HID headlights

[BenDiesel]

Anyone done this? Any problems? all help is appreciated.



I have an 03 and I want to Install HIDs, use the factory switch and have no lamp out light on. I think I might be able to trick the BCM with a 1157 or 3057 bulb and socket to give me the right amount of load to use the factory wiring to drive relays to power the Ballast/ Igniter. just trying to get all the possible situations running through my head before I start the Install.





thanks



Ben

 

[monkeyman]

I have a 2002 with a conversion kit I bought on E-bay. Only problem is they are really bright and blind people. It plugged into stock cables.

Rick

 

[p-Bar]

Ben,

Don't do the conversion HID they are junk and the goverment is trying to them off the market. These guys will convert yuor lights with the real thing. www.hidtech.com about 1000. 00

 

[Jeremiah]

The problem isn't so much bulb as it is the reflector. The reflector spreads the light around instead of focusing it down the road. I don't think there is a cure. I bought the Brite Lite package or whatever it's called, the one that turns on everything. It's great up close but it still doesn't shoot a beam down the road. That's a reflector issue and a design fault that's liable to get some driver killed because he can't see down the road far enough at night. My Honda has brighter lights than my truck!

 

[BRobertson]

Jeremiah is correct, the problem with the kits that retrofit the HID bulbs into the factory housing is that the light is scattered and wasted. (it also blinds the oncoming traffic because there is not a horizontal cutoff for low beam, like the quality projector HID headlights. The HID kits that replace the 9004 and 9007 bulbs are illegal because of this, and have given HID a bad name.

When someone experiences a quality projector HID they will be greatly impressed. (there is a vast quality spread in the HID lights available and I wasn't impressed with the first several experiences I had).

Also it is illegal to retrofit a projector into the factory housing, you basically have to construct a new housing.

Bob

 

[Yo Hoot]

I agree and I think everybody and their mother does, the headlights on the 2003-up trucks suck big time.



I am considering adding auxiliary driving lights.

 

[Jeremiah]

Poor headlight design

Roof- or bumper-mounted aftermarket driving lights are the only solution to this factory faux pas. Until Daimler Chrysler figures out they screwed up and offers a whole new headlight assembly, things aren't likely to improve. Owners who switch to brighter bulbs only are wasting their money.

 

[Got HO?]

Roof- or bumper-mounted aftermarket driving lights are the only solution to this factory faux pas. Until Daimler Chrysler figures out they screwed up and offers a whole new headlight assembly, things aren't likely to improve. Owners who switch to brighter bulbs only are wasting their money.

I switched to Silverstars in headlights & foglights & also added a dainty little set of Hella Rallye 4000's to the front bumper. Night vision has improved considerably



The Silverstars definitely do make a difference.

 

[LesStallings]

What's the part number for the Silverstars?? Someone said Walmart had them in the auto section, true? I need to do something to improve my 2004 lights.



Thanks!

 

[Evan A. Beck]

Hey Ben, the way I had planned to do it and avoid the 'lamp out' light was to swap the fog light and main headlight circuits. The fog lights are not part of the system that the FCM (Forward Control Module) monitors. Just the headlights, front turn signals, taillights, and brake lights are. You will also notice on your truck I added a separate relay under the dash for the foglights. I also ran wiring out to each foglight using 16 gauge wire as opposed to the facotry 20 gauge, and just tucked the OEM harness out of the way. Originally, I had 9006 HID lights in the fogs, and they worked great. A ballast ended up not being sealed correctly and failed, which is why I took everything out. After all, I was going to sell the truck soon anyhow. So all you need to do is use the wiring I ran to power up your HID lights in the main headlight housings. Connect the old OEM headlight wiring to the foglights, and you should be all set, complete with no 'lamp out' light. You would, of course, need to fit the 9007 headlight bulbs into the 9006 foglights.



Another option is to buy the Mopar accessory foglight switch, and use that to power the OEM foglights while using the original foglight switch for the HIDs. THe accessory switch is pretty cool, lights up and even has a foglight icon on it. Then all you have to do is plug bulbs in the factory wiring for the main headlights, tuck them away behind the housings, and remember to never turn them on.



One other thing to keep in mind. The main OEM headlights use a PWM signal to illuminate, and some guys have had problems powering up a relay off that circuit. I read about a guy who installed HIDs a while back and used the factory headlight wiring to trigger a relay. He did not know about the PWM signal. The relay would turn on and off so fast, it was not detectable, but he kept on going through ballasts. Turns out they don't like to be turned on and off dozens of time each second! You would need some sort of solid-state circuitry to use the factory headlight wiring as a trigger.

 

[p-Bar]

What's the part number for the Silverstars?? Someone said Walmart had them in the auto section, true? I need to do something to improve my 2004 lights.



Thanks!

9007's for the headlights

9006's for the fogs

 

[Jeremiah]

Got HO, would you say the Hellas are what put a beam down the road (as opposed to just lighting up the world close in)?

 

[Got HO?]

Got HO, would you say the Hellas are what put a beam down the road (as opposed to just lighting up the world close in)?

The Silverstars certainly inprove the low beams & foglights, the Hellas really shine (pun intended :-laf ) for long distance lighting. I masked the high beams on a dark country road & honestly couldn't see too much difference without them, except for some peripheral lighting up to 100 yards. I have them wired through a relay, activated by the high beams.

 

[LesStallings]

9007's for the headlights

9006's for the fogs

Thanks. You've saved me time and most likely the headache of picking up the wrong ones!!

 

[brownc1]

2005 headlights

Just reading up... have a 2005 I will pick up in a few days. Are the headlight problems resolved in the 2005? Mine was made circa August 2005. If not, are their add-ons I could buy from the dealer? I see suggestions about different bulbs etc. But I often drive in backcountry situations where light is a real need. Are there particularly good driving lights for this rig? The dealer is a very large one in Idaho with a major line of accessories and they may be able to get what is suggested if it isn't in stock, Also, as I read the postings I see references to transmission models (S56) and other bits and pieces. Is there a place i can submit my VIN and find out what is on this truck?





2005 3500 TD flame red with matching canopy with special battery pac in canopy to drive 12V tools etc, mud flaps, 6 speed, tow setup, airhorn,fuel pressure guage, shiny new owner with diesel learner kit. Thanks Stretch

 

[MABurns]

I have them wired through a relay, activated by the high beams.

Could you possibly explain how you did that. I have a pair of Hella 4000s on the back of a brown truck somewhere and want to wire them so with the switch on the turn on and off when the high beams are turned on.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Got HO?]

Could you possibly explain how you did that. I have a pair of Hella 4000s on the back of a brown truck somewhere and want to wire them so with the switch on the turn on and off when the high beams are turned on.



Thanks in advance.

Its quite easy. I used the high beam power wire (tapped into it at the headlight) to feed terminal 85 of the relay. The relay is wired normally otherwise (check the diagram that should come with it). Terminal 87 feeds the lights, 86 is ground & 30 (going by memory here ) is battery positive. Make sure you have an in-line fuse on the battery feed close to the battery. You can also take the high beam feed wire inside the cab through a cut-off switch so that you can run high beams without the auxiliary lights if you want to.

 

[DF5152]

anyone try these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-0...ewItemQQcategoryZ33710QQitemZ8017270664QQrdZ1

 

[MABurns]

Its quite easy.

Two things I don't like doing.



1. Math in public



2. Any type of wiring or work with electricity.



I am not very good at either.

 

[MABurns]

Its quite easy. I used the high beam power wire (tapped into it at the headlight) to feed terminal 85 of the relay. The relay is wired normally otherwise (check the diagram that should come with it). Terminal 87 feeds the lights, 86 is ground & 30 (going by memory here ) is battery positive. Make sure you have an in-line fuse on the battery feed close to the battery. You can also take the high beam feed wire inside the cab through a cut-off switch so that you can run high beams without the auxiliary lights if you want to.

Do you recall the color of the high beam wire at the assembly?