Page 11 (Updated 01-Dec-2008)
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Boosting Visibility - Headlamps
- Aftermarket Foglights; Hella
- Main Light Upgrade
- D.T.R.L. Daytime Light Automation
- Main Beam Washer-Wipers
- Corner Lamps
Free Service Manual, Free Download.....see FAVORITE LINKS -page 26- FAVORITE LINKS
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Aftermarket Hella DE Foglights
Embedding foglights into corners:
Hella Micro DE projector foglights embedded on lower corners. They were attached into the end of bumper steel structure, holes carved into the plastic.
Both have now own relays located under Maxima 'corner light'. Also I routed there 'thumb thick wires' directly from battery, just like driving lights.
One of the worst installation issues was to tame a very thick WIRE into the thinny Hella rubberboot... But u see, now I see what I need to sea...
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To see Hella Micro DE specs, Go To: Hella.com ... International / Home > Auxiliary Lights > Fog Lights > DE. Once Upon A Time here is Hella direct link ... last week CarDomain killed the linking capability and lost the picture! Now downloaded again - hopefully u see it?)
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Left side fog light relay and gnd wire; behind corner light.
Left side fog light seen from below. The Hella support bracket fits in the furthermost corner of the bumper steel plate where I drilled one hole for the bolt.
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Main Light Upgrade
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New Main light wirings
Driver side 'Photon Booster': thick supply & gnd cables ensure high voltage = bright lights.
Driver side 'Photon Booster'
As light brightness is directly linked to voltage level at the lamps, I want to have maximum voltage AT the lamp. Thereby I wired it with two single contact doublerelays.
See the picture above right. Double: means that one pack contains 1 relay for low beam, 1 relay for high beam. NO =normally open. Contacts close only with +12V, to pin 85, 86 is gnd. That ctrl is taken from the old existing main light connector with in-inserted amp connector. On left relay pin 30 comes from +batt, pin87 goes to lamp low beam. On right relay pin 30 comes from +batt, pin87 goes to lamp high beam.
As seen from pics, I wired individual very thick wires near the lamp. The thicker the better...
You may buy single relays, but if you 'bundle' them together, problems arise: they intermittently enter into such magnetized state, that lights will be ON after one leaves car.
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Crowded batt connections: 1. Wire to RH lamp relays, 2. Wire to LH lamp relays, 3. Wire to LH foglight relay, 4. Wire to RH foglight relay,
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How to connect DOUBLE relay? Universal schema; H4 bulb and connector pins.
HB= High beam, LB= Low beam.
Note: USE ONLY high quality DOUBLE RELAY.
Why? With single relays, there's this magnetic phenomena: time to time one relay magnetic field affects the adjacent relay so that it will NOT RELEASE at all. This will leave that circuit open, light(s) on, and battery dead in the long run. That is common 'feature', and the single relays are ok. Now u tell me why this is only intermittent problem...
How to correct?
1. Use doublerelays
2. Keep single relays ½inch apart
3. Add grounding diodes to discharge the charged coil.
Caution: This schema contains no fuse: you may add one fuse or fusible link near the battery. Separate fuses is better idea: when one fuse blows, still some light on the road. (This is the reason for me not having any fuses: once survived total blkout on icy, blk night road. Reason was Vauxhall Lucas autofuse...
Always all wirings must be tightly strapped and shielded against accidental wear: loose thick wires pose a fire hazard.
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D.T.R.L Daytime Light Automation
Lights ON only when engine running / General guide.
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EU, Canadian etc. models do contain lights ON -automatics as std feature. Surprisingly some other models wont: some weird german VW -style savings policy at work...
The daytime control emplys a box with a tag; CONT ASS'Y D.T.R.L. Note that harness also have to support this box - if u want later to add one.
See next pic: this 12 pin box is under dash, left hand side of the steering.
DIY D.T.R.L.
Following add on relay will connect and cut off lights depending on ign key = ACC. (...or any feature you want to be automatically controlled.)
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Find out out your light source wire from schematics. If that is not available, start pulling fuses... When lights go out, you have found your fuse. (Voltage is always up regardless of your ign key position). Access this fuse and its 'downside' wire: When fuse is out, measure voltage on both sides: the 'dead' side is the target. As the target wire is next pulled visible, cut it, strip it, solder 10" or more extension wires on both ends. First design the relay attachment spot, then estimate wire lenght... (Extension wire thickness is the same or greater...) Install into following relay K1 pins 30 and 87.
If normal light operation (manually) is also desired, add new bypass switch according the diagram. This switch S3, (seen attached into pin30 & 87) will bypass your new relay K1 and your lights will work just as earlier when S3 is closed. (S3 can also be attached between batt +12V and K1-pin85 - then the bypass would use the relay contacts and S3 could be a small miniature switch)
In the diagram, original lights switch S1 is left as is, no change. Also high/low beam switch S2 needs no change. The power source and fuses remain the same. Only the light power distribution control is now through this new K1.
Find 'any' wire that has +12V available when ign key is in ACC -position but not in START -position (possibly one wire coming directly from ign switch.) Best ctrl is from charge wire: lights will be only ON when engine is running and alternator is charging. Cut, strip and solder your control wire into this control wire and route it to the relay K1 pin 85. Relay pin 86 has to be grounded under suitable screw attaching to chassis ground.
D.T.R.L. Schematics, Std. Relay Info:
Schema: add-on red Relay K1 plus switch S3 are installed 'between' light power supply. Control is taken from ACC -or- from Charge -circuit. At right typical relay pin definitions.
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Please work carefully with all the connections, use shrink tube and/or tape & vulcanizing rubber: you do not want lights to go out at night because of short circuits! Test em: gentle pull on any wire must not disconnect anything, also the relay case should be tightly attached.
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General Voltage Supply Considerations:
Bulb/Lamp point of view (max filament lifetime etc):
a. Every time bulbs start to get juice, voltage spiking does harm and cuts one tiny piece of a bulb lifetime.
b. Heat expansion, sudden voltage flow 'rush' into bulb, harms the filament just a bit. Keeping lamp off until light is really needed, and keeping them ON until the very end, will extend bulb filament lifetime (no unnecessary ON/OFF -switching).
c. Bulb generated heat expands air inside the Lamp and excess air flows out. When lights are switched off, air cools, contracts, causing airflow inwards. This sucks in moist dusty air, degrading the lamp assembly.
d. Starter motor is a terrible spike generator - lights should be out when starter or its solenoid spike, foul the supply voltage.
a + b + c + d = lights should be out until engine is purring steadily. Lights should go out at/before shutoff. These issues are behind manual xenon lamp control: stupid ON/OFF switching cuts lamp lifetime considerably during startup, design intelligence is lacking to add intelligent 'soft start'. My opinion is that when control comes from alternator (possibly with an added delay in relay control), also xenon lamps can be safely controlled with depicted K1 relay -setting.
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Main Beam Washer-Wipers
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On this pic you can see the wiper out of sync problem which is 'original' problem. They do not have a 'home' position, but just stop when headlight wiper/water -switch is released: any wiring info appreciated!
Notice the ambient temp measurement wire hanging down ['stick'] for add on temp/volt gauge inside cabin. This is the only place for sensor that gives near true readings in any condition, driving or idling.
Wannabe all Hella (BMW e36 -series) looks like this
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Rear add on Brake Light.
Aftermarket lamp assy depth grinded to minimum about 1/4" [=lens+led+pcb], sticked on.
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Corner Lamps
Corner & Front light assembly removal:
Why you ask, isn't this in the Chiltons so called 'man ual'? Well, here again it lets you down: the plastic white on/off snapper is quite tight and needs some force only to the right direction ---->sideways...
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The lamp (adjustable) is inside a black metal 'shroud' that is bolted into the chassis with three nuts.
Open hood, take off the front grill. Remove the H4 bulb. Take off corner light phillips screw (on top of the lamp), snap its lower support off to the side. Remove the sidelight assy gently off drawing it forward [assembly rear has only one open slot].
The light assy is held with two nuts now seen as the sidelight is off. The last one is inside engine compartment just beside the radiator.
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Designation Codes
Q: Why car lamps are so BIG in EU and still give so poor visibility?
A.: Lamp surfaces are filled with directive acronyms.
In -93, all lamps had to have national acceptance codes. The manufcturers had to provide N-pieces of the products to be accepted, beforehand, to every national institution... This bussiness is VERY important.
Below some of the codes stamped on the lamps, relevant in scandinavia 1993
LH Front Lamp
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RH Rear Lamp
Fog Lamp (only! LH)
Mirror - of course - must al$o be accepted!
Mirror code, Side turn signal code...
Front turn signals
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"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"; Solomon
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