How to install a secondary set
of headlights, cont...
Get the hood up on your car, along with the headlights.
We're going to
take power from the handy blue plug that can be found on the
right side of the engine bay, as you face the car. It's near the
diagnostic connector. As you may be able to see in the photo,
it's possible to put the spade connector inside the removable lid
for this connector, giving you a handy disconnect should you so
desire. That's the fuse holder in the photo. I used a 30A fuse,
which is probably too high. You only need 10A to run those
lights.
Okay, feed that mess of wires in through the holes in the front of your car. Again, the relay goes on the left side of the car - which is the right as you face it. That's the same side as the power connection, as you can probably imagine. Slip the wire with the connector for the left-hand bulb to the side so that it goes in front of the radiator.
You need to
attach your ground somewhere to the body of the car. I used the
bolts along the front of the radiator - they're handy for that
wire. You can either wrap the bare wire around a bolt and tighten
it down, or be a little more subtle and use some sort of ring
connection.
Snake the power wire up close to the power supply and plug it in. Connect to the stock wiring harness again. Install the other lens assembly and connect the plug that joins the two sides together.
Once all plugs etc have been joined up with their respective mates, make sure everything is tucked away. Pay close attention to the wires that are underneath the headlights - leave enough room for these to retract without hitting wires! This is important!
Right - do a quick check that everything is connected, secure, and ready to test. Here's what should happen:
Now clean up, and go for a drive! Remember, you're nice and visible at nighttime now, but the light is not focused the same way as for headlights. Don't depend on these new lights to see on the back roads or even dark city streets. That's why the popups are still there.
I get a lot of mail asking what extra advice I have. Basically, you substitute higher wattage bulbs at your own peril. If you run anything hotter in the outside spot, you're almost guaranteed to melt some plastic.
Any suggestions or comments? I'd love to hear from you if you try this, or even let me know what you think of the idea. There's been a lot of interest in it, that's for sure. If you have any ideas on how to improve the instructions or a particular step you want photographed, please tell me!