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Headlight relays!.....

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Gliderman8

Gliderman8

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......Now I have them!
I ordered the parts (relays, fuse holder, relay recepticles) some months ago. Today was the day I decided to mount the components and wire it all up.
Have four fuses... one for each high-beam and one for each low-beam. Total cost for everything including two spare relays was $27.
 

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Four more fuses, two relays... that makes about 22 more places for corrosion to stymie the electron chasin' process when something goes FUBAR. :smirk: :jester:
 
DrEntropy said:
Four more fuses, two relays... that makes about 22 more places for corrosion to stymie the electron chasin' process when something goes FUBAR. :smirk: :jester:
Click to expand...
More connections certainly, but the separate circuits will surely make it simpler to locate faults. Nice job Elliot. Tom
 
A little dielectric grease on all the blade contacts will also keep away most of the corrosion.

I added relays like that to the Spitfire and the Mini. I am glad that I did. Nice bright headlights and not much current flowing behind the dash.
 
At the time I installed the relays (in both cars) I also changed to sealed beam halogens from "regular" incandescents. The headlights were definitely a lot brighter but... only part of that brightness would be attributable to the relays.
 
tdskip said:
Did you notice a difference in the lights Elliot?

Nice workmanship.
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact, I did notice that the lights were in fact brighter. The main reason I did it was to take the load off of the main switch on the dash. Really, it will be a lot easier to track down any problems (if any) the way it is now, than to have to pull the dash and replace the main switch.
Thanks for your kind words Tom.
 
Pretty Elliott, but wrong colored wires?
 
I think it is a good idea to have a relay, for the reasons you cited, Elliot.
What fuse did you use for the low beams ?
 
Ken- I used 10 amp for the low and 15 amp for the high.

Don- It must be your screen... the colors are all correct since that's the wire color I had and it never came with relays so its got to be correct.
 
Elliot:
Would that kit fit a TR6? The headlight relay kit for a TR6 from Advance Autowire is $90USD. Yours at $27.00 sounds good. Where did you get it?
Thanks,
 
Duh!! First day with my new eyes! See you have a TR6 Elliot - where did you get your kit? :0)
Thanks,
 
TR6BobNF said:
Duh!! First day with my new eyes! See you have a TR6 Elliot - where did you get your kit? :0)
Thanks,
Click to expand...

Bob-
I did NOT buy a kit.... I just bought the components and made my own and that's why it was only $27.
I got my parts from: https://www.delcity.net/
 
EDIT: OOPS, I was typing while Elliot was typing.


I'm not sure he said this was a kit. You can use the schematic on the Advance Auto Wiring web site to lay out your own panel. The relays are available at very reasonable prices on eBay. I think the last ones I bought were a set of (5) 40 Amp relays with pre-wired, locking, matching bases for about $20 delivered.

I have some of those fuse boxes. I bought mine from Waytek (wayteckwire.com). The only drawback to buying from them is they have minimum quantities. They do sell the relays and bases though so if you bought all the parts there you could still get the components (less wire) for under $27.

If you want to "match" the wiring color codes, you can always buy the Lucas color coded wires, bullet connectors, and bullet couplers from Britishwiring.com
 
All, VB sells the whole wiring and relay kit for about $30. You will need to get your own fuse box. Autozone sells a good one. Be aware that the plug in will not fit through the opening in the head light bucket, the wires need to be cut and soldier back, no wire connector here. A larger hole with a larger rubber grommet would also work.
I came off the solenoid on the 4A with the fuse box on the inter fender beside the voltage regulator. On a TR6 maybe off the starter motor or if you have easy access to the back of the amp meter, two large plugs there, never did figure why they were put there, as it's very difficult to get at for plugging in something like a radio.

Wayne
 
trrdster2000 said:
I came off the solenoid on the 4A
Click to expand...
If you do that, though, on a car with an ammeter (TR2 through early TR6), the ammeter becomes inaccurate. Basically the current drawn by the headlights will show up as charge, even if the battery is actually being discharged.

IMO, terminal A1 on the control box (for cars with a Lucas generator) is a better choice.
 
Del city doesn't do a minimum, but is a little pricier. you just have to do a comparison between them.
 
British Wiring sells everything too. Prob about $30.

Instead of using a separate fusebox, I bought fuseholders that mount to the relay sockets. Makes it a little easier/cleaner to mount.

Dont forget to supersize your headlight grounds; most guys forget to do this.
 
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