My low beams are crap, I have no idea how old they are. I do not want to go the H1/H4 Hella upgrade at this time. Can these 5006 headlamps dim with age or are they "all or none"?
Headlight question
- Thread starter bavbob
- Start date
Increased resistance in the old wires will dim the bulbs, that's why the low beam relay upgrade is so great, it delivers full power to the bulbs and is safer because it's fused and all that amperage no longer has to go up through the steering stalk to the switch and back to the lights.
I saw Stern's write-up on that. Where did you place the relays, behind each light housing? I am also going to check the voltage to each light and see what kind of drop I have.
Bob, I also upgraded recently to a Bosch 80 amp alternator that bolted right in from a 5-series. If interested I can get part #. Not too hard of a job. Replaced belts while we were at it. I have H4's but if your wires are still good, that might help but I'm not totally sure, electrical is not my forte. Steve's probably right and if that is the case probably not good idea to upgrade amps on alternator, but if your wires are fine, then not a bad idea. I have 4 H4's but if you just replace your two low beam to H4 probably cheaper than replacing alternator. Just another idea is all.
Relay isn't critical but it definitely gets all the juice from your system to the lights without going into light switch, dip switch, etc.
jmackro
Well-Known Member
Locating the low beam relay with the horn and high beam relays is the simple way to go. Only issue is that you need a BMW relay socket that will snap into the rectangular-shaped cut-out in that piece of sheetmetal behind the battery.
Be sure to do that with the headlights connected. If you just unplug the 3-prong connector to the bulb and measure the voltage there, you will certainly get 12v. The question is how much the voltage drops when the current has to pass through the resistance on the old wires/connectors/switches before reaching the bulbs.
Another cause for dim headlights is poor grounds. Be sure the ground wires from the 3-prong connectors to the bulbs make a solid connections to the body.
GolfBavaria said:
I doubt an 80 amp alternator will make your headlights brighter. That "80 amp" rating just gives the maximum capacity of the alternator - most likely, your coupe is consuming much less than that. The issue for brightness is delivering 12 volts-plus to the headlights - not how many amps the alternator can put out before it begins smoking.
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Mo Brighta
Well-Known Member
Lighting issues ... yeah, it's complicated
Even Sylvania and other branded 'Halogen' sealed beam lights aren't that good, since the reflector and lens are designed to be thrown out when the filament fails. How much design effort and manufacturing precision do you think they put into them? CLOSE TO NONE.
You have gotten some good advice above- Stern is a really knowledgeable guy.
Relays help keep the voltage high at the consumer they feed. Technically, it isn't that the wires cause a voltage drop, it's usually the connectors, especially the ground wire. It usually carries current from all the lights, while each light gets it's very own power lead. And BMW grounds are notorious for loosening, and raising hell with the electrics.
Here are the relay basics (four pin relay).
85 goes to ground.
86 gets power from the low beam circuit.
87 goes to the headlights - big wires, new connectors.
30 gets power from the battery - fused at 10 amps min., 15-20 better.
I have all the new connectors you will need for this, if you want help send me an email or PM.
Andy.
I think we all agree, sealed beams are crap!
They are sealed beams, they're crap no matter how old...
Any reason, like cost? You can get inexpensive halos that are WAY better than a 5006... and they plug straight in, nothing complicated.
Yes, definitely! The reasons are somewhat complex, but to simplify- the tungsten molecules 'leak ' from the filament over time, and settle on the inside of the glass, and this can darken them by 30% or more.
Not really, even if the filament hasn't failed (gone dark), they still "Work" - meaning to some they still consume power and make lumens, but light output drops steadily over time. And since they are sealed beams, there wasn't much light output to begin with. If you consider 'Working' to mean "Light up the road ahead evenly, brightly, and don't glare in other drivers' eyes", then we agree that you'll need better lights for them to work.
Even Sylvania and other branded 'Halogen' sealed beam lights aren't that good, since the reflector and lens are designed to be thrown out when the filament fails. How much design effort and manufacturing precision do you think they put into them? CLOSE TO NONE.
You have gotten some good advice above- Stern is a really knowledgeable guy.
Relays help keep the voltage high at the consumer they feed. Technically, it isn't that the wires cause a voltage drop, it's usually the connectors, especially the ground wire. It usually carries current from all the lights, while each light gets it's very own power lead. And BMW grounds are notorious for loosening, and raising hell with the electrics.
Here are the relay basics (four pin relay).
85 goes to ground.
86 gets power from the low beam circuit.
87 goes to the headlights - big wires, new connectors.
30 gets power from the battery - fused at 10 amps min., 15-20 better.
I have all the new connectors you will need for this, if you want help send me an email or PM.
Andy.
Andy thanks. I think based on you and others, I will do the upgrade. I think
I will do the classicgarage package of all 4 lights. I did this on my 635 and was quite pleased. I hesitated because I drive the car only local and on roads I am familiar with.
I will do the classicgarage package of all 4 lights. I did this on my 635 and was quite pleased. I hesitated because I drive the car only local and on roads I am familiar with.
This type of relay socket will fit between the existing sheetmetal prongs in the engine compartment by cutting off the securing tab and modifying/removing the sliding ridges on one side of it. Fits tight and nice. may be available elsewhere but I purchased it here: http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/179/category/37
Take a look at what Susquehana Motor Sports has to offer.. I bought my Hella H1’ and H4s there reasonably. I rewired my car so both low beams and hi beams are on their own circuits. Relays, provided by them will fit on the fuse box, at least on my early E24. My car is wired so that when the hi beams go on, all 6 filaments are lit. They also provide a schematic if one chooses to go that route.
They are Hella distributors and have all kinds of product to offer at reasonable prices
They are Hella distributors and have all kinds of product to offer at reasonable prices
Mo Brighta
Well-Known Member
Headlight Full Monty
Hey Bert-
Thanks for the endorsement on that other forum.
Good job rewiring the lights for 'All On' - the only thing we are warned about is the simultaneous operation of both filaments in the H4 lamp, your low beam + high beam operation.
It is said this will cause early failure of the lamp... Are you keeping track of the installation date so you can make that determination without guessing? I for one would be interested in knowing how long 'early failure' means.
Those guys are great over at Susquehanna. I love them!
Hey Bert-
Thanks for the endorsement on that other forum.
Good job rewiring the lights for 'All On' - the only thing we are warned about is the simultaneous operation of both filaments in the H4 lamp, your low beam + high beam operation.
It is said this will cause early failure of the lamp... Are you keeping track of the installation date so you can make that determination without guessing? I for one would be interested in knowing how long 'early failure' means.
Those guys are great over at Susquehanna. I love them!
My car is not drivable yet. I am also guessing the hi beams won’t be used that often when it is drivable. Also forgot to say the new loom was made using 14 gauge wire. Hopefully between that and the relays I should get some decent usage out of them. Otherwise, a new harness and back to square one and I will go for Cibies at that point. An interesting thing is on the early euro E24 cars each headlight was on it’s own 10 amp fused circuit. We tied both lowbeams and both hibeams together with a 20 amp fuse for each circuit plus a relay. The guy who did the wiring for me is a long bearded biker with with mad scientist tendencies. His deal is old car and hotrod electronics and won’t touch a modern car. I have seen some complete new harnesses he has made and they are almost too pretty to use. All this for $35 an hour.
Mo Brighta
Well-Known Member
Old Car guys ... they're everywhere!
Bert- You are lucky to have such a resource. I understand his preference for older cars completely! But you already knew that, eh?
Sounds like he used a reasonable approach. If the highs are used 'rarely' - as you predict, then you will not likely notice them failing 'prematurely.'
Aus Freude am Fahren!
Andy
Bert- You are lucky to have such a resource. I understand his preference for older cars completely! But you already knew that, eh?
Sounds like he used a reasonable approach. If the highs are used 'rarely' - as you predict, then you will not likely notice them failing 'prematurely.'
Aus Freude am Fahren!
Andy