Headlights — Low Beam working; High Beams out

[Spindrift]

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I am trying to solve a headlight mystery. My van came with two working headlights (the two outermost) and two non-working (inner two). The working lights appear to have hi and low but they are both pretty lame/dim. My thought was that someone replaced the outer most bulbs/connections so they could get away with just running two lights. The inner lights appear to just have one filament. But I am confused.

I guess my question is...

1) Are all four bulbs supposed to be the same 2 filament bulbs with BOTH high and low?

OR

2) Are two for low beam and all four for high beam?

OR

3) Are two low and two higher output but they all run when on high?

Good lights are super important to me. I just cut a hole in my vintage motorcycle's sealed beam and hot glued in Halogen because bad lighting drives me batty.

I also would like to hear what brands or candle power people run on their vans and if they have a good source for replacements.

Thanks and sorry for my nativity.

[kcg795]

Two outer lights are dual beam and the two inner lights are high beam. So when you switch them to high beam, the outer lights switch to a high beam pattern while the high beams turn on. I am not sure exactly what's going on with your lights. Does the other lights go into "high beam" mode while the inner lights stay off? Some wires to check are in the steering column. That main plug can short out. Also, check the connection for the relay. The headlights typically won't work at all if that relay is bad. Also, check the fuses. If all else fails, you can do what I did and just rewire it with aftermarket relays and thicker gauge wiring. You'd still be able to use the OEM stalk switch and high low switch, but they'd be wired to the new relays that supply power to the headlights straight from the battery.

If you want a step up from sealed beams, get the AutoPal E-Code housings from eBay. Then get a set of OSRAM 80/85 Watt H4 Rally bulbs, if you can find them, but ONLY if you do that wiring upgrade. Otherwise, stick to 55/65 Watt H4s. They'll still be brighter than your sealed beams. The AutoPal lights have a pretty sharp cutoff. Here's a video I took back in 2006 when I changed my headlights over.



You can also do HID, but I'm not sure how well the AutoPal lights can handle the extra light. I'm thinking about trying a set of H4 Bi-Xenon bulbs in them. I'm not going to go with a cheap Chinese kit either. I want something that's going to be with the same focal point as the H4 Halogen bulbs. Most HID kits that are installed in a reflector meant for halogens are usually blinding because the focal points are WAY off. So watch out. Also, stick with 4,300k for color temperature. The higher the color temperature, the bluer and dimmer the light. Also, blue will glare more.

Next is a projector retrofit (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.) This is where you managed to squeeze HID projectors in your headlights. The HID projectors produce a nice, clean cutoff. The 4x6" headlights are a little more tricky to retrofit, due to their size. But with some modification, the Morimoto Mini H1 Bi-Xenon projectors from The Retrofit Source should work just fine. They are a decent projector for the price.



These are the Mini H1s in my Cobalt. I want to redo my retrofit in my Cobalt next year with FX-R projectors. They have a better high beam so I can see even farther. I think I might be retrofitting these Mini H1s either in my Van or my Mom's 93 Concorde. They might not fit in the Concorde's headlights, so we'll see. So yeah. If you want maximum light output and coverage, you can't go wrong with Bi-Xenon projectors.

[Spindrift]

Wow kcg795 you are a headlight mad scientist.

First off thank you for the help and video reference AND BIG THANKS for solving the riddle. I was just trying to figure out how they were originally supposed to work. That makes me think I can just get the two inner high beams and be good to go. I got into this headlight stuff late last night and I didn't even test the bulbs.

I have the battery out at the moment because I am replacing fuel injectors and all the rubber. Working on other little bits while I wait on parts. I will check the bulbs with a little battery tonight and if they work I will check my wiring... later when I install the battery. I think I will just go to stock but will look into the bulb (halogen basic) bulb idea. I just want modern lighting = halogen.

A buddy of mine built a ratrocket recently and put a pair of little halogen housing/lenses that he got for 20 bucks at autozone (or something) for the headlights. I was thinking of getting the same kind of housings (i think there is a term for these) and putting some single element BRIGHT lights in there for when I explore dirt roads with no traffic. (Eastern Oregon mostly) I would mount those maybe under the bumper or something.

Thanks again!

[kcg795]

Also, keep in mind that the wiring for the H4656 sealed beam lamp is different than the wiring for an H4 bulb. The plug is the same, but the wiring is different. So you gotta switch a couple wires around for it to work if you wanted to go with an H4 setup. Also, most sealed beams have been halogen for years. Some of them still aren't bright enough and don't produce a sharp cutoff.

[trestlehed]

Once you figure out if you have any wiring problems and fix it...
You can try the Sylvania Silverstar headlights. I put a pair in my van and they are a vast improvement in brightness.

See this thread on TVP:
http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum...tar+headlights


Here is the Sylvania website link with headlight application search:
http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applic...n.aspx#fldYear

For your 85 van I came up with these lights:
Low beam H4656
High beam H4651

Check it out!

[kcg795]

In the long run, it'll be cheaper just to go with HIDs than to go with SilverStars. The SilverStars are way too expensive, don't last long, and use a blue tint to get its 4,000k spectrum. I had 80/85 Watt OSRAM Rally H4 bulbs in my AutoPals a while back and they were amazing, while they lasted. They didn't last either, but I wasn't paying the price I paid for them again.

[Spindrift]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I took the rest of the lights out. Here is the wiring. Looks stock to me yes? One curious thing is that the inner (bright) bulbs were disconnected. I tested the lights with a 9 volt battery and they all worked (kinda).

You can see the wiring in the photos. One of the 2 filament bulbs was dark and filled with water. When I looked at it I could see all of the chrome for reflecting the light was gone. I took a pocket knife and seperated the lens from the backing. I cleaned it out being careful not to touch the bulb and then I taped it and painted the inside again with "chrome" paint and sealed it up with hot glue.

Yes I know I am a hillbilly.

I have spent a small fortune on parts over the past few weeks (which I am still waiting for) and I think I will wait a little before I rush out and buy all new bulbs. If my engine parts don't come in today I will reinstall the lights and see if I can figure out why the brights were disconnected. This eve when the sun goes down I will see how bright things are. If I can get the inner bright bulbs going it will be a big improvement.

[kcg795]

I will have to put together a step by step tutorial on how to rewire the headlamps. I did post progress pictures and diagrams as I was working on that project. Feel free to look through it.

http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum....php?f=2&t=488

I have modified the wiring since then. I ran a 4 gauge wire from the battery to the alternator and from the alternator to an aftermarket fuse box I installed on top of the A/C amplifier box. So the headlights now run off that fuse box with a fuse low beam and a fuse for high beam.