This headlight harness seems a good idea as well. Do you have any suggestions for H4 or HID lights we should look for to go with this? We'd love to go LED but they will be out of our budget and frankly, look weird on a classic FSJ.
Last question, since your kinda an electrical Yoda... any chance of you maybe starting a thread to discuss all the dangerous areas our FSJs have for electrical issues? I'd hate to see my wife's 91 go up in flames because there was a bad wire or poorly designed harness somewhere that could have been replaced.


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Topic author
serehill
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Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:00 pm
Location: Mesquite Texas

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by serehill »

tedlovesjeeps71 wrote:Just read through this thread. Sorry for the headache by a forum user Serehill. Some folks are just jerks. Image

So the wife and I are already planning to get your tailgate harness. This headlight harness seems a good idea as well. Do you have any suggestions for H4 or HID lights we should look for to go with this? We'd love to go LED but they will be out of our budget and frankly, look weird on a classic FSJ.
Last question, since your kinda an electrical Yoda... any chance of you maybe starting a thread to discuss all the dangerous areas our FSJs have for electrical issues? I'd hate to see my wife's 91 go up in flames because there was a bad wire or poorly designed harness somewhere that could have been replaced.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry for the delay here Been very busy. I'll send you a PNM to make contact & let's discuss Harnesses & perils. You are in liuck & can be comforted about the fact the 91 is one of the best wired FSJ's there are in my opinion. The headlight & tailgate are 2 of the 3 weakest links. #3 is fusing the choke wire on the carburetor.
1980 Honcho 258 4 speed mostly stock with 4 " lift.

WIP

You know the rude dude from IFSJA


1980 Cherokee wrangled & mangled
MSD complete system
Eddy intake
Holley 650
Comp cam 270H
4" Rusty's
Ramsey 12K winch
208
Built to drive not sit in the garage.


No longer strangled. I didn't build it for anyone else.
If you can't improve it why waste your time?
User avatar

tedlovesjeeps71
Posts: 2905
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2016 4:39 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by tedlovesjeeps71 »

serehill wrote:
tedlovesjeeps71 wrote:Just read through this thread. Sorry for the headache by a forum user Serehill. Some folks are just jerks. Image

So the wife and I are already planning to get your tailgate harness. This headlight harness seems a good idea as well. Do you have any suggestions for H4 or HID lights we should look for to go with this? We'd love to go LED but they will be out of our budget and frankly, look weird on a classic FSJ.
Last question, since your kinda an electrical Yoda... any chance of you maybe starting a thread to discuss all the dangerous areas our FSJs have for electrical issues? I'd hate to see my wife's 91 go up in flames because there was a bad wire or poorly designed harness somewhere that could have been replaced.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry for the delay here Been very busy. I'll send you a PNM to make contact & let's discuss Harnesses & perils. You are in liuck & can be comforted about the fact the 91 is one of the best wired FSJ's there are in my opinion. The headlight & tailgate are 2 of the 3 weakest links. #3 is fusing the choke wire on the carburetor.
Well some of my questions have been negated. We have fuel injection on the way which should (?) eliminate the choke wire issue. We also went with LEDs for headlights so I don't see a voltage draw being excessive. If I'm wrong, please correct me.
We will still be all over the tailgate stuff but making it work is a ways down the "to-do" list.


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Scallywag

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by Scallywag »

Serehill,
I have "sent" 2 pm to you about your harness. Not sure if it's been sent properly. I already have the H4's in my 89 GW. Would like info on your options. Thanks

rirealtor
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:09 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by rirealtor »

ditto above post to Serehill. A few questions regarding the tailgate harness. If email is easier, just let me know.
thanks!
75 Wagoneer Alpine White fresh from the Left Coast
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az chip
Posts: 1433
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:59 pm
Location: Mesa, AZ

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by az chip »

Sent PM.
'81 Cherokee Chief 81 WT Chief/MSD 6/Holley Sniper/ Rusty 4" Spring lift/ Bulltear oil adapter/K&P Engineering Oil Filter/ NP 208/ Serehill Light Harness/KC LED Headlights/ Evil Twin Fab Roof Rack and sliders/ Ross mirror mounts.

HRK123
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 6:16 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by HRK123 »

Sent you a PM! Sent you an email earlier too but it was bounced back, but hopefully the PM goes through. Thanks!

ShagWagon
Posts: 702
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by ShagWagon »

RIP RIck
87 Grand Wagoneer Rebuilt 360 by S&J, Fitech GO EFI 600, Novak in-tank fuel pump, Skyjacker Hydro 4" lift, BFG AT KO2 30", Dynamax Muffler, MSD distributor, MSD ignition, Edlebrock perf 4bbl intake, Elgin perf cam, Oil tube mod, Roller rockers, chrome molly lifters, HD alum radiator, Powermaster 150/100 alt, Alum HD water pump, Serhills tailgate harness, Cowl screen mod, Evil Twin grab handles, Rstep's custom AMC door lock knobs, all electrical works.
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nograin
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Location: Phila. Pa
Contact:

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by nograin »

For anyone interested in the details of Serehill's headlight relay kit, I've posted them up as photos here:
http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=184659
You shouldn't need to join to see the photos - they're on flckr!
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dodgerammit
Posts: 1434
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2017 11:20 pm
Location: Middle TN

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by dodgerammit »

nograin wrote:For anyone interested in the details of Serehill's headlight relay kit, I've posted them up as photos here:
http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=184659
You shouldn't need to join to see the photos - they're on flckr!
:-bd Thank you for this. I already had purchased one along with the tailgate harness, but this will help others.
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

92 Wrangler Islander 4.0/32RH/231 D30/D35 RHD

88amcsuv
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:56 pm
Location: Gadsden, Alabama

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by 88amcsuv »

I have a 1988 Grand Wagoneer. I plan on going with either Rhino or Razor grill. Basically going to the round headlamps. Do you sell a HID system or recommend a HID system to go with your wiring harness. Do you even recommend using a HEI system or do you have another preference. I don't know anything about any of the different types of systems or bulbs that are out there. I am planning on running at least four extra, bright running lights and 2 roof mounted rear bright backup lights. Do you have any light that will mount in the plate holes on the rhino grill setup to make it a four headlamp system? Also I read where there are options to your harness and don't understand what they are. Does your harness have any wiring pertaining to the dimmer switch? I am using an aftermarket column that has a floor mounted dimmer instead of the factory column mounted dimmer, also ignition switch is being relocated to the dash (just personal preferences). If you could answer these questions for me I would appreciate it. I also want the tailgate harness that operates off both the dash and tailgate switch not interested in the remote version unless you recommend going that route. Hope these harnesses are simple to install because that is what I am very simple.Thank you for supporting the FSJ's and the maniacs that love them. Could I get a total price of everything also. Thank you.
1976 AMC Gremlin V-8 ordered new, needs restoring
1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 401, turbo 400, dana 20 twin stick, dana 44's with 3:73 gears and 4 wheel disc brakes, 33x10.50Rx15LT tires on factory slots, hydro boost, 6 inch Rusty's lift (removing rear 2" blocks and put new 4" front springs can't get in too high), with new upholstery, carpet, stereo and speakers, my own version of on and off road emergency kit.
1998 Mercury Mountaineer daily driver
2006 Ford F-150, Lariat, extended cab, 5.4L, 2WD

ShagWagon
Posts: 702
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:13 pm

Re: Custom headlight relay harness:

Post by ShagWagon »

He passed away some time ago.

But yeah he could have done all that.
87 Grand Wagoneer Rebuilt 360 by S&J, Fitech GO EFI 600, Novak in-tank fuel pump, Skyjacker Hydro 4" lift, BFG AT KO2 30", Dynamax Muffler, MSD distributor, MSD ignition, Edlebrock perf 4bbl intake, Elgin perf cam, Oil tube mod, Roller rockers, chrome molly lifters, HD alum radiator, Powermaster 150/100 alt, Alum HD water pump, Serhills tailgate harness, Cowl screen mod, Evil Twin grab handles, Rstep's custom AMC door lock knobs, all electrical works.
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