24 volt halogen light upgrade

[MUTT_KAHUNA ED]

I found a good article for upgrading our lights to 24v halogens
http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/headlights.htm

[Floyd]

Good article Ed, thanks.

Floyd

[Miltrans]

Hi.
On the subject of changing to H4 headlights.

I have had problems on trucks and Jeeps when changing to Halogen lights. Yes they light up the road. No they are are not sealed so water can get into them if you get into some deep water. But the worst thing is that these powerfull lights kill the light swich after some time. The contact surfaces in the "NATO" swich simply get burned because of the higher breaking amperage. The light swich is not a cheap part to replace. Therefore I have installed a light relay to cope with that. Since then, no problems with burnt out swich. Have used 24 volt truck light relay.
Chris.

[rickf]

Good advise, Do you have a sourse for the 24 volt relays?
Rick

[Miltrans]

Hi Rick.

I just whent along to the guy at the local truck shop equipped with a six pack in a descrete brown bag and made a trade.
I got some relays for headlights. I even think it was one of these modern types that have a built in R/C component that prevents the magnetic coil form damaging the switch also. The realy is for a Scania truck but any light relay should work just as well.

Have just helped a friend fix the lights on his truck, he had one of those "moments" that we all fear...driving along a dark road, some oncoming traffic, dip lights !! ARGH TOTAL DARKNESS !! press foot switch again .. NOTHING ! He managed to get the vehicle to the side of the road out of harms way (for the other road users that is)
We could get the brake lights to work and that was all. We had to move the vehicle as it was late and too dangerous to leave it on the road side in the dark.
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME !
So, short circuit the brake light switch, exchange the brake light bulbs with backlight ones. Support vehicle with working headlights up front and off you go bumper to bumper.
Did I forget to mention that that is was a M54 5ton rig on single 14.00 tires ! driving the support vehicle - Jeep - can be an experience of another dimension, being able to see only the underside of the M54's winch in the rear view mirror.
Lucky we did not have to go so far.

On inspecting the damage we found that the NATO type light switch had blown out the back of the switch, melted insulation on several leads. Check front of vehicle, yep 7" Hella H4 inserts. Now to get another six pack and visit my old friend at the Scania shop.

Chris.

[Ralph Fuller]

What a story .......thanks for sharing.

[Miltrans]

Hi
Just so you know what else had happened.....

[Ralph Fuller]

I think I'll just have someone walk ahead of me with a lantern at night.

[raymond]

Chris,

Are you sure that light switch you posted pictures of was not made in England by Lucas

[Miltrans]

Hi

If you look closely at the first photo you can see that it reads "Aurora Cord & Cable CO" on the back cover.

Somehow dont think it is a poor quality switch, maybe just not used correctly.

they boast themselves of this on their home page..

[raymond]

Chris

It was just a joke aimed at our English friends. Lucas was once (and still is) world famous for making faulty electrical parts.

[Miltrans]

Hi Ray.
just after I posted the reply,I remembered who Dr. Lucas is ........ the inventor of darkness !

Are Lucas light switches bad or are they just meant only for right hand drive only ??

I know their ignition swithces were the first to use the "Any Key" function !!

Chris