What relays to use for Head light relays

[SJ]

> Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 10:28:37 -0500
> From: David Head <v8q at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: Re: What relays to use for Head light relays
>
> One would think the post below to be series of intuitively obvious
> statements, but they are not...

**** Did I make the job sound too easy? Sometimes I forget that there are
people out there that have serious life skills impairments. I naturally
assume that those on this list are the "hands on" types.
I was lucky enough to have had an uncle who taught me carpentry, plumbing,
painting, staining, gardening, landscaping, electrical work and many other
things when I was still in grammar school. Much of the work described on
these pages seems simple enough to me . . . .with some tricky parts now and
then. I have to keep in mind that everything is not so simple for others.


> Not all of us are retired nuclear electrical engineers. ;-) Or even for
> that matter marginally competent electricians.
> I have 2 ratcheting crimpers from Home Depot (one for solderless
> terminals and one for RJ) and - I consider them marginal, at best. They
> also cost, as I recall, around 40+ bucks apiece. They also only do a
> competent crimp about 1/2 the time.

**** I believe that you get what you pay for. Of course, I look around for
the lowest price . . .on a quality tool.
I bought my Greenlee ratchet crimper from Graingers. Like you said, the
price was around $40. I have not experienced any problems with crimping.
In the beginning, I messed up a few crimps .. but that was before I learned
how to position the connector so the crimp would be centered. I assume that
people will use the right size connector for the wire size. Again, I am
assuming too much.
As for connectors, I generally dont buy from Home Depot . . .. I buy them
from an Electrical Parts store . .. Thomas and Betts connectors. Who knows
what Home Depot sells.
When doing the connections, I also use Noalux on the wires. I've had this
stuff for 25 years now and cant seem to get rid of it. Noalux is a compound
that looks like Anti-seize compound. It was developed to prevent oxidation
on aluminum wires in house wiring/commercial wiring applications. I put some
Noalux in the connector and dip the wire ends into it before doing the
crimp. What the hell . .maybe the connection will last 100 years instead of
50.

> I've got enough relays, wiring, solderless terminals, heat shrink,
> soldering irons, flux, solder and tools to do just about damn near
anything.
> So for those in my camp, slap one together. Chances are it still won't
> be as nice or reliable as one from suvlights - but it will work. Cross
> your fingers and hope it doesn't decide to 'not' work at 80 plus in the
> mountains on a moonless night.

**** Anything is possible, thats why the low and high beams are on separate
circuits. Redundancy as the Navy likes it.
I mentioned that I liked those Suvlight connectors . .no wires to cut. IF
something should fail, you can always unplug the connectors and plug in the
original wiring. More redundancy.
I'll be putting in headlamp relays on my 85 Dodge truck today. The wife
cooks, I play.
I bought new lamp sockets to use on the lamps, and will use male spade lugs
to connect to the old lamp sockets for the relay circuit. Not quite how
Suvlight does it, but close enough.


> For those not in the group above, by the time you buy the tools and
> parts needed to properly construct a harness you'll pay 3 to 4 times
> what a professionally assembled one will cost.

**** Yeppers. But, if in the future, you have to do similar work with
crimpers and connectors . . .. its worth the cost of buying your own.


> Not to mention what your time is worth. For me, its priceless. At a
> minimum, 40 bucks an hour.
**** Your time is worth 40 bucks an hour only if you have work piled up in
front of you at $40 bucks an hour. Do you have unlimited overtime at work?
And dont forget that to pay $50 (after tax dollars) for a ready made
harness, you need to make about $75 gross.
And of course, the joy of making your own things is priceless!!!! (gag)

> When the time comes, I'll buy 2 harnesses from suvlights.com since I've
> got 2 V8s... Plus the one on jackstands for 4 years... (actually 3
> years, 11 months and 17 days). I'll seal the connections with a dab of
> silicone to make them splash resistant.

**** And check the relays themselves, some are not waterproof. If you do not
use a relay protective housing, it may pay to seal the relays at the
lug/plastic interface and at the body/cover interface.

I've been playing with my assortment of relays, and the black, 40 amp, Bosch
relays ( P/N 431 951 253 H) are sealed units. The grey, "SHO" label relays
are not sealed.

Now I have a question for you Dave. In stores, one can find many parts such
as replacement battery cables and car stereo wires with connectors for #8,
#6, #4 wires. I have wondered how do they expect the purchaser to crimp
these things? Hammer and punch?
I once had a chit chat with a car radio tech at Circuit City regarding
crimps and crimping . . . . "Oh yeah, for the smaller stuff I use a pair of
dikes . .and for the big stuff I use a big  hammer."   No thanks, I'll do my
own work.

>
> Dave
> EMCM(SW) retired
> once one of 4 people in the Navy certified to crimp 4160V reactor
> coolant pump cabling.
> Application Engineer
> Cardinal Health - Automation and Information Services

SJ
Jack of all Trades . . . . you have to be if you own your own house . .and
have 2 Audis and one Dodge truck.