2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Sport headlamps

[Demon Dodge]

I am tired of the lack of headlight on my truck. Has anyone installed the sport lamps in their truck?

 

[todt061458]

Yes many have I am getting ready to do the mod myself this fall. Try the search function lots of info incl wiring sources for the quad headlights themself's halogen lighting info ect. :--) good luck searching.

 

[JGK]

Oh, yeah. A search will likely yield more reading material than you care to read!



Here's the short version: Headlamps and corner lamps can be had from the dealer or aftermarket. Sometimes you can get lucky and pickup used ones from wrecking yards via the net. You will have to cut some sheet metal behind the head lamp to accommodate the dual-bulb sport lamps. Not that big a deal.



The new lamps are powered directly from the battery via an add-on wiring harness that uses relays. The relays are triggered by the stock wiring system. The harnesses can be home brewed or purchased outright. Susquehanna Motor Sports is a good source of info and parts for the harness, and Summit Racing, I've heard, has the harnesses ready-to-go.



I built my own harness. 14ga wire for the bulbs, add on fuse box, Bosch relays and sockets, etc. Bought the lights via the used market on the web. I can light all 4 fillaments if I want. Vast improvement over stock. But I think I have $400 or more tied up in mine all said and done.



-Jay

 

[jkalchik]

http://www.suvlights.com also has complete harnesses, and also has the nifty little plugs that fit a 9004 socket if you're going make your own wiring harness.



I picked up a pair of Depo aftermarket Sport headlights from the local http://www.certifit.com outlet, for about $30 less than I could find them anywhere else.

 

[Extreme1]

I have less than $100 in my conversion. I got both lights off eBay for less than $50, one was listed wrong. I made my own harness with Bosch relays using the stock system only to trigger the relays like JGK did. On low beam I have the low beam filiment of the low beam lamp lit. On high beam I have the low beam filiment of the low beam lamp and the high beam elemant of the high beam lamp lit. I no longer need the driving lights I was going to add.



I got the wire and light connectors at the local Fleet Farm store, the male plug is an old light base with wires soldered to it then filled with silicone. It's the same thing the Brite Box has. I had a bright box but after I saw it I sent it back and made my own system which is better.

 

[JGK]

http://www.suvlights.com also has complete harnesses, and also has the nifty little plugs that fit a 9004 socket if you're going make your own wiring harness...

Yeah! That was the other place. I couldn't remember it. I think that's where I got my sockets and relays. Thanks jkalchik.



Geez, Extreme1, you did good! As I remember, I had to buy one or 2 corner lamps new, but the main housings were used. Maybe $150 tied up in those. About $100 in relays & sockets (3 sets per side) and plugs for the bulbs and to connect to the stock harness, and another $150 more or less in wire, connectors, split loom, fuse block and housing, etc. When I hit the high beams, 3 filaments are lit. I also have an optional toggle switch to turn on the 4th, unused filament either in high or low beam.



-Jay

 

[Tardog]

Here are a few pics of my conversion, mostly sheet metal work. I uded a couple of bosch relays to get direct voltage to the bulbs. They will take a bit to get aligned down the highway, adjust the lowbeams and the highs will follow. This is a money well spent conversion. https://www.turbodieselregister.com/user_gallery/displayalbum.php?&userid=10439&albumid=431

 

[Extreme1]

Geez, Extreme1, you did good! As I remember, I had to buy one or 2 corner lamps new, but the main housings were used. Maybe $150 tied up in those. About $100 in relays & sockets (3 sets per side) and plugs for the bulbs and to connect to the stock harness, and another $150 more or less in wire, connectors, split loom, fuse block and housing, etc. When I hit the high beams, 3 fillaments are lit. I also have an optional toggle switch to turn on the 4th, unused fillament either in high or low beam.



-Jay

I was pretty lucky. I watched eBeay for a few weeks to get them. One has a small chip but they both came as assemblies with the parking lights. I built one harness for both sides using 2 relays and a diode. The electrical supply house sells them for about $5 or $6 and another $3 for the harness. AutoZone had the light connectors and I had a couple dead bulbs around for the harness connectors. I plugged one with silicone to keep the unused factory harness from corroding. I silver soldered and heat shrank (shrunk?) everything and I keep split loom and wire around because you never know. I got a deal on a box of heat shrink at a swap meet a few years ago, I haven't put a dent in it yet.



Are you lighting both filiments on the high beam or the low beam? I thought that there might be overheating if that was done.

 

[JGK]

I light both hi beam filaments when I hit the hi-beam switch. I have a mini toggle switch next to the headlight knob to turn on the normally-unused low beam filament.



So far I haven't had any problem with overheating. Some folks reported overheating and melting of the housing, others didn't. My impression was that perhaps the aftermarket housings aren't as heat proof. I rarely use all 4 at once. And frankly, its not all that often I use the hi beams for extended periods. The un-used low beam seems to light up straight down the road mostly, not much off to the sides. Its been said they are a little harsh on on-coming traffic in town. But out on rural roads all 4 sure light up your path! You also get the attention of on-coming drivers who forget to dim their lights



FWIW: I drove my friend's '98 with stock lights home one night last spring while we were doing major surgery on mine in his shop. Lordy, I'd forgotten how bad the stock lights really were!



-Jay

 

[Thomas]

... Are you lighting both filiments on the high beam or the low beam? I thought that there might be overheating if that was done.

The OEM Sport lamps use the outboard (9007) low filaments only on low beam. On high beam they use the inboard (9004) as well as the outboard (9007) high beam filaments only.



When I transplanted Sport lamps into my model year 2000 Ram several years ago I built a harness that lit all four low-beam filaments on low beam. On high beam, I was burning four low-beam filaments plus four high-beam filaments for a total of 460 watts of forward lighting vs. the 130 watts possible from the factory on non-Sport Rams. I have also done the fogs-on-with-high-beam modification (75 watts) and have PIAA 60XT driving lamps (170 watts) in the bumper inboard of the fog lamps.



After about six months I noticed, upon close inspection, a slight color change of the reflector within a half inch of the base of the inboard bulbs. I disabled the inboard low-beam filaments immediately and have seen no more changes. The factory doesn't wire these filaments nor design the reflector to work efficiently with them.



These are the lamps all second generation Rams should have been built with. The outboard low beams do a noticeably better job than the non-Sport low beams. And on high beams burning six filaments there's just no contest. I almost never use the driving lamps now. In fact, had I installed the Sport lamps first, the PIAA's would never have been purchased.

 

[JGK]

Thomas,



Upon reading your post, and "reflecting" on it, you are right, of course! Both hi beam filaments are normally lit on "hi". The difference with mine, I think, is that I also leave the low beam filament lit in hi mode. Then I have the unsused low filament on a separate toggle switch which I can use in either hi or low mode.



-Jay

 

[Thomas]

We're running about the same setup. I had a wire where you have the toggle switch. I have since removed the wire.

 

[mcdaniel1]

A question for those that light the low beams with the high beams.



Diode ? what size and where do you connect it?

 

[JGK]

What diode?

 

[mcdaniel1]

I built one harness for both sides using 2 relays and a diode.

If no Diode, how are they connected to keep the low beam feed from back-feeding the high beam elements when Low is selected?



I am curious how this is done because I am considering this upgrade for my 98. I have worked out in my mind how to wire this upgrade using relays for the straight-forward (common) setup. But to run lows and highs from the high trigger has me wondering how this was accomplished. I had assumed a diode (which was mentioned above) , was just wondering the methods used by those that had lows and highs on at the same time.



On EDIT: Extreme1,

I have the diagrams figured out to power the lights using 2 relays and a diode. I am guessing that you used the diode to power the Low beam relay trigger circuit with the Hi beam trigger circuit. What size diode did you use?

 

[JGK]

I'm hoping with a little explanation (don't want to try to write a "white paper" here!) and the following link, you'll understand. I may be overly simplistic here but don't read anything into it - just trying to be clear



First, each bulb has 2 filaments. There are 3 leads - 1 common (ground) and 2 hot - one for each filament. You can light one or the other or both just depending on which hot leads you supply power to. Now consider the power. It comes directly from the battery but is switched by relays. Think one headlight assembly here for simplicity. One relay controls power from the battery for the standard low beam filament in 1 bulb in the new sport lights. A second relay can supply battery power for each hi beam filament in both bulbs. In my case, I have a 3rd relay that supplys the juice for the other (usually unused) low beam filament. That's the one I have on a separate toggle switch. All the bulbs can have a common ground.



The relays are triggered by the stock headlight harness. Your stock harness normally supplies power to the stock single low beam filament. For the new sport lights, that is re-routed to control the new relay (coil) for the new low beam filament in the dual sport lights. The hi beam switch in the stock harness is also re-routed, but to trigger the 2nd relay that powers the 2 high beam filaments in the sport lights. You can get plugs that mate up to the plugs in the stock harness that normally plug into the bulb socket on the back of the stock lights. Those new sockets are wired to the relays. So your stock switch only runs relays (the coils). The power for the bulbs in the new sport lights comes directly from the battery through the relays.



Now go check out the Daniel Stern site for more details and diagrams! (That's the best part).



Hope this helps!



-Jay

 

[mcdaniel1]

Thanks JGK, no offense taken.



The Stern site is great and the diagrams located there are very similar to what I had sketched out. Pretty straight forward stuff, basically the common wiring for sport lights.

When I hit the high beams, 3 filaments are lit. I also have an optional toggle switch to turn on the 4th, unused filament either in high or low beam.

I also leave the low beam filament lit in hi mode. Then I have the unsused low filament on a separate toggle switch which I can use in either hi or low mode.

By your statements above I understand it this way. (High Beams On)



9007 Hi and Low lit

9004 Hi lit

flip swith 9004 Low lit



I completely understand the third relay to power the 9004 Low via the toggle.



My question is the 9007 Low that is lit when the high circuit is triggered. How do you accomplish that without a Diode or a 4th relay.

 

[Thomas]

At some point, the headlight circuit on the Rams was changed from a switched +12 volt to a switched ground system. I do not know when the change occurred. Model years 2000-2002 definitely use switched ground. You need to know what method your model year uses before designing a harness. Here is the basic switched ground concept that was used at least as early as model year 2000 (probably earlier). If your truck uses switched ground, +12 volts will always be present at the common contact of the 9004 bulb socket. Otherwise, the common contact will be attached to ground, as suggested by Jay.



A harness that works with model year 2000-2002 (and possibly earlier) Rams can be found here. The relay shown in red could probably be eliminated by the correct placement of a diode.

 

[JGK]

My question is the 9007 Low that is lit when the high circuit is triggered. How do you accomplish that without a Diode or a 4th relay.

Hmmm. I see your confusion. It seemed so obvious to me until I read your question above! I'm stumped! Its just been a little too long to remember the details. I'll have to dig out my drawings and notes tonight to see if I have that written down. I'm thinkin' I did something in the steering column to the wires from the multi-function switch for hi-low beam selection (jumper wire?).



As to the issue of switched hot vs switched ground, I'm not sure which mine is off hand, but if I had to guess, I think my stock harness is the traditional switched hot. In either case, it's not that much of an issue in my case since the stock harness just runs the relay coils.



I'll dig out my notes and update this post tonight with whatever I learn.



-Jay

 

[Thomas]

... As to the issue of switched hot vs switched ground, I'm not sure which mine is off hand, but if I had to guess, I think my stock harness is the traditional switched hot. In either case, it's not that much of an issue in my case since the stock harness just runs the relay coils...

It seems to me that it would be a huge issue. Every add-on harness with relays I've come across uses the OEM harness to energize the relay coils. I don't see how a new harness with relays could be easily designed to plug into the OEM harness without considering "switched hot vs switched ground".



The reason I mentioned switched ground is that more than one poster on this board has seemed surprised and puzzled when finding +12 volts at the bulb socket with the headlight switch in the off position, not something they would expect if their learning curve was heavily older vehicles.