yea that diagram is pretty much like mine without high beam, so you have one relay per beam then, and if you add high beam you will need another 2 relays? this is what i was thinking , using 4 relays and i was thinking a bit overkill perhaps?
it is overkill, but why not lol. yes i have one relay per side, the guide i used at the time did it this way. at least this way the relays will not be under much stress and the bulbs are getting maximum current to them, although to be honest your loom is probably fine. might be woth changing the relays?
yea never thought of that,got plenty to go on now, i think ill make a new uprate with the relay 53's i have , see how this compares to the uprate i already have here. I really do think this could? be an earth issue as the side lights and front fogs are just as dim and im not sure if im just getting way too into this and overthinking (as i normally do) im sure the rear lights have lost a little power too, so going to address all the earths as a rule thanks for your advice mate, and everyone else
no worries, check the main earths. battery to chassis and might be worth checking the main feeds to the fusebox aswell if the rest of the lights are getting dim.
While making uprated looms is fine. You must remember here that the main objective is to avoid the headlight load (amps) going through the switch and avoiding the rather large voltage drop as the current is flowing here there and everywhere. The main reason I don't like the uprated looms apart from wires everywhere is your placing the relays in the engine bay in what can be a very harsh wet environment. Whist I agree on people's theory on having them as close to the lights as possible there is no real need. Also modern thinwall automotive cable is very capable and 3.5mm is a massive overkill and no need but will do no harm. Like I say placing them no53 in top of fuse box and feeding into the original loom is more than adieu are with certainly no voltage drop. If anything I would cut your headlight earths and feed them directly to a good earth point. And buy new headlights and proper bulbs. 100 w bulbs will just draw more current and compound the problem even further by dragging 10amps through very old switches !!!! Not really something I would recommend.
not a bad idea running 4 relays ....thats what i do with 2 seperate feeds and in a sealed box hidden under the grille i used a male h4 plug so if it all melts down i can revert to standard on the roadside
In fact 100w bulbs would be about 8 amps each. That 16amps if going through your switches is a mighty load to be honest for old wiring technology. That's on ce1. Does ce2 have lighting relays?
he says he's got a loom on it ...possibly not suitable though , but all the switch should be doing is triggering the relays
I agree, as long as there is a relay that is capable in the circuit, it will take the load away from the switch, that is the main objective, and to give the lights a better supply, doesnt have to be in the engine bay. also, the phillips bulbs are plus 100% light, but still 55W as this is the legal limit for road H4 bulbs.
Yes I think my bulbs were over 20 but you only get what you are willing to pay for and with all the other bits and new lamps the light output is very very impressive. And I've only got the headlights no spots. 100w bulbs is just asking for more problems.
i do actually like the idea of the relays in the car rather than out side under the bonnet so might see about doing this and i definitely agree on renewing the earth wires , that was one of my plans aswel as checking and cleaning other earths up and ill more than likely buy some new bulbs @ 55w, if 100's are elegal got plenty of options and advice here, i do think i need new units however ,looking at them closely and they are not very shiny/chrome inside, there abit matt if that makes sense but i am going to try improve it before i get the now ones as cash as always is tight at the mo and i bet new units will be expensive (jetta ones) but to go back to OEM rounds id have to get slam panel and grill etc
Go to scrappy and get the relays and holders from top of vag cars for nowt. There on loads like mk3s audis. Loads. If your not able to repin the holders with female spades and the fuse holders at power timer terminals just take a good length of wire of them.
got the relays, its the price of the lights im sweating over lol and im going to get 2 x H4 sockets of ebay for under 3 and they have a few inches of wire on them so i can cut OEM loom back a bit, also splice in an additional earth on the socket to run to battery or a very good earth
try to run fresh wire rather than relaying into the factory wiring, it was good wire back when new but now its going to be pretty corroded thanks to the plugs and pins not being sealed from the elements. my idea is to repurpose a MK4 golf ECU/SAI relay box when I eventually get round to relaying my headlights, has 3 relay and 3 fuse sockets and fully waterproof I have a modified MK3 golf lighting loom in there now complete with the round plug to disconnect the slam panel wiring so its all nicely waterproofed plus the wire routes are slightly shorter for the passenger headlight. the h4 plugs still not waterproof unfortunately, but was thinking of putting a bit of bathroom sealant into the back of the sockets to seal them as much as possible. Ideally I want to find some way of fully sealing them, ideally with new covers for the back utilising junior timer plugs like MK3+ lights do the above alone has really improved the lighting output as I assume my old mk2 bay wiring was a bit corroded
well bit of an update , not had much chance to sort this yet but what i have done is put new 55w bulbs in and uprated loom which wires direct to battery and picks the main and dip beam off the OEM plug where there is a good 12v pos, for now that will have to do before i can really get stuck into this , however on a good not its improved the lighting enough for me not to be so concerned for now, much better
found some decent light units in the loft which is a bonus, forgot i had these. anyhow fit these tonight and what a difference ,along with the uprated loom they're nice n bright again... so chuffed. just need to sort the aim out now nsf is a little high and osf is very low and way left but once ive sorted this it will be brilliant
Sorry to revive this thread. I have the same problem, bulbs are getting only 12.7v, alternator has 14.4 drops to 14.2 on the battery with mk3 wire. Ground on the bulb looses 0.3v and the big problem positive has over 1v drop. All this ads up. The only fix is to fit relays for headlight bulbs?
Fitting relays for the headlight bulbs may not be the only way, but it is the best way! Rewire straight from the battery, make new earths for the bulbs and use the existing dipped and main beam cables at the headlights to operate the relay coils. Use hefty cable from battery to relay to (preferable) new 3 pin plugs for the headlights. Plastic plugs might melt a bit, but ceramic plugs will not. Oh, and a fuse near the battery on each power lead.
