My headlights last night started to cut out in and out in about 10 second intervals last night it use to do this before and the problem was the circut breaker underneath the water bottle but I checked that out and the out going side of the breaker is very hot and has actually started to temper the metal does that mean it's screwed or ?

Common problem that, people put 100W globes in instead of 55W ones, best of go to supercrap, but a new circuit breaker and use that, maybe I think the standard ford one is 60AMP maybe get another 60AMP or even 80AMP. They come with a switch so if they over load, and headlights start flashing, on/off again, just flick the switch to make them normal again, I put a 80AMP one in mine from supercrapauto cos I have two extra 100W driving lights mounted on the front. they are only about $30-50 depending what amperage you want...

Leticia.

Just be careful how big you go... Wire is only mean to carry x amount of amps... If you put too big of a breaker or fuse on the circuit this means more current can be drawn and you will get a point whether the fuse of circuit breaker wont operate and the actual wire will be the fuse... This will be then more headaches than its worth... As you'll be replacing the engine bay loom to fix it...

What size headlights are you running? And did you have both high and low beams on or just lows (if it was just low beams sounds really odd like maybe something is shorting out)

If you tell me what size headlights (wattage wise) they are we can work out how much current you have there and see whether the breaker is too small or not... (Like you said the breaker itself could be full of s**t and shorting out to its steel frame)...

Cheers,
Tim

check ya relay.

live beside battery... middle two are headlights (one low & and one for high)

G'day Tim

Yeah, I got a set of 250 Watt Long Range Spotties . What amperage of wire and fuse should I use ?

As these need to be wired up to normal high / low beam circuitry so that when on high beam , the spotties also goes out, should the existing high / low beam wire circuitry be changed or kept same.

I will be placing a seoerate on/off switch to the spotties incase I dont want them on.

Cheers

I'll draw you up a picture...

But you want the spotties on when the high beam is on? Or when the low beam is on? I'd have though with the highs, but you made it sound like you want them with the lows?

250W/12V = 21A Each light... Fairly big lights... Might be overkill, but I'd run each light offits own fuse and relay because it'll save dramas latter on and means you can use wire rated for 25amp rather than wire rated for 40 or 50 amps... Easier to work with, lug, solder, etc and cheaper (for the cost of one more fuse and one more relay might work out cheaper overall)... Plus your std relays are only rated to 40amps so switching that all the time wont be doing them any favours, switching 20amps will be much better...

So if it was me... each light on its very own circuit... also then if one does blow one light stays working... This way you'll be much much less likely to ever run into problems...

Do you own a multimeter? Just out of curiosity, what is the ohm's reading of each light?

Cheers,
Tim

G'day Tim,

No, I want the spotties on when its on high beam and switches off when its back to low beam.

The use of the seperate switch is to isolate the spotties i.e. have no power going to the spotties when I have the normal low beam go to high beam, I guess it could be called an override switch.

I dont have a multimeter as yet.

Cheers, Peter

Thats ok then...

Now what I have drawn is this...

Black is existing wiring...
Red is what you want to add...

I have drawn it in such a way that it makes it easy to wire...

So you will want two fuses & two relays...

So wires come off the battery (two lugs, two wires, keeping everything separate) into two fuses...

Into two relays (the switch contact (pin 30)), probably best mounted under the header tank with the other relays, screw them to the same panel...

one side of your relay coils is powered off the high beams side of the high beam relay (next to battery, just keep pulling them til you find that one that stops the high beams from working) you'll need a test light or multimeter to find the powered contact (30 or 87) and then it'll be the other one of the two...

other side of coils are joined, run one wire into the cabin to your switch, then out of your switch to an earth (behind the drivers kick panel is ideal)...

This way your hunting around for wires under the dash, just need to pick up the one wire off the high beam relay to trigger it on, otherwise its a stand alone system...

See how you go... You'll need this sort of wire:
http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID ... rm=KEYWORD
http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID ... rm=KEYWORD

Cheers,
Tim

 

 

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Thanks Tim.

Good instructions thanks, the diagram looks simple enough, I tried to print it but all I got was blank pages. I'll have to draw this one manually as per your sketch.

Cheers, Peter