How do they do it????

D

deadbugdug

Registered
I haven't seen this yet, so hopefully I'm not repeating the question...

I see that Lincoln calls for headlight bulb 9005 for both dim AND brights. Even my parts guy scratched his head at first.

So -- how do they do it? Do they step down the power to the dims? Do they just aim them differently? Other???????

I need to know because I'm going to pull the Tim Allen "So I rewired it" trick and use power from the headlight switch to operate a relay coil whilst (fused) power straight from the battery or alternator goes thru the relay contacts to the bulbs themselves. After I polish the lenses. Before I spend $1,000,000 on HID's. Before I make fiberglass housings to accomodate new "fisheye" looking euro headlights.

Mebbe I just won't drive 'er at night.......
 
RE: How do they do it????

Don't bother setting up relays, you won't notice a difference. You'll only get an extra couple tenths of a volt.

They do it by putting a nice opaque piece of metal over the low beam that completely blocks any direct light. The reflectors are also different in the low and high beams so that low beams aren't directed up at eye level.

If you want better light go buy new housings. I hear there are HIR bulbs available that can be used with the stock wiring that generate more light and less heat, which would hopefully eliminate the burning problem with the reflectors. If i still had a gen 1, i would put in new housings and HIR bulbs and see what happens. But i have a gen 2, so i don't have to mess with it :)
 
RE: How do they do it????

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
They do it by putting a nice opaque piece of metal over the low beam that completely blocks any direct light. If you want better light go buy new housings. [/div]

Boy, HOWDY do they have a metal "bucket" in there! As far as new housings, "OUCH!"

I just so happen to have a complete 2nd Mk8, slightly modified (the driver's door is severely caved in) (and no, I won't part it out. Sorry.)
I pulled one of the headlight assemblies for study and I see exactly what you're talking about. So my next logical question is:

"Has any of y'all removed part or all of the metal bucket jimmywhacker?" I'd think that would improve things, but I don't want to have folks flashing me for my low beams because I completely removed it. And yup, I realize it's gonna be fun "modifying" the bucket via the light bulb hole. I think I'll check with a junkyard to see if they have a busted housing for cheap / free for experimentation porpoises. In the mean time, I'd like to hear from anyone who's been down this road before (you know who you are!!!)

Thanks in advance..........
 
RE: How do they do it????

Before I switched over to HID's, I did remove the internal "bucket" from the stock lenses. I used a Dremel with an extension on it to get inside the housing. It took some time and patience, but I got it cut down into small enough pieces to get them out of the housing.

Next I installed PIA 9005 equivalent bulbs. That helped a bit and the oncoming drivers never flashed me to dim my lights (they still aren't that bright)... But even this is an improvement over the stock setup. I didn't run the lights in this condition long enough to know what damage would be done to the reflectors before I changed over to HID's.

Two things to mention about the HID's:

Expensive?____________________________ Yes
Worth every cent to see at night?________ HELL YES!!
 
RE: How do they do it????

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
Two things to mention about the HID's:
Expensive?____________________________ Yes
Worth every cent to see at night?________ HELL YES!!
[/div]

Whelp, I can't question experience. Unfortunately, I don't have the cash today to buy HID's. So, I'll follow your lead & meticulously remove the buckets and fly that way until I can upgrade to HID's. Not good, but better than my current situation.

Thanks again for sharing!
 
RE: How do they do it????

Did you price new, non HID housings?

People that have gone that route have indicated that it was a vast improvement over their old lights. Coupled with the new HIR bulbs it should provide good light.

Even if you don't want to spring for new housings, give the HIR's a try. I haven't seen a whole lot of testimonials on them, but it sounds promising. Supposedly it's just a coating on the inside of the bulb that reflects the heat back toward the filament, causing the filament to burn hotter and produce more light for the same wattage draw, while at the same time emitting less heat from the bulb. Depending on the price, maybe buy one and install it, and compare it to the other side. Then if it sucks you're not out as much $$.
 
RE: How do they do it????

It's no biggie to take out the reflectors if you just take your time. Surprised the heck out of me when I saw them too when I had my '94 Mark. If the lenses are shot (as in yellowed), it's probably not worth the effort. Look for the HID upgrade and you'll be amazed that you can actually see at night!!!

Good luck..
 
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