[Vwdiesel] H4 headlights, relays and the proper speedo drive and other stuff

[James Hansen]

I used to drive the original light show. After hitting a deer with my A2 Jetta, the plastic things benevolently called "headlights" by the DOT and grill were broken anyway, so I procured the GTI conversion for it, transforming it to a 4 light setup, an 7" H4 outer, with and 5.75" H3 inner driving light.  I also put fogs under the bumper.  Interestingly enough, it was still dim.
I measured voltage drop and it was something ridiculous, like how could it still make light ridiculous, so I installed 3 relays, high beam, low beam, and fog, and found the correct dash switch to run the fogs. Now with the relays, I installed 80/100 H4 bulbs, 100w H3's in the drivers, and 100w H3 in the fogs.  The 90 amp alternator whirred pretty good, and I swear you could see paint blister on the garage door at night. In the fog. at -30. Uphill. Inside the garage. It was awesome.

Without relays, the stock circuitry has far too much voltage drop to accommodate much load, especially a load increase, and actually puts your plugs on the back of the fuse panel at risk.  Even with stock H4 bulbs, they will get warm.  Post relay installation, even before the big bulbs, it was spectacular how much whiter the light is just from getting 14v as opposed to a weak 12v.  If you are trying to avoid deer, with 100w halogen high beams, you see them no trouble, add a set of 100 watt driving lamps, they run away when their fur starts to smoke.  I can't stress enough how much improvement a relay is.  The stock wiring especially on aged connections is far from up to the load.

Stearn is a cool dude, prices are okay.
He's old school benz, which is where the customer service protocol comes from.  At least you will get good relays, which are getting harder to come by, at least for me here.  
Didn't Roger have a headlamp relay kit all figured out and for sale?  I'm thinking that would be pretty good as well (and Roger is also pretty cool)

-James


-----Original Message-----
From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On Behalf Of dieseltdi at verizon.net
Sent: February-27-14 7:44 PM
To: vw fans
Subject: [Vwdiesel] H4 headlights, relays and the proper speedo drive and other stuff

It has been a while since I updated the trials and tribulations of my 82 Jetta GTD so I thought I would pass a few things on.  Although the Jetta has 4 headlights on the front, I have never been satisfied with the poor light output from them even on bright, so when I had a chance on ebay to buy a set of H4 lights, I jumped on it.  Imagine my disappointment when they seemed to be dimmer than the original lights AND all four lights glowed on low beam and only the center lights turned on at high beam.  In desperation, I called my son who has much experience with Scirocco lights which are identical.  He basically told me to dump the stock wiring and relay the lights.  I did an internet search and did what he suggested.  Sure enough, by using the existing left side wiring to trigger the relays and taking power directly from the battery feed, I manage to get some really superior lighting.  All the lights are bright white and all four come on on the bright setting.

Many of you know that I had some temperature problems with the jetta so I replaced the thermostat and then the fan thermoswitch.   This has solved all the heating problems but I am about to mount a temperature sensor to the front hose outlet on the engine to have an accurate temperature setting.  I had wondered if the temperature problems were part of my low mpg problems but that didn’t seem to change anything.  Then one evening, I was reading up on 5th gear swaps to lower rpms and came upon a statement that I wasn’t aware of.  I have known that there were several types of speedo drive gears, each denoted by a color and each having different teeth.  What I hadn’t really understood is that the gear is matched to the transmission based on the final drive number.  Turns out the 3.67 final drive in the CHD transmission requires the red drive gear.  I got one and installed it.  I then took the car out for a long drive with the GPS to test it.  Low and behold, speedo is absolutely accurate now.  Well at least in terms of VW speedos.  When cruising at 60 the GPS fluctuated between 59 and 61.  I filled up at the same time I installed the new drive gear so I could get a good measure of the difference.  Sure enough, my mpg went from 33 mpg to 42 mpg.  The best I have ever gotten in the car was 37 so I am very pleased.  The 42 mpg tank was 316 miles on just under ½ a tank (I fill all the way to the neck) and was ⅓ highway speeds and ⅔ back and forth to work.  The current tank will be all just back and forth to work and I can tell from the gauge that I am probably getting in the upper 37-39 range.  This takes a big weight off my shoulders as I was beginning to think I was going to have to do something drastic to fix the problem.  I am still going to do a 5th gear swap into a spare CHD transmission I bought.  I have a FN that I intend to remove the 5th gear from, then take it to a local shop to get it installed.  From the Bentley, I fill like I can remove the gears, just don’t want to chance doing something wrong
.
One last think, I know someone on here said that they are running a volvo sandwich oil cooler (Bryan?),  I just got one and I want to know what the opening temperature for the built in thermostat?  Thanks, Hayden

“There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.” 
“I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run."
“I cannot help fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all.”  Alexis de Tocqueville

Proud owner of:
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel
1968 Beetle, Still in progress
1982 VW Jetta Coupe GTD "FrankenJetta"
And many, many, many VWs; from a 1947 Beetle (13 Beetles total), to Vans (5 - 3 splitties  2 bay window (both were campers), 1 Vanagon Westy, Rabbits (3), Karmen Ghia (1), Jettas (11), Passats (2), Dasher (1), New Beetle (1), Rabbit Convertible (1) and Rabbit Pickups (3) most now gone but not forgotten.






















_______________________________________________
Vwdiesel mailing list
Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel