In article <9511031136.ZM5336@zeu.tt.umist.ac.uk>,
"Chris Boston" <cboston@zeu.tt.umist.ac.uk> wrote:
> Now that the days are getting shorter (At least here in U.K. they are). I am
> beginning to really struggle to see anything through the windscreen. The
> reason: Those pathetic headlights fixed to the front of my spit.
First of all, I would have checked a couple of things:
1. First of all, check the voltage drop. Park the car with the
headlights on, and measure the voltage across the actual
bulb terminals (you might have to ease back the connector a
little for this).
(In case you don't have a voltmeter, you can get an OK one for
#10 in an electronics hobby shop, and its worth every penny.)
Then measure the voltage across the battery. The difference is the
voltage drop. If it is larger than say 0.5 Volts, you definitely
should do something about it. The prime causes are usually the head-
lamp switch, the connector, and the ground connection.
The best fix is to rewire a circuit with heavy gauge wires from a
good power source (battery or starter) to a twin or two seperate
relays, then to the lamps (new connectors) and then back to a *good*
ground point (e.g. battery). Use the standard wires for the
relay coils. Don't skimp on the relay, cheap relays may have a
tendency to burn/stick.
2. Check the system charging voltage with engine running at say 2000
rpm, and headlamps lit. It should definitely be above 13.5 Volts,
around 14 is OK.
If you have a DC generator, the voltage can be adjusted in the
control box. The output of an AC alternator can be increased
by 0.7 Volts by adding a diode in series with the regulator
feed.
THEN get halogens. You won't believe the difference. Even those tiny
5-something inch units can provide surprisingly good light, as long as
they are kept clean and the reflector is good.
I did the above for my 2.5 PI, and changed the centre lamps to Cibie
long range units for good measure. The light is very good, better
than on any modern car I've ever driven.
Note that with a bad wiring, switching to halogen lights may often provide
*less* light. It's not difficult to show why.
The wiring update will probably give you more improvement (do both by
all means). In addition, a bad switch will generate so much heat that
it will eventually fail. Quite nasty! Just fitting halogens will increase
this danger.
> Can any of you good folk recommend a GOOD set of replacement headlights
> and/or suggest the type of bulb/wattage I should be looking for.
There is IMHO no reason to go to silly (and illegal) wattages. I've
used Bosch and Cibie units, which both seem to work well. There are some
new fancy (and expensive) bulbs with a yellowish light and an increased
output at the standard wattage, but I haven't tried them.
Egil
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Email: egilk@oslonett.no Voice: +47 22523641/92022780 Fax: +47 22525899
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