L.E.D. high beam bulb, rectangular lamps.

[zerotofifty]

I got a 1986 rectangular headlamp equipped Van. I want to try L.E.D. bulbs in the small inner high beam lamps. Is there a recommendation bulb for this?

What about the larger outer lamps, is there a good L.E.D bulb for them also?

thank you all.
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[Steve M.]

Do you have "E code" European glass lenses in there now or the USA DOT approved glass lenses in there?
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[bobbyblack]

I have tried LEDs on the High only (inner) housings, no luck yet. These sucked, I'd avoid them if you are tempted:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SV6L58C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1



These are what I am running now in my Lo-High (outer) housings, and they do a good job.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VF52VFT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[zerotofifty]

[vwhammer]

Inevitably, every LED-bulb-in-stock-housings thread always has the comment that it simply does not work so let me be the first to say it.

LED bulbs in stock housings simply do not work.
This will be especially true with US spec housings.
Everyone who runs them and thinks they work simply just sees a brighter in a fancy color with little consideration for the throw, beam pattern and actual output.

This does not even mention the fact that the super bright pattern is usually just blinding everyone else on the road.

money would be better spent on new e codes and some quality bulbs
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Pretty normal daily driver build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=708418&highlight=

4x4 build
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/volkswagen-vanagon-4x4-conversion.162055/

[jimf909]

[zerotofifty]

I know LED can cause blinding for oncoming drivers, but I dont care if it is high beams being blinding, as I only run high beam when there is no on coming drivers.
I tried high watt halogen bulbs but had to down grade back to stock like bulbs as the current draw was too high for the stock fuse panel, yes I added relays. I am hoping a super bright LED for High Beam will light up things more, without the current draw issues, For low beams I can live with the stock halogen type bulbs.
I am trying to avoid the alternative which will be a fused fat wire from battery to power the relays which is needed if I run high watts.

What E codes fit? Will this be E code with LED?
_________________
Sorry About That Chief.

Give Peace a Chance.

Words to live by.

[Steve M.]

[Steve M.]

Another point to be made right now is that the LED's are not going to produce heat to melt any ice accumulation from driving in the snow like the halogen bulbs do.
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[Steve M.]

[tjet]

Are the E-Code high beams different from the DOT high beams?

I seem to recall the only difference was in the low beam lens.

[Red Ryder]

[jimf909]

Before the e-code kit was available from BusDepot, etc. a few folks were installing domestic e-code assemblies. This is what I did (only for the outer low/high lamps) and the change is dramatic both for low and high beams (meaning the 60 watt high beam in the outer lights, not the center high-beam only light).

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=583876&postorder=asc

Cruddy old DOT on the left, e-code hack on the right (low beams, 55 watt halogen lamp)

Look closely through the lens through the reflector of your stock headlights. It's not just the design of the lens that is poor, the 35 year old reflector may no longer reflect very well. Mine was bubbled and scratched and worn through. Years ago it was common for folks to clean the inside of the Vanagon headlights, this looks like it got an aggressive scrubbing. Maybe it's unusual or maybe this is what yours look like.

I know you're thinking center high-beams but you may be pleased if you address the outer lights as well.
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- Jim

[jimf909]

[tjet]

Jim - is that the Ford bucket mod?

[dhaavers]

What a great reminder! Over the years I've added relays, tried high wattage halogens as
well as 2 or 3 different LED bulbs in both low & high beams...none with great results.

Bus Depot gets my Christmas money for E-codes, today!

"See ya", suckahs!

- Dave
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>

[jimf909]

[tjet]

Cool, thanks for posting.

So I'm going to do the Ford bucket mod on my OE Vanagon DOT crappy headlights - which I took out years ago for real VW Transporter Hella E-codes.

However, instead of installing a Hella halogen E-code lamp, I'm going to install a pair of Morimoto 5x7 LED lamp replacements. Glad I saved the Vanagon DOT lamps.
I have a Morimoto LED 4x6 lamp in my motocycle. Huge difference

https://www.morimotohid.com/Sealed-Beam-Holley-RetroBright-LED-Headlights-5x7_3?quantity=1

I know someone will comment and say to switch to round 7", but I like prefer the look of rectangular headlights.


Link

[bobbyblack]

That BusDepot offering looks great. Now that I have fuzzed and fuggled around with my Daily Driver, and added relays, and bought new adjusters, and tried multiple bulbs, and LEDs, the whole kit together looks perfect for my Weekend Warrior (my Pastel White L90D [R1] bus). Really, for a one and done kit, that is a real bargain compared with the time I have spent on my piecemeal / shotgun approach which still needs improvement on my Flash Silver DD.

While building my own adjusters was fun and all, and didn't cost me anything but my time, it sure was terrible compared with new. Oh, and the brand new adjusters I bought from a different vendor are something close to painful to install, adjust, and re-adjust when trying different lamps. At least one is so close to breaking I would consider a whole new kit on that bus as well. PITA, but I got to see better at night, no doubts about it...

The wildlife in my area frighten and confuse me. I can't believe how many carcasses of deer, raccoon, coyote, etc I see on a daily basis. There are literately thousands of feet of blood soaked highways on my daily commute. I have a somewhat close call to hitting a deer about once a week, and a squeaker once a month. I've hit so many of them over the years, its just sad. Sure, when people think of Iowa, they say, isn't that all terraformed flat farmland? Not true (well about 99% of it is, but I digress). I have not seen them, but Bear and Mt Lion sightings, and evidence are common right here in my own back yard. I both admire and respect this little paradise I was born into. I do think the DNR could do a much better job of managing deer populations though. Deer are pretty smart most of the year. I have witnessed hundreds of them about to cross a highway looking both ways before crossing. That behavior goes out the window in the rut season though. And that season corresponds with the time of year when it is dark when I leave work. At something like $500 delivered, the kit mentioned above, including all the relays and upgraded harness seems to be a real bargain over totaling my bus(es) from the lack of decent headlights.

[not affiliated with any of the Vanagon vendors selling this stuff, btw]

-bobby
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[Blaize]

Regarding the bus depot e codes. i have them and its worth mentioning its a good idea to seal them up before you install them. Nice as they are, they are still aftermarket and there is a reason they are so affordable. One of mine filled with water pretty quickly after I installed them. I took them back out, dried the wet one, and ran a very tight band of good quality electrical tape around the seam (3M 33+ tape). Hasn't happened since.
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there is a very fine line between "patina" and rusty.