H4 Connectors...

A few years ago I upgraded my headlight harness to run e-codes using 10 gauge, and with ALOT of manipulation managed to splice into the oem connectors.

Well, now with HIGH wattage bulbs, the've all but disintegrated, but I've found some fairly beefy connectors from NAPA, with what I think is a 14 gauge pigtail, maybe 12 gauge.

I'm thinking about layering heat shrink tubing over the pigtail wires, and "slathering" on J&B (almost cacooning it) on the actual connector to repel heat. Will this work, or will the tubing, and especially the J&B actually do the opposite - retain the heat applied to it and shorten the life drastically of the connection. Maybe small heat sinks attached to the terminal would dissipate the heat? Again, the oem's are as brittle as a cracker, and the grounds are beginning to fail.

I'm also looking heat shield tubing mat'l from Summit.

Any advice would help, thanks.

Merry Christmas, Mike#300

I remember in the past, waaaay back, there was a source of ceramic sockets just can't remember where...

I got similar h4 connectors from napa, and it was not too difficult to take them apart, de-solder the 12ga pigtail, and solder them up to my 10ga harness.
It realy depends on where the heat is coming from. If you are getting the heat from the filiment conducted back into the socket then this won't help, and you probably want to look around for some high-temperature connectors. However, if you are simply seeing heating from too much current/resistance then this might help.

Doug G

DougG said:

I got similar h4 connectors from napa, and it was not too difficult to take them apart, de-solder the 12ga pigtail, and solder them up to my 10ga harness.

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did with the oem's, but it was like performing brain surgery with boxing gloves on. I've been told in other unrelated threads that an inch or so of a slightly lower gauge (high numeric) wire won't negate the 10 gauge used for the entire length of the circuit. They likened it to the thickness of a fuse. I can't say for sure if this is plausable. I'll certainly give it a try, but after I post photos of my original ten-gauge-to-oem-female H4 terminals, you'll see what I mean.

Btw, I'm concerned with filament heat, the ten gauge solved resistance heat. I still think some sort of heat sink might work. Maybe I'll do just one side, drive around for a while, and use the other side for the control. I knew I'd use something from school, someday :lecture:

Thanks for the responses, you too Rich, I remember those same threads from like the late ninety's...

Mike #300

www.rallylights.com has the H4 female sockets (with or without the wire leads) for making your own HD harness. Unclear on what AWG they are though.

Also buried in this forum somewhere MJR has a great writeup (with pix and part #s) from where he built a couple harnesses. Four years ago, I built my own to run 130/90 in my MJ, but Mike's was/is just so much nicer - FAR superior attention to detail.

FWIW the ARB harness I have on my DD has served me well with 170/100 and 130/90 H4s... OTOH if one is handy with wiring, uses high quality parts/supplies, and maintains attention to detail. They can duplicate it for probably 1/2 - 2/3 the cost of the ARB.

Thanks all, good idea and sources, I'll call rallylights tomorrow for more details...

Tomorow I'm "scheduled" to do front and rear brakes on my girlfriend's '94 camry as part of her Christmas gifts. Lord, I hope the rotors and drums can be cut within specs :huh: ... and the bleeders aren't seized; I don't think the brake fluid as been changed ever...

The holidays have taken their toll and here on the east coast I gotta hit the sack.

I'll post new findings in a day or two on the H4's.

Safe Holidays to all! Thanks...

Mike #300