Thread: Cracka's Traxide upgrades

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
Sorry, I guess I over thought your post.
I gather there is not a relay in the headlamp circuit.
I can't find or hear one, and have been told the same by others familiar with the Defender.
Cheers

No worries mate.

There is, as I said, a relay in the headlight circuit; however it's function is to remove the electrical load from the ignition switch rather than the headlight switch and indicator switch. Whoever designed the Defender's electrical system could have very easily repurposed this relay to take the load off all three switches, but of course they didn't. In fact, if you understand circuit design I would go so far as to say that it is totally baffling why the circuit exists how it does. Anyway, now that the design is embedded in the loom and the loom embedded in the dashboard, it is much easier to add another relay to take the load off the headlight and indicator switches rather than repurposing the existing one.

So yeah, there's a headlight relay - just not a very good one. You should be able to hear it click when the ignition is switched on. If you have an old dash Defender it is one of the three relays located underneath the fuse box; no idea where it is on a new dash Defender - but it'll be there somewhere.

Hi Dervish and I have to be honest and say, after reading your post, I came to the same conclusion austastar came to.

But I can see what you mean now.

Cheers, Tim.

Tim,is there any chance of you making your HL looms with dust/water proof type relays?,the relays you use have corroded to the point I've pulled the head light and spot light relays apart and made one out of two but it's on it's last legs now,my Tdi only has low beam,have you considered a different relay type for people who use their vehicles other than mum's taxi's?. Pat

Hi Pat and either you have the old relays, which I stopped using about 2 years back, or if you have the NEW ERA relays, then they must have had something corrosive get at them because they will take being completely submerged in a river crossing and work fine, and this is why I use them.

The will have stickers on them if they are the NEW ERA relays.

Tim,mine were fitted about 2006-2007 I think,they are black bakerlight,can I buy new ones and will they wire up to the original loom?. Pat

Hi again Pat, and PM sent

Originally Posted by drivesafe

Hi Pat and either you have the old relays, which I stopped using about 2 years back, or if you have the NEW ERA relays, then they must have had something corrosive get at them because they will take being completely submerged in a river crossing and work fine, and this is why I use them.

The will have stickers on them if they are the NEW ERA relays.

The NEW ERA relays are water proof? Are you suuuure? What about shorts between terminals?

Hi BabCo, NEW ERA relays are NOT waterproof, but they are designed to allow the water to run straight through.

As for shorts anywhere in a vehicle, it doesn’t happen with 12v wiring circuits.

You can get corrosion if water can get at some surfaces, particularly if it pools there, but normally water is not a problem.

The only time I have to take special care when setting up systems for customers, is if the vehicle is going to be use in and around coal industries.

Coal and water make for a very corrosive mix.