Headlight relay connector melted

[smurfpike]

How do those bulbs do in the backcountry where you need more light going down the dirt road?
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1965 Ottinger Tribute Overland Bus
IG @otter.the.overland.bus
FB Ottertheoverlandbus

IG Westyrestorations
FB WestyRestorations, parts and accessories

1987 Syncro "Big Red", Full restoration thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=606596

1978 Westy Camper, Full ground up restoration, restoration thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=593413

[thatvwbusguy]

The Osram Hyper H4's put out more usable light than any of the other high wattage bulbs I have tested due to more precise filament positioning and tighter overall quality control. I live in NH, where we have plenty of dark, twisty roads and deer, moose and other critters routinely wandering into the road on a regular basis.

You could run 100W bulbs in the inner lights, but quality is definitely going to be a gamble.

If you are looking for massive amounts of light to use in off road settings, an LED light bar is probably the best choice. Switching it separately from the headlights is recommended, since it will give you more lighting options and could provide a backup light source if your main lights ever get damaged.
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Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[newfisher]

I have the relay upgrade, grounds at the lamps, euro h4s and only running the stock h4 bulb. After reading Samba posts for years before buying a van, I could tell if I wanted better lighting beyond what I had done for back country I would need these, not higher wattage bulbs.

[smurfpike]

thatvwbusguy, Thanks that is what I was looking for we have the same type of animals and darkness here in Utah and that is my biggest worry not seeing any animals. I plan on doing a light bar in the future but I need to upgrade all my bumpers first then I can attach it.

newfisher, how do you like the bumpers and those LED lights? Does the light above the windshield throw light in the windshield?
_________________
1965 Ottinger Tribute Overland Bus
IG @otter.the.overland.bus
FB Ottertheoverlandbus

IG Westyrestorations
FB WestyRestorations, parts and accessories

1987 Syncro "Big Red", Full restoration thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=606596

1978 Westy Camper, Full ground up restoration, restoration thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=593413

[newfisher]

I love them!
Its like daylight with them on. The lower one mounted very easily, the upper I had to get creative with the long rack. I positioned it with vise grips and found a good spot that throws no light on the w shield, but created a whistle that I am working on solving. I would recommend driving it in "vise grip" mode to see if its quiet before welding it on.

[drenner01]

Looks like I have a similar problem. I'll check the grounds and such as outlined in the thread. Anyone have a comment on why this is melting at the back of the fuse panel and at the back of the relay? Is that a ground issue? The van has been repainted in and out and all ground trees are in great shape.

_________________
Doug
'91 Westy Syncro, '91 Orly Blue Multivan from Canada, '87 Westy Weekender Syncro, '87 Tintop Syncro

"Exposure is Half the Battle"

[thatvwbusguy]

It looks like there could be bare copper strands coming out of the thick white wire just above the bend in the top pic like it might have gotten pinched by a screw. Confirm that wire is in good shape and we can go from there.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[drenner01]

Looks like the company that put my van back together after a full rebuild with nearly all new parts put in some used parts... This was a bit of a pattern, Sigh...

The rubber seals to my SA lights are toast on both of them. Liberal amounts of electrical tape were holding them all together. The SA lights were maybe 3 years old. So due to that my relay and the SA light harness is fried. Lucky no fire I guess.

Jay, do you have the rubber seals for the SA Harness Connectors? I fortunately have another set of SA Connectors I bought from you for another van. I will need the seals if you have them.

_________________
Doug
'91 Westy Syncro, '91 Orly Blue Multivan from Canada, '87 Westy Weekender Syncro, '87 Tintop Syncro

"Exposure is Half the Battle"

[thatvwbusguy]

Hi Doug,

I only use ceramic H4 sockets for the South African Grill Headlight Harness I make. I based the design for my harness off the original 86-91 headlight wiring, so there will be less crimped connections overall.

99% of my crimping is done with professional grade pneumatic tools these days because they are more consistent and beat my hand up a lot less. With that said, there's always the possibility that one of the terminals didn't crimp and seat perfectly.

I will get a new set of headlight relays and a SA Grill harness out to you Monday morning at no charge.

The damage shown on the blue socket is on the ground terminal, which is probably where the issue started. I would advise pulling the ground trees off to ensure that they are touching clean metal, not sitting on top of a layer of paint and only uses the threads of the screws to ground everything.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[drenner01]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for getting back to me. It appears that the red wire going to the P connector wasn't crimped in all the way and became loose. I replaced the SA Grill headlight harness connector and still had the original relay in there. I turned on the van and the brights and that wire heated up immediately and was too hot to touch for more than a second.

I then replaced the Headlight relay with a new one from you and all is well. No more heat. I also did a road trip on Saturday and drove home at night and ran the brights for an extended period. No burning smells and it is working great.

You don't need to send the SA Grill harness as those were not from you. All I really need is the Headlight Relay with the white wires. The other one is fine. I could use a few extra of the heat shrink connectors that you use if you can throw some in. Those are really nice quality and I am down a couple.

The only other question I have is what do you do or use to cover the ceramic SA Grill connectors? Or do you leave them open or uncovered?

Thanks Jay!
_________________
Doug
'91 Westy Syncro, '91 Orly Blue Multivan from Canada, '87 Westy Weekender Syncro, '87 Tintop Syncro

"Exposure is Half the Battle"