~LXA~
Dunmurry | Stuttgart | Leipzig | Munich | Tochigi | Fremont | Bratislava | Sindelfingen | Kansas City | Oakville | Coventry
I know mine never really felt hot anymore. From my thread you can see that they are also way brighter than the hids which I had that were also brighter than stock.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
So now the way my car is wired in stock form the outer bulbs run the high beam elements when low beam is selected. Maybe I'm confused. Can someone else check this for me? Now the high beam seems to run the way the H4 socket with both elements on.
Last edited by Bitsyncmaster; 05-23-2019 at 04:31 PM.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
I just plugged the Silver Star back into the car and measured the current flowing through the black ground wire. Engine running (my car charges at 14.6 volts) I get 5.04 amps on low beam and 3.80 amps on high beam. Voltage on the light terminals was 13.2 volts so the car wiring drops 1.4 volts. Maybe I should rewire that front end with larger wire.
I bench tested that bulb wired like the car is wired and I get 4.71 amps and 3.37 amps at 13.2 volts. The slight error in currents from the car test must be my clamp on amp gauge error or voltage noise not in my bench test.
Last edited by Bitsyncmaster; 05-23-2019 at 05:15 PM.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
Well I wired the passenger side socket for the H4 LED. Note the ground wire looks about 14 AWG and the two light wires I think are the 19 AWG. The British wire is not the same size as US AWG, they go by stands of wire.
Just turning the lights on, light is defiantly more white than the Silver Star bulb. I will back the car out and get some comparison photos of the light shining on my garage door later this evening. The drivers side is still wired stock so low beam on that side still drives 5 amps (I think both high and low beams) when low beam is selected.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
Here are two photos with the center two headlights taped over so they don't affect my high beam test. The photo with the two points of light is the low beam. The one with the pretty much same pattern is the high beam. So I think I can rotate the LED so the two points of light are the same height and I would have to adjust the aiming lower (is there no adjustment for height?)
I wonder if other LEDs have a better low beam pattern. I think the LEDs are brighter then the Silver Star bulbs but it may just be the whiter light from the LEDs.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
Here is a photo with the first LED installed in the passenger side inner light. Drivers side still has the Silver Star. Note the Silver star draws 4.7 amps at 13.2 volts (about three times the LED). Outer bulbs taped over.
One bad thing with these new housings is the "standoff" is a little to short at 0.84" where as the Silver Stars are 0.94" and the light surround does not clamp the housing tight. So I need to hot glue a spacer on each stand off or you will get a rattle of the bulb when driving. I've seen a few other stock looking housings so you may want to try those but these were the least expensive.
I'm thinking my LED is causing the aiming to be a little high because this LED is a little offset from center. I guess with the new LEDs when I get them will not be offset since the four sided LEDs look centered.
Last edited by Bitsyncmaster; 05-26-2019 at 07:02 AM.
Dave M vin 03572
http://dm-eng.weebly.com/
Last edited by DMC-81; 05-26-2019 at 01:51 PM.
Dana
1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 8,578
My VIN: 10757 1st place Concourse 1998
Just my guess but the problems with the front facia has nothing to do with any heat from the headlamps, rather, the main problem is from the sun. I believe that is what cause the deformation and the fading of the paint. As for current draw, anything you do that reduces the current draw can only help the headlight switch last longer. Especially for the running lights.
David Teitelbaum