Defender Headlight relay upgrade- mounting location

[Toxic_Avenger]

Traxide kit or similar, where did you mount your new era headlight relays in your defender?

I'm looking to cram in 3x new era relays in the mule. Ideally in the same location... which needs a bit of real estate!
I've got the traxide kit, but adding another relay for my LED light bars (future proofing in case I ever go for a big 240W job some time in the future- ie a 20A draw on that alone).

Tossing up logistics of a few locations, but interested to see who had done it, where you put them, and what you'd do differently if you had your time over.

I've been looking at the following locations:
1) Behind LHS headlight- screwed to upright radiator support structure
2) Behind LHS headlight- screwed to plastic wheel arch liner
3) Behind RHS headlight- on a bracket of some description- but will have to compete for space with 3x 50mm2 wleding cables for the winch, plus winch breather line.
4) "Somewhere" in the engine bay. Space is sparse in the puma

[austastar]

Hi,
I made a small bracket and mounted both on it, held in place by the nut/bolt holding the horn up behind the left headlight.
Cheers

[Toxic_Avenger]

I've noticed the LHS horn is mounted between the blinker and park lights. There is another horn in the same location on the RHS (one is high tone, one is low tone).
There is also another horn assembly - for the alarm, on the puma at least- which is up high and towards the centre of the LHS headlight.

So yours mount longitudunally with the vehicle on your bracket? I hadn't thought about that positon.

[austastar]

Hi,
I have yet to put in the driving light wiring, could do that tomorrow and take a picture at the same time.
Cheers

[jon3950]

I put mine under the cover on the driver's side wing as detailed here:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/236135-alasdair-my16-keswick-110-a-9.html#post2634864

From memory you have something else there (winch solenoid?) so that doesn't help. The other spot I would consider is just forward of there, still on the wheel arch behind the air filter box. There is a bit of space there that still should be accessible from the opening in the wingtop.

The thing that put me off mounting them down near the horn is that if you blow a fuse or a connector comes loose, you have to pull the front of the car off to get to it. Ok that's a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. This may or may not be an issue but it's not something I want to have to deal with on a dark, rainy night in the middle of nowhere when there are werewolves about.

Do have any space left in the Ex-box?

Cheers,
Jon

[Toxic_Avenger]

Neat install

Space for mea at least might be limited there.
Toying with some ideas for a bracket. Might have a play around to see what will work.

[lebanon]

I purchased a water resistant electrical box and placed all lights related relays in.

Got a beefy positive line with 75AMP relay from the starter motor to feed all the relays.

The box was installed next to the heater blower with the help of a home made bracket.

Cheers

[austastar]

Hi,

Here is where I mounted the 2 relays for headlights and driving lights behind the LHS head lamp using what may be the alarm horn as a mounting point.

122491

122491

The horn is bolted in place with a 13mm nut and is easily accessible with a small spanner.

Cheers

[Tombie]

Keep in mind Mitch that a 240w LED bar doesn't draw anything close to 240w [wink11] and nothing near 20a...

If it does its being driven at 100% and its thermal management will be absolutely crap.
And - Wattage isn't a measure of Lighting efficiency or output (and Lumen ratings on light bars are theoretical rather than actual) [biggrin]

Just some things to be aware of when buying them... LED bars serve a useful purpose, but are marketed deceptively in many cases..

[Toxic_Avenger]

Keep in mind Mitch that a 240w LED bar doesn't draw anything close to 240w [wink11] and nothing near 20a...

If it does its being driven at 100% and its thermal management will be absolutely crap.
And - Wattage isn't a measure of Lighting efficiency or output (and Lumen ratings on light bars are theoretical rather than actual) [biggrin]

Just some things to be aware of when buying them... LED bars serve a useful purpose, but are marketed deceptively in many cases..

Hmmm... I was using the old Watts/Volts = Amps calc.
Was not aware of the other aspects of it, so thanks!

I might just get away with a simple 30A fused narva relay for the light bar then... at a fraction of the footprint.

[karlz]

I mounted two of the traxide relays to a thin metal plate.
The thin metal plate was attached to a left hand side bracket that connects the left wing to the body. Its quite near the heater blower plastic intake.
Sorry no pictures.

Could you get 3 traxide size relays on that plate? Probably just, a piggy pack solution might work better.

I preferred in bay rather than behind the headlight because 1. easier to get at, 2. a bit higher.

If you really need a pic to explain where I stuck it let me know and I'll take one.

[Larry]

I mounted two of the traxide relays to a thin metal plate.
The thin metal plate was attached to a left hand side bracket that connects the left wing to the body. Its quite near the heater blower plastic intake. ...................................... I preferred in bay rather than behind the headlight because 1. easier to get at, 2. a bit higher. ..............

Sounds like a similar location to mine.[wink11]

[karlz]

Sounds like a similar location to mine.[wink11]

Yep same place

[Toxic_Avenger]

How did people route the larger gauge, relay output wires between the headlights?
Under / around the radiator or over the top of the rad core (under the top fan cowl cover)?

Teaser pic.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/04/15.jpg
Been busy working on a mounting solution. Trying to do most of the wiring out of the vehicle, and have a somewhat plug'n'play solution to drop in when it's all done.

The only wires connected so far are the relay coil earths (purple) and the piggy-back coil signal connector wires from the factory headlight socket.

[austastar]

Hi,
From memory, across the back of the radiator.
The driving lights went across the bottom of the radiator, on the pierced grid shroud metal bit.

Should have the driving lights in soon, had to make up some brackets to go between the lights and the ARB bar mounting points, which are only a single hole, and too far forward.
A lot more work than I expected.

Cheers

[jon3950]

Across the top of that bent, square tube in front of the radiator:


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/04/2.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/04/3.jpg


There are holes on the inside of the wings conveniently located to run the wiring through. The wiring for the driving lights came out of the same hole and into the bullbar. I can take some more photos if that's not clear enough.

Cheers,
Jon

[Toxic_Avenger]

Thanks Jon

I'll 'eyeball' the wire run, which will give me the required lengths to make some more cuts on the traxide kit and complete the enxt few wire hook-ups.
As for the 'hole' are you refering to the 2 small holes on the far right on the flat (inboard) panel pictured below, or the gaping chasm of the wing strcutrure to engine bay?

122692

Cheers.

[jon3950]

I think it must be the larger hole at the bottom far right of that flat panel.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Yeah, so it turns out if you undo the tabs on the H4 headlight connectors, they can be removed from the plastic casing, and can then be fed thru the aforementioned holes. For me at least they wouldn't fit in their supplied state.

Im building the headlight and driving light relays and loom sections bit by bit on the bench, and will install all power and earth wiring on the vehicle afterwards. I live on th edge like that.

[austastar]

Hi,
As per previous post, I ran the loom across the top of the radiator.

Cheers