Headlights...I cant see diddly squat at night

[ISPKI]

Thats a good point, glad I said it

 

[ISPKI]

Relay sounds like an interesting idea. I have had alot of bad luck with aftermarket relays though, and would be hesitant to use them if the factory setup functions OK. On the other hand, I do hate that headlight switch with a passion. I have never seen an OBS with the knob still attached and my "new" truck is no exception.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

Relay sounds like an interesting idea. I have had alot of bad luck with aftermarket relays though, and would be hesitant to use them if the factory setup functions OK. On the other hand, I do hate that headlight switch with a passion. I have never seen an OBS with the knob still attached and my "new" truck is no exception.

The factory setup is garbage and the relay kit works very well! I got mine at brocograveyard.com and it helps a lot, along with new lenses. I didn't chime in earlier because I have an 89, not an OBS.

 

[Mishka]

Mine was garbage so I got some 35$ amazon led hi/low beam headlights and they've been amazing. About as bright as a new truck with LEDs.

 

[TNBrett]

The thing with LEDs is that you don’t need to worry about adding relays because they only draw about half the wattage of the halogens. The ones I use only draw 30 watts each as opposed to 55 watts for the stock halogens. I would avoid the “off road use only” Hella bulbs. They draw way to much current for the stock headlight switch, so you have to run relays. But, I think it’s pushing it on what the headlight bulb connector can handle. I’ve also seen the heat from those bulbs cause problems with the lenses/ housings in other applications.

 

[ISPKI]

I polished up my headlights just to see how they would look. Sanded then up to 3000 grit and they actually cleaned up pretty ok. I installed the eagle LEDs and there is a big improvement except for one issue. One of these pictures is low beam and the other is high beam. Pretty sure I have them rotated wrong cuz it doesnt change between the two. I can see it switching but the light pattern is almost identical.

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[Selahdoor]

Yep.

Pull the bulb holder out.

The back end of the holder looks like a "D".

The bulb should be installed into the housing with the flat being horizontal and on the upper part.

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[Selahdoor]

I polished up my headlights just to see how they would look. Sanded then up to 3000 grit and they actually cleaned up pretty ok. I installed the eagle LEDs and there is a big improvement except for one issue. One of these pictures is low beam and the other is high beam. Pretty sure I have them rotated wrong cuz it doesnt change between the two. I can see it switching but the light pattern is almost identical.

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Did you try turning the headlight bulbs in the direction I suggested?

Did it make a difference?

Mine were just like yours. No difference.

Now that the bulbs are oriented correctly, and the headlights aimed correctly, they are great!

Much better light at the dim setting, and even better at the high setting.

 

[lakesurfer]

IMO, step 1 is to fix the substandard Ford headlight wiring, so that whatever headlight solution you use gets the full benefit of voltage and current. The factory wiring runs all that high current headlight power through long, skinny wires into the dash, in/out of the switch, then all the way back to the headlights. Resistance builds up in the switch and switch connector, leading to carbon, melting, smoke, loss of voltage to the lights, and light failure. The solution is to install isolation relays so the switch only controls the relays, and the relays switch the light power using large gauge wires of your choice, over short *fused* runs from the battery. My standard bulbs performed MUCH better once this was done. And now, if I choose to upgrade to something that takes a bit more current, the wiring is in place. There are writeups on this already out there. This is one resource I used for reference: http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/WiringHeadlightRelays.htm

 

[IDIBRONCO]

IMO, step 1 is to fix the substandard Ford headlight wiring, so that whatever headlight solution you use gets the full benefit of voltage and current. The factory wiring runs all that high current headlight power through long, skinny wires into the dash, in/out of the switch, then all the way back to the headlights. Resistance builds up in the switch and switch connector, leading to carbon, melting, smoke, loss of voltage to the lights, and light failure. The solution is to install isolation relays so the switch only controls the relays, and the relays switch the light power using large gauge wires of your choice, over short *fused* runs from the battery. My standard bulbs performed MUCH better once this was done. And now, if I choose to upgrade to something that takes a bit more current, the wiring is in place. There are writeups on this already out there. This is one resource I used for reference: http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/WiringHeadlightRelays.htm

I agree with this. Two of my trucks already have headlight relay kits installed and the third one is on the list to get one soon.

 

[TNBrett]

I agree with adding relays if you’re running halogen bulbs, but they are unnecessary if you run LED’s. The LED’s draw half the current that a typical halogen does, and in my opinion throws much better light.

 

[ISPKI]

Hey yeah so I got the new headlight lenses with the LEDS wired in. Unfortunately the LEDs have a pigtail with the half moon shaped plug at the end of the pigtail so there is no way of knowing if you have them adjust right until its night time and you have them on. Wasnt difficult to get them lined up correctly though.

Yeah, LED bulbs and clean lenses made a huge difference. I will post up a shot of what it looks like now once I find the pictures.