H4 Headlight Conversion on a 2001 XJ

I've done my research on multiple online Jeep forums and still confused to all get out. I am not mechanically inclined (working on that one, cause I love my XJ since the day I didn't expect to get it) and definitely not electrically inclined!

What's the difference between HID, H4, Halogen, Xenon, Sealed Beams (Is my XJ even a sealed beam?! IDK! Cause I'm totally clueless right now),Projectors, and I'm sure I'm forgetting half the other headlight upgrades!

Someone please educate me in simple terms that my simple mind can simply understand...



From what I was looking at until I lost it mentally was this:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97017_600.htm
with
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/ipf...oy-p-8630.html
and
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm

I'm thinking "A few screws to undo the old lamp, same screws to put the new lamp back in, plug in a light, and follow step my step instructions with parts list and hopefully not kill myself via a car battery in the process." Seems simple enough till it gets to the death part.

Is it do-able? Will those all work together?

You really should do the basic sealed beam headlights. There are upgrades you can do and keep sealed beams such as silver stars, but one of the best things you can do to get better/brighter light is to install an H4 conversion kit. By doing this you are able to select from a wide range of bulbs, which you obviously found. There are a few manufacturers that sell these conversion housings. Some of those are hella, cibie, autopal and im sure some more. Some people like one brand or the other, but even the cheaper autopals work pretty well. The nice thing about the h4 conversions is that they really are an easy install. The items you listed should work well together. Your existing harness may or may not be able to use those bulbs without an upgrade, but the upgrade is highly recommended. By upgrading my harness, it seemed to nearly double my light output. The hardest part of the housing, bulb, harness upgrade is definately the harness. Its not difficult, expecially if you follow go jeeps instructions. He does some good writeups.

P.s. Unless youve got a pacemaker, theres no way to kill yourself with a car battery. Just take the negative lead off so you dont fry anything.

HornedFrogHooah said:

I've done my research on multiple online Jeep forums and still confused to all get out. I am not mechanically inclined (working on that one, cause I love my XJ since the day I didn't expect to get it) and definitely not electrically inclined!

What's the difference between HID, H4, Halogen, Xenon, Sealed Beams (Is my XJ even a sealed beam?!
IDK! Cause I'm totally clueless right now),Projectors, and I'm sure I'm forgetting half the other headlight upgrades!

Someone please educate me in simple terms that my simple mind can simply understand...

From what I was looking at until I lost it mentally was this:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97017_600.htm
with
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/ipf...oy-p-8630.html
and
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm

I'm thinking "A few screws to undo the old lamp, same screws to put the new lamp back in, plug in a light, and follow step my step instructions with parts list and hopefully not kill myself via a car battery in the process." Seems simple enough till it gets to the death part.

Is it do-able? Will those all work together?

Click to expand...

HID, short for High Intensity Discharge is a system that uses a gas filled bulb which is "ignited" with a high intensity electrical pulse and then glows extremely brightly using little electricity.
H4 is a replaceable bulb that is attached to the back of the headlight housing with a metal clip.
Halogen and Zenon are types of gas used inside a filament type bulb to get different colors of light. A sealed beam is the standard type of headlight where the filament is not replaceable and the whole housing is replaced when the filament breaks.

I use a H4 replacement housing with the Sylvania silverstars and I am very happy with the light output.

I guess I didnt answer part of your question.

The main thing that sets the HID systems apart from sealed beams and h4 conversions, is the actual bulb technology. The HID use a xenon bulb that is driven by a ballast that ramps the voltage up into the tens of thousands of volts. They are very bright, but not necessarily designed for housings like ours. There are ways to get them to work with schrouds and bulbs that mechanically move the filament. They are quite a bit more expensive as you still have to purchase an h4 housing. Projector bulbs are usually mounted in projector lenses to properly aim them. You can find some pictures on here of people using the hid bulbs and they are extremely bright. It will definately light up the road. Even though an h4 upgrade wont place a mobile sun on the front of your car like HID will, you cant go wrong with the h4.

So I just bought all the crap today to make this bad boy...

From 4WP I picked up:
(2) Rectangular Headlight Housings by IPF - $37.99 price matched to $34.99
(1) PIAA H4 Intense White Twin Pack Bulbs - $46.99 pmed to $38.42

And from http://fitchva.com/jeep/?p=57 I got everything from Del City and Comagination for a total of $79.47

So in total it came out too $196.81.

I'll post pictures of before and after for my own benefit of dropping d*mn near $200 and in case anybody else cares.

I run IPF H4'S and they are extremely bright.

So they're good?! Goooood. I was looking at the "Xtreme" ones, but I didn't want blueish tint to the lights.

HornedFrogHooah said:

From what I was looking at until I lost it mentally was this:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97017_600.htm
with
http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/ipf...oy-p-8630.html
and
http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoHeadlightLoom.htm

Click to expand...

sounds like a plan... i started w/ that. ipf housings from quadratec, hella h4 bulbs from local autoparts store, and a homemade go-jeep harness...

ive sinse upgraded to firing HID's on the same setup... i dunno how this jimmy daux guy became a vendor, but he should stick to selling map pockets... you dont need projectors, and hid's arent that expensive. and the stupidest shit ive read all day is when he recommended staying w/ sealed beams... UGHH

AS FAR as the go-jeep harness, im very glad i spent an evening building it, it vastly improved my comprehension of automotive relays.... its not difficult... build it slowly, and hook it up to a battery in your living room... it's an easy setup, a perfect lesson.

Dude for $135 total you could have had HIDs
$35 for the housings you bought
and $99.95 for these HIDs
http://bajahid.com/products/

It's all good BajaCurt, like xcm said, it'll be a great learning experience for me considering I don't know jack diddly about electrical stuff.

I did my own harness and did the Autopal H4 conversion with 100w/80w bulbs and I love it. Only problem I've had is that the glass cracked due to the heat/cold difference in the winter. I plan to upgrade to some Hella housings or IPF housings in the near future.

I'm glad to hear that what I've bought is a good combination. The 4WP items come in Monday and the Internet stuff should come in by Wednesday. I'll snap a few pictures of my current stock beams at night soon, complete the upgrade, snap a few more pictures of the new setup and post for anybody interested.

You really should do the basic sealed beam headlights.

Click to expand...

FAIL.

Your existing harness may or may not be able to use those bulbs without an upgrade,

Click to expand...

Corection: It WON'T be able to use your existing harness. You'll destroy your switch and burn up the wiring.

Unless youve got a pacemaker, theres no way to kill yourself with a car battery

Click to expand...

DOUBLE FAIL.

Projector bulbs are usually mounted in projector lenses to properly aim them

Click to expand...

WTF is a projector bulb? You can put an HID bulb in a reflective housing (Acura 3.2Tl, CL, older Navigators), and a halogen bulb in a projector (VW beetles, Acura Integra's). Yes, HID's should be in a projector, but they can "function" in a H4 housing. I say function, not work because I don't think it should ever be done, but this has been debated hundreds of times. To each his own.

Consensus: You're on the right track. Everything you posted up top is a great starting point. And like said, don't be intimidated by the homebrew wiring harness. Read up a little on Fitchva.com and GoJeep's sight and you should be soldering in no time.

DanMan2k06 said:

Corection: It WON'T be able to use your existing harness. You'll destroy your switch and burn up the wiring.

Click to expand...

Depends on the bulbs used. The PIAA bulbs the OP ordered draw the same as stock but have an awesome output. Wiring harness on that setup will provide cleaner power and a little more output, as noted.

long time listener, first time caller. i have these http://www.quadratec.com/products/97009_120.htm they work really good. also on the upgraded harness deal i did a quick google and found this http://www.cherokeeforum.com/showthread.php?p=139637 comes out to a wee bit over 40 dollars shipped. yay, nay?...p.s, hi all.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=979486&highlight=harness

Couple of different harnesses discussed in there- enjoy.

After the Install

I did the install: new housings, bulbs, and wire loom and now the Jeep has trouble starting. Likes its on the verge of a dead battery...

=(

Any comments or suggestions?

Maybe it is on the verge of a dead battery? Did you have the lights on without the car running? Are you sure everything is wired correctly and voltage isn't draining somewhere it shouldn't be?