anyone else have this problem with dim headlights I have tried a new alternator and I have put 4 gauge grounds in from the battery to the engine block and to the rad. support.next new halogen headlights??any ideas?

 

Mine dim really bad when i hit the brakes. I cant stand it. I cant even have my stereo up loud cuz when i hit the brakes it shuts the Head unit off cuz it drains so much power. Why does it do this???

 

that is a bad alt... no idea about the original post though

 

my solution was i went to Autozone and picked up a pair of Glass Headlight units and a pair of Sylvania Silverstars and its works as a sweet setup.. the stock Sealed beam units are crap...

it was a really good 80.00 expense..

39.99 for Glass Unit Headlights
19.99 x 2 Sylvania Silverstars..

 

you can wire them up with relays directley from the battery, on all my german cars made them roughly 75% brighter. but they had the headlights pull a current from the battery, through the interrior switch, then to the headlights, resulting in a 3ish volt drop by the time it got to the headlights. you can get an easy, basically plug in kit now from pep-boys or autozone. its called like an H4 harness wireing.

 

Could it be that there is corosion in my main power wire???

 

well maybe I will try some different headlights first,I am sure there is a Japanese brand headlight in my car,not sure on that though I know that they are NOT a Halogen or Sylvania type beam.
Next will be a deep cycle battery I guess.....

 

hey junior....what is that orangish colored line going around your trim...i like how it looks and i want to do the same thing on mine.

 

If you are going to put in new headlights. While your there check the ground wire on the connector to make sure it don’t look fried or corroded. A bad ground on the connector would give you dim headlights also. My 90 GXL did this but only because I replaced the seal beams with the H4 conversion and didn’t use the wiring kit. The lights got so hot that it started to fry the ground wire. So then, I bought the headlight wiring kit and all is well!

 

alright thanks I will check that when I go out to start to start it up again.

 

I HAVE THAT PROBLEM!!! But i figured out that it is the harness, if I push the harness into the light it gets fixed,

 

Dude, you have the grouning problem. check your connector too

 

my headlights go a notch dimmer when i hit the brakes. only notice it when i'm not moving of course. also noticed that my blower speeds up when i tap the gas. i guess these alternators reallly aren't big enough.

my headlights shine very well and don't plan on replacing them until they go out.

 

dam i went to pepboys and got the sealed beams for 45 and it is still the same thing. but no drain on the alt get it checked for voltage output

 

dam i went to pepboys and got 2 sealed beams with the silverstar lights for 45 and it is still the same thing. as you have, but no drain on the alt get it checked for voltage output

 

I think the kit made my headlights get a little brighter!

 

I think the kit made my headlights get a little brighter!

 

ok what is wrong with using the H4 without using a wiring kit?


also how much does this kit cost to have it draw power right off the batt rather then going inside to some switch?

 

doesn't make any sense to me either. do the H4's take more amps? if so, why would you use them if we're short on power already? if not.......well.....tell me.

 

what does the h4 waireing harness contain and what does it connect to? what was the process installing this?

 

You can just wire in a couple of relays to the existing circut. All you need is a 4 relays, connectors and wire.

 

i got the H4 conversion but i didnt use the wiring kit.. i dont see any fuss... that being i dont drive at night much anyways... but when i do it seems fine...

ill take some pics of my Glass units sometime soon..

 

I just had a peek at the FSM.
The headlights are switched by relays in front of the radiator.

BTW good headlights for the price are GE 5064HO (2 for $16).
They have 55 watt low beams instead of the standard 35 watts.
Where I drive there is almost always oncomming traffic, so good low's are a big deal..

 

Yeah, I have this problem with my 10AE too... I'm going to run to Autozone and have them test my alternator today. If all else fails I'll buy a new one, or maybe even an FD alternator.

 

Common guys, you can't expect a 15 year old alt with 75K+ miles on it to produce the same kind of power as it did new. If an alt lasts to 100K miles, I'd say its way outlasted its useful life.