car head lights

[confuse]

can anyone tell me why the wires that connect to the bulpof my head lights keep burning out. and what i can do to stop this.. someone told me to put on relays but how does this work :roll:

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

can anyone tell me why the wires that connect to the bulpof my head lights keep burning out. and what i can do to stop this.. someone told me to put on relays but how does this work :roll:

Probably because they are too thin and you are drawing too much current through them.

 

[tansis]

A relay allows you to choose and use a smaller and more aesthetically
pleasing switch on the dashboard than a 16amp toggle switch wich is often the only general purpose switch many "after market specialists" sell.

 

[stevez]

I have to wonder how it is that the wire got to be too thin in the first place. Did someone convert the headlamp system or is something else going on? Make sure you address overcurrent protection so that you don't cause a fire. That is to say - make sure you have a fuse, fusible link or circuit breaker that is correctly sized.

 

[eblc1388]

can anyone tell me why the wires that connect to the bulpof my head lights keep burning out. and what i can do to stop this.. someone told me to put on relays but how does this work :roll:

Many had told you that the wire might be too thin but there is another more likely reason. Short circuit of wire to car body.

To check whether the wire is too thin, just turn ON the light for 5 minutes and touch the wire. If it is only warm or you cannot feel much heat, the wire will never burnt out. Or alternatively, if you have a voltmeter, measure the DC voltage at the lights when it is ON. If you get 11.4V or more, the wire is OK.

If this is the case, you definitely have an intermittent short circuit on the wire that goes to the lights. The solution is to check for broken insulation along the wire from the light switch all the way until you have reached the terminals of the lights or replace the whole length of wire with a new one of suitable size.

If the wire is too hot to the touch, uses thicker wire. A relay will not help in this case because you still have to use a thicker wire all the way to the lights.

 

[confuse]

head lights

what really happen is that i change the bulb to a higher wattage, it worked fine for awhile but then just stop working. i changed the fuse thinking that it would help but it didn't, anymore ideas :lol:

 

[Phasor]

Re: head lights

what really happen is that i change the bulb to a higher wattage, it worked fine for awhile but then just stop working. i changed the fuse thinking that it would help but it didn't, anymore ideas :lol:

Well, there's your problem... the wire that was installed is not rated for the higher wattage lamp - a higher wattage lamp draws more current than the original lamp.

Fuses are for protection of wires. You haven't stated whether you used the same rating fuse as the original fuse, but changing a fuse to one of a higher current rating is dangerous - it may not protect the cable in case of an overload!

We have had suggestions of the wire being too small, or of a short circuit. I would suggest both! The greater current from the new lamp caused the wire to overheat and the insulation to melt, thereafter creating a short circuit to some other point, where the insulation has melted. The short circuit then caused the fuse to blow.

I would say you definitely need to replace all headlight wiring with thicker cable (at least 1.5mm sq)