Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 06:31:28 EDT
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: High Power Headlight Kit (SA): melting connector
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 08/06/2009 12:19:44 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
Yes, this does occur now and then. It's not consistent but it
does happen. The problem is the connector and bulb base for those 9004 bulbs
have a much too small contact surface area to transmit the high amperage
and if these connections are not near perfect they will overheat and melt the
connector. I have in all instances of this problem installed 9004
replacement sockets from NAPA and using Dielectric grease on the contacts have had
no further problems. The better but way more expensive solution is to go
to H4 lights as the bulbs and sockets have much larger contact surfaces.
>>>>>>I=A0the SA Grille with high pwer headlight kit installed in my '87
Westy [S=
A Grille, relays, lots of additional wiring & 80/100W bulbs (outer lights)
=
& 100W bulbs (inners) (done approximately 2 years ago). I used the high
pow=
er headlight kit from 'a well known=A0on-line vendor'.=0AWhilst checking
fu=
ses today, I found that one of the relay connector blocks (high beam
relay)=
had melted pretty badly and the wires were very discoloured. Running the h=
igh beams, the wires and connector block got very hot (& it was only 70F
to=
day) within a few minutes use. Just as well that I haven't used high beams
=
all that much since I did the install!!=0AApparently 400W of light (34A)
is=
too much for these connectors.=A0 I also found that the wires leading into=
the inner high beam units also showed signs of too much heat (these wires =
are just a few inches long, after that I had installed major wiring back
to=
the relays). I have put the original 55W bulbs into the inner high beam un=
its, reducing the total load to 310W (26A) at which point wire & connector
=
temperatures seem more reasonable (yet still quite warm).=0AI followed all
=
the vendor instructions exactly, but it seems to me that perhaps 400W is
ov=
er-rating=A0the kit (of course, I do like the major improvement in
lighting=
).=0A=0AHas anyone else seen problems like this??=0A=0AThanks,=0A=0AMike,=
=0A87 Westy=0A=0A=0A=0A<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://frankcondelli.com/busindex.html) -
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
(http://frankcondelli.com/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://www.busfusion.com/) a VW Camper camping event,
Almonte, ON, June 11 ~ 14, 2009
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