Re: Headlite Relays?

[brett@kodak.com (Brett VanSprewenburg)]

> 
> I'm finally getting around to installing relays on my headlights.  One
> problem - I'm not sure how to set them up.  I figure two 30 amp relays is
> enough for the 400W of high beams I'm running, but I don't know where the
> relays will fit in.  I've looked at the Bentley diagram, and understand it,
> but should the inboard H1s get a relay, and then the outboard H4s get
> another, or should the left and right side lights get one each?  I'm
> assuming the former option is the better, but I'm not entirely sure how to
> wire up relays to the H4s.  Can anyone help?

Having just done the Euro light conversion with associated relays, this
information is fresh in my mind.  Depending on the car you have, you 
may already have a relay for your air conditioning under the hood.  Look
for a bracket that's attached to the car just in front of the battery. It
holds a single relay.  If you look closely at the socket that the relay
is in, you may notice that it's EXACTLY like those used to hold relays
above your fuse box.  The nice thing about this is that the holders have
male/female attachment points for daisy chaining the holders, which means
that you now have a nice place to mount your relays.  Go to a junk yard,
find a VW and get several of these relay holders (and 40 amp relays).  It's
nice to be able to use stock parts, eh?  By the way, a little electrical
background here.  If you run 2 100 watt filiments through a single lead,
you draw ((2 * 100) / 12) amps approximately.  That's 16.67 amps about, so
look at the relays that you get out of the old fuse box, many of them are
16 amp and are just a little too small.  Use the stock wires as the relay
trigger lines, remember the wire that the hi/low and hi beams share is NOT
a ground.   Run a direct line from the battery for each relay, use 16 or 14
gauge wire for this, and a ground line for the new lights.  I didn't trust the
stock wiring harness ground for any more then the relay trigger.  Run 16 or
18 gauge wire for the hot lines on the other sides, theres already a wire
run just below your radiator.  Oh, I also used inline 20 amp fuses to the
relays, 3 of them, which is one for each filiment on both sides.  I did not
fuse the relay trigger lines because they are already fused at your box. Oh,
I also used heat shrink tubing on all the connections, including the exposed
connections at the bottom of the relay holders.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Good luck!

==Brett
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