Headlight bulbs
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Junior User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 63
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Headlight bulbs
hello, 99 f150 5.4v8, 4x4, lariat. i used the wiring diagram on the site as a reference and used two doulbe outout(pin 87)> no problems with the brights, fog, signal. The system charges at around 14.96vdc, had the battery and alternator load tested earlier this week, after i stupidly washed my engine, i know its not a good idea, i just hate seeing the dirt one the engine as it adds to making the engine overheat, and so wouldn't start, jumpstart didn't work, so i had it towed to the local canadian tire, They couldn't find anything wrong and so charged up the battery. So anyway, i retraced and found no problems. I was thinking that i may have to get a voltage regulator of sorts, or a resistor. Any ideas. I took the whole front lighing off the factory and now run them through two relays. Since the ground link isn't that great so i drill a small hole in the flat part of the bulb and screw the ground wire on.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
So what is the problem? You washed the engine and now it won't start? If that's it, then probably you have gotten water in the ignition system. I think you have the coils on the plugs? If so, take them off and dry them out. Also get the dudes at the tire store to read the codes off the computer.
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Junior User
Joined: May 2006
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Oh no, its been fixed, they couldn't find any codes, load tested the battery and alt, and they were fine. Its with the halogen headlights (projector that i added. All the lights were taken off stock and ran through two bosch 12v relays with a double pin on 87, work, but the h3xlc blew three times, auto value said to change brand, so i went to the new hella's, and one's already blown. Seeing that the ground link was strong, i drilled a small hole into the flat metal part on the bulb and screwed it on, to make the ground connection stronger. I just can't figure out what could be causing it. My system charges at around 14.96vdc, would i need a voltage regulator, or a large resister?
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,562
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From: Washington
If your voltage it to high for the blub, higher then the rated voltage, it will cause the bulb to burn out quicker than if it was de-rated to a lower voltage. Also the blub filament will fail if it bounced around to much, kind of like dropping the trouble light.
The best way to lower the voltage is to run it through a diode. Each diode will drop the voltage about .7 volts. Use a full wave rectifier, it is square and has a hole in the center to mount it to a metal heat sink. You will feed the power in the “negative” and out the “positive” using 2 of the 4 connections. This will send the current flow through 2 diodes. If that is too much of a voltage drop switch the output to one of the other connections which will then only run the current through one diode. You will need 2 full wave rectifiers one for high and one for low beams.
Diode bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jim
The best way to lower the voltage is to run it through a diode. Each diode will drop the voltage about .7 volts. Use a full wave rectifier, it is square and has a hole in the center to mount it to a metal heat sink. You will feed the power in the “negative” and out the “positive” using 2 of the 4 connections. This will send the current flow through 2 diodes. If that is too much of a voltage drop switch the output to one of the other connections which will then only run the current through one diode. You will need 2 full wave rectifiers one for high and one for low beams.
Diode bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jim
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,562
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From: Washington
A full wave bridge rectifier has 4 diodes in one case, but you might only need one or maybe two of them in series.
A diode has a fixed voltage drop across it regardless of how much current flow it has through it. You are just needed the voltage dropping effect of the diode, not a rectifier.
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Junior User
Joined: May 2006
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Headlights
Hey, thanks a lot. Will post the result. Another question though unrelated. I'm thinking of replacing my engine(5.4), it's already blown one plug, figuring the cost is would vary, can you recommend a supplier? i actually would like to swap in a high performance engine. I've checked out jasper, jegs, precision etc. And the customer reviews have me a little worried. Precision has what i want but their review sren;t that great. Any thoughts?
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Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 63
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hey guys, just to let you know that the bridge rectifier worked perfectly. I bought 4 of them put them on a heat sink that they fit into perfectly, installed it about first or second week in june, and haven't had any problems with it since, working great. Thanks very much for the suggestion.