Date:         Fri, 27 Sep 2002 22:09:05 -0700
Reply-To:     Damon Campbell <damoncampbellvw@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Damon Campbell <damoncampbellvw@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Full-on headlight upgrade (nothing left untouched!) (almost)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I also installed the headlight relay kit and a set of E-code headlights.  As everyone else says, the relay kit makes a HUGE difference, but the E-codes are also absolutely wonderful.  Gone are the days of a vague, diffuse yellow beam pattern.  Here are the days of a bright white beam pattern that floods wide and has a sharp cutoff that won’t blind oncoming drivers (my westy’s lights are now quite similar to my parent’s audis’ lights – both a 90 and an A4… quite nice!)


I ran 10g wires straight from the alternator where it has a wire that terminates in the box to the left of the engine compartment where a bunch of plugs are housed.  I placed the fuses for the lights here.  I then ran the length of the van underneath (along with my new tach wire) using flex split conduit tubing up through the radiator area and through a now slightly pregnant grommet.



The only thing I did different than anything I read in the archives (I think) is that I completely replaced all the headlight wires as well, using the old headlight wires as the control input to the relays.  My only real purpose of doing this was to run beefy wires (12g low, 10g high) to the headlights and to have a fuse on the control side of the relay as well as the power side.



Overall, it works great, and I am very happy with how clean it turned out, even if the way I did it was a bit of work.  I even rewired the parking lights to only be in the new city-light cibie e-codes I purchased from Daniel Stern lighting (good guy, highly recommended).  However, it is weird to not have those lower corners lit… I might have to play with the wiring a bit more to get exactly what I want.

Couple questions though:

1) is setting up your parking lights so they turn off with the ignition as simple as jumpering the black/yellow wires to the other headlight power wire, getting rid of the old one?

2) how can i set up my old parking lights so they are on when the lights are on, but the flashers blink "bright-off-bright-off" instead of "bright-dim-bright-dim"?

Thanks, and my van is safer and more fun to drive because of this list.



-Damon


'84 Westy


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