Date:         Sun, 4 Jan 2004 11:16:01 EST
Reply-To:     THX0001@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: [Syncro] Headlight relay upgrade?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 1/3/04 3:10:00 PM, vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG writes:

<< The thing that you really need is to have relays AND get rid of skinny
wires.  . . .   . . .  8g wire from the battery to the relay and 12ga wire to
the lights.

David Marshall>>

Considering the short run of wires and the minor currents involved this is
surely wasted effort.  I have, arguably, one of the best portable DVM's made and
I doubt if it could reliably measure the small potential drop at full load
across even the longest conductor used in the headlight system.  Now, the
contact resistance of the switches and connector resistance are another matter.

Without the addition of a rack of 10" Baja Blaster Beams, the most bang for
the buck is achieved by eliminating the headlight switch and the dimmer switch
from the current path, i.e., install relays, then thoroughly cleaning all the
connection terminals.  The load feed to the relays can be tapped at one of the
spare "P" terminals of the fuse/relay panel.  Also, although it is overlooked
in the relay addition schemes which I have seen, the control conductors to
the relays should also be fused.  I installed lighting relays, not to improve
lighting, but to eliminate the certain-as-hell failure of the headlight switch.

All those enthusing over the effectiveness of jumbo conductors might only be
seeing the results of improving electrical connections which have never been
cleaned nor renewed during the many years that they have been exposed to the
elements.

George