What's with all the sealed beam hate?

[Jarlaxle]

Mopar Action just (this month) detailed a swap to LED headlights (on a Cherokee).

I have to say that when I went from sealed beams (1997 XJ, Sylvania Silverstars) to composites (Dakota), it was a noticeable improvement...though not as much as going from badly-pitted lenses to new ones on the Dak!

Note: the OP's buddy should check the headlight ground on his Ranger, if they're dim.

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Where is slant6Dan when you need him!!!!

 

[Mattax]

Where is slant6Dan when you need him!!!!

Dan Stern Lighting Bulb Tech available 24-7
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/bulbs.html

ntsqd,
The rewiring will be worth it for the peace of mind. As you probably know it is mostly an a-boy problem. I've had circuit breakers in the headlight switch trip open on several occassions and partially melted the connector to the headlight switch on another. None of these cars were rust buckets or otherwise obvious electrical basketcases. All had standard or Halogen sealed beams at the times of failure. In all of the wiring diagrams I've seen, only the A-bodies got 16 gage wire to the headlights. IIRC, everthing else used 14 gage.

On my Grand Wagoneer, I didn't bother with relays because the stock wiring is adaquate for stock wattages. So same experience as you on other vehicles - relay is not needed.

demoman3955 - Most likely H4. H4 is the dual filiment bulb and the Hella H4 housings are sold in the US for motorcycle use.

sealed beams may be old technology but they still work, maybe not as good as new cars but I can't see spending a bunch of money for something that may or may not work.

I think you're missing something here. Hardly any new cars use the headlights most of us are talking about. In fact many have crumby plastic lenses. H4s have been around since the 1960s. Chrysler engineer Scott Harvey considered them practically a neccessity on any rally car. The problem has been that until recent years they only had European approvals for road use. So in the US, a vehicle could be failed for inspection since the lenses did not have DOT markings. A few states actually enforced this, and eventually Hella made a version that was tested and marked DOT.

So if you buy an H4 assembly from a reputable company, there will be no question about whether it will work. It fits the same, uses the same connector and uses the same wattage as the sealed beam it is replacing. The lens will be made of glass and will have either DOT or E-code markings.

 

[nothingbutdarts]

Dan Stern Lighting Bulb Tech available 24-7
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/bulbs.html

ntsqd,
The rewiring will be worth it for the peace of mind. As you probably know it is mostly an a-boy problem. I've had circuit breakers in the headlight switch trip open on several occassions and partially melted the connector to the headlight switch on another. None of these cars were rust buckets or otherwise obvious electrical basketcases. All had standard or Halogen sealed beams at the times of failure. In all of the wiring diagrams I've seen, only the A-bodies got 16 gage wire to the headlights. IIRC, everthing else used 14 gage.

On my Grand Wagoneer, I didn't bother with relays because the stock wiring is adaquate for stock wattages. So same experience as you on other vehicles - relay is not needed.

demoman3955 - Most likely H4. H4 is the dual filiment bulb and the Hella H4 housings are sold in the US for motorcycle use.


I think you're missing something here. Hardly any new cars use the headlights most of us are talking about. In fact many have crumby plastic lenses. H4s have been around since the 1960s. Chrysler engineer Scott Harvey considered them practically a neccessity on any rally car. The problem has been that until recent years they only had European approvals for road use. So in the US, a vehicle could be failed for inspection since the lenses did not have DOT markings. A few states actually enforced this, and eventually Hella made a version that was tested and marked DOT.

So if you buy an H4 assembly from a reputable company, there will be no question about whether it will work. It fits the same, uses the same connector and uses the same wattage as the sealed beam it is replacing. The lens will be made of glass and will have either DOT or E-code markings.

Thank You!

 

[ntsqd]

snip....
ntsqd,
The rewiring will be worth it for the peace of mind. As you probably know it is mostly an a-boy problem. I've had circuit breakers in the headlight switch trip open on several occassions and partially melted the connector to the headlight switch on another. .....

Yep, had the HL breaker in a K5 Blazer pop several times before I just gave up and drove by the full moon's light. Would have been OK if it weren't for the herd of "free range" Buffalo bedded down on the road that I was trying to drive on. Dang, but those critters are dumber than cattle, and I didn't think that was possible.

Ordered this last night along with a full complement of relays, the Valiant will be getting relays for the HL's and I'll need the other relay positions for the TBI and the aux. lights. Already have the high temp HL connectors.

I can see the buy-in price not being worth it to some, but if you do drive a lot at night and you're doing it w/o a good set of 'E' code H4's (I wouldn't mess with those marked "DOT" unless your state inspection requires it - and then I think that I'd just swap in the old sealed beams for the inspection), then you really owe it to yourself to find out what you aren't seeing.