Due to my health issues, I am unable to make these anymore. I have received offers of assistance from fellow Fiero Forum members to continue building the harnesses, and for that I am thankful. I have not made a decision yet as to whether I will take them up on that offer.
In the meantime I have opted to release the wiring schematics for those of you interested in building your own.
Notes will follow the schematics, and if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer as I find time.
Relays are easy. Don't let them scare you. You can find some here. You need two. On the schematic, the green and brown wires from the vehicle wiring go to the two relays. Pin 85 and pin 86 on a relay are the coil terminals. These are what you apply power to on the relay in order to make it switch. The green and brown wires go to pin 86. Pin 85 on both relays go to ground on the vehicle chassis.
Pin 30 on the relay is the power in from the battery. Pin 87 is the terminal that is hot when the relay coil is energized by having the headlights on. When the headlights are off, the relay switches back to pin 87a. Nothing is connected to pin 87a.
Fuses are 15 Amp ATC style (prevents moisture and contamination). ATC = Closed. The plastic between the legs of the fuse is sealed, so that the fuse inside is completely enclosed.
3/16" ring terminals are used at all ground points. A 5/16" ring terminal is used at the battery end on the main power feed to the relays.
The fuses must be placed within six inches of the battery. Fuse Holders can be found at your local parts stores. Here is one from Autozone. You need two.
The diode is optional. You can pick it up at Radio Shack. They usually come in a bag with several of them. This is what you need. Edit: A minimum spec of 1A 20v or higher, though a 1N4004 or larger, or what I linked is the best solution.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 01-09-2014).]
I don't have the measurements as I used a wire jig once I manually ran wires to get length.
I'll have to dig the jig out of the garage. It is under a LOT of boxes right now.
Wire routing: Rear mount battery harnesses run from the power block next to the C500, or from the positive battery stud. They run down the firewall between the fuel lines and the firewall, behind the heat shield, and along the fuel tank above the cross brace.
In the front, it goes above the crossmember.
Front harness runs side to side behind the headlight motor assembly. Relays mount on the passenger front corner just like the radiator fan relay does on the driver's side. Grounds are located on either side next to the headlight motors. I usually run a dedicated ground screw in, rather than re-use the factory ground screw. Harness runs across, attached to the cross car brake line or the sway bar.
That is for keeping the low beams lit when the high beams are switched on... the diode allows current from the high beam circuit to flow into the low beam circuit to energize the low beam relay. Being a diode it only allows the flow in one direction. When the low beams are selected, the diode blocks the path to the high beam.
That is for keeping the low beams lit when the high beams are switched on... the diode allows current from the high beam circuit to flow into the low beam circuit to energize the low beam relay. Being a diode it only allows the flow in one direction. When the low beams are selected, the diode blocks the path to the high beam.
Mine are set up with that option. I like it.
A night and day difference between two low beams/two high beams, or all four on on high beam. Best headlights of any car I've driven when you hit those highs.
Originally posted by Synthesis: A night and day difference between two low beams/two high beams, or all four on on high beam. Best headlights of any car I've driven when you hit those highs.
I bet oncoming cars get pi$$ed off when ya don't dimm em
The diode is shown as a 1N4148 and at the bottom of the schematic it is shown rated at 2 Amps, 50 volts. The 1N4148 is rated at 300 milliamps max, so one of the specifications appears questionable.
The diode is shown as a 1N4148 and at the bottom of the schematic it is shown rated at 2 Amps, 50 volts. The 1N4148 is rated at 300 milliamps max, so one of the specifications appears questionable.
Paul McKibben Norcross, GA
All you're doing is energizing a relay solenoid... 300mA is probably enough as current draw for a relay coil on a bad day is about 150mA. But yeah... specs aren't correctly listed. His link to the part is for a 1N4001 which is 1A/50V.
[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 01-09-2014).]
All you're doing is energizing a relay solenoid... 300mA is probably enough as current draw for a relay coil on a bad day is about 150mA. But yeah... specs aren't correctly listed. His link to the part is for a 1N4001 which is 1A/50V.
Sorry guys, I can correct that. I generally use a 2A 50v diode, I linked the wrong diode. Thanks for catching that for me.
Edit: I have a box of diodes here at the office that I have used on the harnesses for the last year or so. They are 1N5402 diodes, 3A 200 Volts.
I'll link that in the OP.
Also, the smaller diodes have been running in my car and Carbon's car, as well as all of the first series that had them for the last several years without any issues at all.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 01-09-2014).]
That is for keeping the low beams lit when the high beams are switched on... the diode allows current from the high beam circuit to flow into the low beam circuit to energize the low beam relay. Being a diode it only allows the flow in one direction. When the low beams are selected, the diode blocks the path to the high beam.
Mine are set up with that option. I like it.
You probably don't care, but you should point out that this is illegal in most states. There is a reason the OEM wires it such that the low beams are switched off when the high beams are lit.
You probably don't care, but you should point out that this is illegal in most states. There is a reason the OEM wires it such that the low beams are switched off when the high beams are lit.
169.63 NUMBER OF LAMPS. (a) At all times when lighted lamps on vehicles are required in this chapter, at least two lighted headlamps shall be displayed, one on each side at the front of every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle; provided, that under adverse weather conditions two lighted auxiliary lamps, one on each side at the front of the vehicle, may be used in lieu of two lighted headlamps, except when such vehicle is parked subject to the rules governing lights on parked vehicles. (b) When a motor vehicle equipped with headlamps, as herein required, is also equipped with any auxiliary lamps, spot lamps or any other lamps on the front thereof projecting a beam of intensity greater than 300-candle power, not more than a total of four of any such lamps on the front of a vehicle shall be lighted at any one time when upon a highway. (c) The maximum beam candle power from any combination of lamps used at any time for road lighting shall not exceed that authorized by the commissioner of public safety.
Texas Transportation Code - Section 547.321. Headlamps Required (a) A motor vehicle shall be equipped with at least two headlamps. (b) At least one headlamp shall be mounted on each side of the front of the vehicle. (c) Each headlamp shall be mounted at a height from 24 to 54 inches.
316.220 Headlamps on motor vehicles.— (1) Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with at least two headlamps with at least one on each side of the front of the motor vehicle, which headlamps shall comply with the requirements and limitations set forth in this chapter, and shall show a white light. An object, material, or covering that alters the headlamp’s light color may not be placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied over a headlamp. (2) Every headlamp upon every motor vehicle shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 24 inches to be measured as set forth in s. 316.217. (3) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a non-moving violation as provided in chapter 318.
24400. (a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped with at least two headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches. (b) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be operated during darkness, or inclement weather, or both, with at least two lighted headlamps that comply with subdivision (a). (c) As used in subdivision (b), "inclement weather" is a weather condition that is either of the following: (1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet. (2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.
2. (a) Every motor vehicle except a motorcycle, driven upon a public highway during the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise or at any other time when windshield wipers are in use, as a result of rain, sleet, snow, hail or other unfavorable atmospheric condition, and at such other times as visibility for a distance of one thousand feet ahead of such motor vehicle is not clear, shall display: 1. at least two lighted head lamps on the front, one on each side, having light sources of equal power;
As a note, both the high and low beam 90mm Hella modules use a 65W H11 bulb.
(b) All other motor vehicles shall exhibit at least 2 lighted head lamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, which satisfy United States Department of Transportation requirements, showing white lights, including that emitted by high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, or lights of a yellow or amber tint, during the period from sunset to sunrise, at times when rain, snow, fog, or other atmospheric conditions require the use of windshield wipers, and at any other times when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 1000 feet. Parking lamps may be used in addition to but not in lieu of such head lamps. Every motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer shall also exhibit at least 2 lighted lamps, commonly known as tail lamps, which shall be mounted on the left rear and right rear of the vehicle so as to throw a red light visible for at least 500 feet in the reverse direction, except that a truck tractor or road tractor manufactured before January 1, 1968 and all motorcycles need be equipped with only one such tail lamp.
And my research is showing that it is, most likely, not illegal in most states...
[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 01-10-2014).]
Originally posted by Synthesis: A night and day difference between two low beams/two high beams, or all four on on high beam. Best headlights of any car I've driven when you hit those highs.
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Originally posted by Danyel: I bet oncoming cars get pi$$ed off when ya don't dimm em
The Hella 90mm low beam module does not have a high beam mode. Even while all four are lit, the low beam is still a projector and has it's cutoff shield in place and only serves to fill the near field in front of the car. Driving with all four on is akin to having your fog lights on with your low beams, it just fills in the near field in front of the car and has no additional effect to drivers further distant than having only the high beams on.
Let's not make this about more than it is...
[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 01-10-2014).]
You probably don't care, but you should point out that this is illegal in most states. There is a reason the OEM wires it such that the low beams are switched off when the high beams are lit.
To add to Carbon's post: It actually isn't illegal in most, if not all states. My 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora came from the factory with high beams that leave the low beams on. OEMs do not wire lights to have one or the other unless there is a mechanical or electrical reason to do so. The Fiero is wired that way because it used a single dual filament bulb for both high and low.
Now, you can't legally have more than four lights on the front shining forward in Minnesota (and most, if not all other states, not counting marker lamps). This is why the OEM configuration disables all forward driving/fog lights on high.
And my research is showing that it is, most likely, not illegal in most states...
You only posted excerpts from the state laws so I can't comment on whether it's illegal or not. Personally I don't care and I'm not in the mood to read 50 state statues. The laws generally don't list the infinite number of things which are illegal, but try driving down the road with lights blazing all over your car and see how long it takes to get pulled over and get a ticket.
I'm just giving you some friendly unsolicited advice that if you are advising people in an open forum to connect their lights in a way that is later found to be illegal you could be held personally liable. That's all. Good day my friend.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 01-10-2014).]
Okay forget state law...it's illegal at the federal level.
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Subpart B - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
§571.108 Standard No. 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Lower Beam Headlamps White, of a headlighting system listed in Table II On the front, at the same height, symmetrically about the vertical centerline, as far apart as practicable Not less than 22 inches (55.9 cm) nor more than 54 inches (137.2 cm)
The wiring harness or connector assembly of each headlighting system must be designed so that only those light sources intended for meeting lower beam photometrics are energized when the beam selector switch is in the lower beam position, and that only those light sources intended for meeting upper beam photometrics are energized when the beam selector switch is in the upper beam position, except for certain systems listed in Table II.Steady burning, except that may be flashed for signaling purposes.
In case you are wondering there are exceptions for some 4 lamp systems when the combination of 4 lights is required to meet the illumination standards.
This is all academic anyway because retrofit headlight systems are not legal in the first place.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 01-10-2014).]
I'm just giving you some friendly unsolicited advice that if you are advising people in an open forum to connect their lights in a way that is later found to be illegal you could be held personally liable. That's all. Good day my friend.
My Mazda has full time low xenon headlamps, factory.... For 6 months, I drove a 2005 Denali that was the same (only halogen instead), factory.... Several family member's cars are the same, all stock.... Just about every late model BMW....
Bottom line, check with local regs first.
Running an OEM-style headlight setup won't attract attention anyway - it's the dickheads that run four sets of KC off road HIDs in town that need a solid beating.
[This message has been edited by skuzzbomer (edited 01-10-2014).]
My final point is that retrofitting headlights violates federal laws and is not legal in any state. If you happen to live in a state with no inspections then you are probably okay. If you live in a state where they inspect headlights, and you run into a di*khead he might not pass you with a quad setup that is not factory.
I have enough issues with being harassed and we have state inspections so I'm not willing to retrofit quads, but anyone else go for it.
couldn't you remove the diode before inspection,and then replace it if you like... Anyway , thanks for the info and now I can make a well informed decision on my lighting choice.
I find the whole legality comments highly amusing. I have talked to many policeman about headlight issues. Rarely and only on the state trooper level have any of them even known about DOT 108. The really nice thing about Hella projectors is that they are clearly marked on the front with their DOT standard compliance.
I have a practical solution that keeps everybody happy. Go ahead and install the diode jumper between high and low beam "signal" wires. Install FULLY INSULATED DISCONNECTS 16-14 (Or you could always install a toggle switch instead.) This way you can disable the "full time low" function of your harness. This is really handy when you aim you lights. If your state requires headlight headlight aiming, you can disable FTL prior to inspection. It will be a non issue.
Let's get back to reality here. I have sold a lot of quad Hella set-ups in North America and F1F even more. Not one of my customers has EVER had legal issues with FTL. Should they ever, I will resolve it for them.
Originally posted by Danyel: The option both headlight on (high & low) presently not available on the harness due to some states it is illegal.
This concurrent illumination of all four fixtures when you bright up, I refer to as FTL (Full Time Low). I think the above thread pretty clearly states my opinion. I suggest you install the diode jumper, but disable it with the FULLY INSULATED DISCONNECTS. You really want to do this anyway to more precisely aim your brights.
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Originally posted by Danyel: As for rear battery: all is needed is to bring the power source up front via a 16 gauge wire. I am presently in the works to get the measurements needed for a rear battery harness. If anyone here is aware of the distance please and route to follow ...PM me .... Regards Danyel
I mount the relays as low and forward as possible, on the outboard wall, in the passenger side headlight well. I run the feeders down under the coolant tank, then along side the passenger side heater tube. I feed it up and over the tank cross-members. Up the firewall and around the back side of the battery. I land them on a fuse block mounted on the strut tower and then run a short jumper to the battery. The feeders are a pair of 13' 6" (4.1M) #12 . The jumpers are sized the same and are 14" (35cm) long. This is way overkill. I like the fuse block because it allows for later expansion. A good inline fuse-holder will work great here. I independently fuse and feed the relays so you will never lose all your lights at speed. H9 bulbs 65watts X2 = 130watts 130watts /12v = almost 11 amps champcable.com Allowable_Conductor_Ampacity.pdf Second table "not more then three conductors in a raceway." It's a long run (in a car), a pair of #14 are fine.
I usually use a 20A fuse the #12. 15A also is plenty of protection. Once I only had 15A fuses to fire up a pair of 35watt Hella Bi-Xenon 90mm Hi-Lo Headlamp. Poof, had to use a 20A. The HID ballasts drew enough inrush current upon striking to pop the smaller fuse.
Incidentally, all the race wiring I have been doing lately, I forgo relays entirely. Toggles on the dash, big wire. Simplicity = Reliability
Thanks for the info on the Diode, as I wanted to have my low beams remain on when I engage the high beams. This is the way my 1998 Jaguar was from the factory (4 individual headlights, 2x high 2x low). When I was on country roads, and hit the high beams, you could see EVERYTHING both near and far.
Danyel, As for "I bet oncoming cars get pi$$ed off when ya don't dim em ". Not sure how you Canadians do things, but down here in the U.S. in NO situation should you have your high beams on when close to oncoming traffic, no matter how your headlights are wired, altered or designed from the factory.
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 08-03-2014).]
Previously posted on PFF: Here is how you can keep the low beams illuminated, without any diode at all. You could insert an SPST switch in series with the jumper to allow you to easily turn this feature on and off:
Inspection or not... Cops can stop you iffy dead or illegal lighting on a vehicle. Local, another town county or state. Many cops looks for easy tickets w/ out of state tags. You take your chances when you drive illegal lighting.
Yes, I have had friend/family stop by cops for lighting issues.
Quad Headlight argument aside...
Using Relays even for H6054 can be a good plan and I've covers this in my Cave, Headlights, because: Old wiring and switches adds more resistance. This can dim the bulbs and heat up the switches. Warm/Hot HL switch or dimmer means problem. Many now use 55/65 watt bulbs like SilverStar etc. Added amps drawn just make any problems worse faster.
Relays can bypass most problems.
In top post this statement is not quite right. "Fuses are 15 Amp ATC style (prevents moisture and contamination). ATC = Closed. The plastic between the legs of the fuse is sealed, so that the fuse inside is completely enclosed." "ATC = Closed"? No. ATM, ATO/ATC, MAX, ATR, etc, are just standard names. ATO (Littelfuse) aka ATC (Bussmann and other Brands) and Mini and Maxi sizes can corrode etc in used in wet areas. Is why "they" sell weather resistance fuse holders. Example: Littelfuse Fuseholders.pdf
Check holder ratings! Many are rated 20a max w/ 14ga leads.
15a is a bit too low using 55 watts and higher... 65w draws ~11a for two lamps. A 15 amp fuse could have nuisance blowing.
"In the meantime I have opted to release the wiring schematics for those of you interested in building your own." You can find directions for using added relays by using Google etc. A good one is Upgrading Headlights For Your Third-Generation F-Body posted Mar 31 2006 GM Ford and others have long history of poor wiring for Headlights and other parts.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
but you may be right...
