Adding headlight relay

[bond]

Hi all,

looking to put the headlights on relays to reduce current going through the switch.

I'm currently considering adding the two relays behind the fuse panel; where the hi/low feed gets split between the 4 fuses.

Haven't had too much of a look around at the wiring, but I'm assuming somewhere behind the dash there's a heavy gauge brown wire I can tap and fuse for the relay feed, alternatively run another brown wire to the starter motor lug?

anyone else added relays / tips?

[TasD90]

Save a lot of hassles and buy the Defender Headlight Relay Kit from Traxide.
Mount the relays on a board and mount in the engine bay, maybe under the wings.
Take the power from the starter motor post.
Wires are thicker than original ones so less voltage drop and they plug straight in to headlights.
Original switch still used to turn lights on but only activates the relays so
very little power going through .
Comes with very good diagram and instructions.
Should take an hour to install if you know which end of a soldering iron to hold!
Peter.

[ajge]

Hi,

I just finished adding a relay yesterday.
I got one of these
Twin Headlight Relay Fused Genuine NEW ERA Twin Fused Made IN Japan | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Twin-Headlight-Relay-Fused-Genuine-New-Era-Twin-Fused-Made-in-Japan-/160993200038?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item257bf147a6&_uhb=1) there is a wiring diagram in the box.
and two of these
1X H4 9003 Headlight Socket Plug Extension Female Connector 12V | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1x-H4-9003-HEADLIGHT-SOCKET-PLUG-extension-Female-connector-12V-/251118650786?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a77d685a2&_uhb=1)
I also brought on of these
H4 9003 Headlight Male Wire Harness Plug Terminal Augtc X 2 SET | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/H4-9003-Headlight-MALE-Wire-Harness-plug-Terminal-AUGTC-x-2-set-/251426762688?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a8a33efc0&_uhb=1)
but didn't use it because the headlight cables were long enough to reach the relay.

I picked up the supply from the starter motor and the control from the passenger side headlight. Blue with red low beam and blue with white high beam. I used one set of contacts for both low beams and one set for high beam. You could buy two of the relays and have a separate contact for each.
I used 6mm squared Hi temp cable to each globe, although this is a bit of an overkill, I had the cable. I replace the negative with 6mm cable as well. Make sure you have a good ground connection.
The only current through the headlight switch is controlling the relay.
I just unplugged the original H4 connector on the drivers side and tied it out of the way.
When removing the headlights be careful not to undo the adjusting screws.
Sorry I didn't get any photos while the lights were apart.

If you choose to go down the traxide path you will need to remove the H4 plugs to get the wires through the headlight enclosure. The defender doesn't have an enclosure like the Perentie.
http://www.traxide.com.au/headlight-wiring-kits/def-hwuk-headlight-wiring.html

If you need any more information let me know.
Regards
Andrew

[Dervish]

If you want a feed, the easiest way is from the starter motor and through one of the two grommets either side of the fuse board. There is a nice big supply to the ign switch, but it'll be a pain to run a cable through the dash from there, trust me. Putting the relays where you are thinking is a good idea; that's where I put mine. I have a thread on it in the Defender section.

[jet]

Looks good i just ordered all them bits, still going to give the led h4,s i brought of eBay a try , as there only rated at 10 watts not so bad on the switch they were only a few dollars each rated high low beam might save a lot of work just in case there no good i will do the relay job as you guys are doing .

sorted out the fuse box today what a mess , there was better systems around at that time ,maybe it was like that so if you blow a fuse you can use aluminium foil in an a emergency.

[Phil B]

Not a good idea
The fuse is there to protect the wiring loom and if you bridge the fuse with al foil the loom will heat up and could catch fire
You would then be up for a complete rewrite if you manage to save the rest of the vehicle
It is worth going through all the wiring loom and repairing the faults that you will find properly
My 2c worth
Phil