Gary Lewis Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Another vote for doing this. My truck was already wired with the relays when I got it and there is a noticeable difference in the light output between it and the 80. Also the pulsing at idle is a non-issue. Wired per my latest diagram, which has the low beams on with the highs? Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Wired per my latest diagram, which has the low beams on with the highs? Interesting. No, edited my post immediately but not before you got notified. They are just the typical relayed setup. Was actually discussing this with a family member earlier and since it's on the relay topic - fords4life, how are you doing the fuses? Inline Relay with built in blade fuse holder Multi relay/fuse block ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old55pete Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 No, edited my post immediately but not before you got notified. They are just the typical relayed setup. Was actually discussing this with a family member earlier and since it's on the relay topic - fords4life, how are you doing the fuses? Inline Relay with built in blade fuse holder Multi relay/fuse block ? - deleted - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 - deleted - Yes, I use the auto-reset circuit breakers. But I wouldn’t worry about the tail and marker lights. The switch can easily handle them with the headlights off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Yes, I use the auto-reset circuit breakers. But I wouldn’t worry about the tail and marker lights. The switch can easily handle them with the headlights off of it. ... and as an indication of how much it can help, when I put relays on the headlights of my son's '01 Jeep Cherokee the voltage (with the engine running) at the headlight went up to 13.6V from 10.4V! That's a 74% increase in wattage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 ... and as an indication of how much it can help, when I put relays on the headlights of my son's '01 Jeep Cherokee the voltage (with the engine running) at the headlight went up to 13.6V from 10.4V! That's a 74% increase in wattage! And given that most bulbs are rated at 14V so they don't constantly blow out that's saying a lot, given inverse square law. The output must have increased dramatically Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old55pete Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Yes, I use the auto-reset circuit breakers. But I wouldn’t worry about the tail and marker lights. The switch can easily handle them with the headlights off of it. - deleted - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 - deleted - Plug-n-play is a nice feature when it's done right! You still need to run the ground wires. I use SDST 8x1/2 hex head zip screws to the radiator support. (because that's where my negative terminal 8 Ga. auxiliary ground goes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 I have a kinda neat Hella twin relay in the bottom of one of my 12V boxes, along with the random lugs, relays, chunks of harness.... When I get back to the barn I'll have to dig it out. It is what I used to cascade my Datsun headlamps back in the day. You could wire a relay, 87A to an SCR to latch the lows, then use 87 to energize the highs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 And given that most bulbs are rated at 14V so they don't constantly blow out that's saying a lot, given inverse square law. The output must have increased dramatically The Cherokee was mostly driven by my (at the time) 17 year old son. One night I was replacing a U-joint on the Cherokee so he took my wife's Ford Escape to work. When he got home he said that he thought the Escapes headlights must have been on high beam, but once he figured out how to switch them found that they were on low. So was there anything we could do about his headlights? I drove it at night to see what they were like, and it seemed like it was just running the parking lights So yes, it was a dramatic improvement! It did burn out some headlights after that. I put new lights in it when I did the relays because the old ones were a little corroded on the terminals (which didn't help the light output either I'm sure) and both of the new bulbs burned out within a year. But both of the replacements I got when those went were still going strong about 4 years later when we traded the Cherokee in. I'm sure the higher voltage was a factor in the short life of the first set, but I think poor quality bulbs was also likely a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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