12v wiring experts. learn me!

[rockclimber]

1999XJ

I am trying to modify the headlight wiring in my junk so that the highbeams and lowbeams can be on at the same time.

I am running a set of Hella 500s with 100w bulbs in them for headlights. they are currently running on a relay triggered by the OEM headlight switch.

I have a set of LED pods wired to a relay triggered by the OEM high beam circuit.

the OEM switch is setup so that when you trigger the highbeams, it shuts the low beams off. understandable since the OEM configuration has both filaments in the same bulb.

how do I do this? I am the dumb and I can't seem to make it work.

 

[dan1977p]

Splice the signal wire going to your HB relay and send it to your LB relay?

 

[iluv83vettes]

Are you wanting this to work as a three position thing? Ie: low beam is hella's, high beam is LEDs, another option for both

If so, just run a separate switch and run a circuit in parallel that goes from relay to both sets of lights.

Also, you gave Cal another sig line.

 

[rockclimber]

Are you wanting this to work as a three position thing? Ie: low beam is hella's, high beam is LEDs, another option for both

If so, just run a separate switch and run a circuit in parallel that goes from relay to both sets of lights.

Also, you gave Cal another sig line.

what I want is for the low beams to stay on when I trigger the high beams.

 

[rockclimber]

Splice the signal wire going to your HB relay and send it to your LB relay?

if I do this, the LB relay backfeeds to the HB relay and the HBs are on all the time. I drive this thing on the street so I can't have that.

 

[iluv83vettes]

Run two relays for the Hellas. One triggered by the low beams and one triggered by the high beams.

 

[cal]

Also, you gave Cal another sig line.

i live to please

 

[ehall]

I already had a headlight harness on mine, so I just used a diode on the stock headlight harness so high-beam passed voltage to the low beam circuit but not the other way around. I used a pretty cheap diode from Radio Shack, don't even remember what rating.

Most of the headlight harness kits plug into one of the (weak) stock headlight sockets to drive relays for the (hi-power) sockets on the harness. That leaves the other stock headlight socket to tap into

 

[Kego814]

A jumper wire to connect the 12v low and 12v high beam terminals at the lamps but this could overload the circuit. Split the signal wire off of the switch for the low beams and trigger both relays with the split signal wire. That was the circuits perform as designed also add a fuse to the wire that feeds the switch 12v. 10 amp should be plenty without overloading the small gauge wire

 

[trippled]

Run power from the normally open position of hi beam relay to normally closed position of low beam. Basically turning hi beams on also rerouted power back thru the relay for the lows. If you don't like the amperage on that circuit could use a third relay.

 

[rockclimber]

i live to please

 

[1990JEEPXJ]

Like ehall posted, a diode(going the right direction) would be the simplest way to do it. I don't think you'll overload anything since I doubt the LEDs take much power.

I did this mod on my duramax with a diode

 

[ehall]

I would not use a diode on the same circuit as the headlights. With the secondary harness, the only draw is for the relays

 

[Ivan]

I and others ran across this issue a few years ago. Our problem was high/lows staying on at the same time, due to an aftermarket wiring harness issues, but it addresses the issue you are dealing with as well.

Here is a fix we came up:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost.php?p=169768&postcount=10