Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have placed a post in the wanted section, but just in case people don't read that area:

I am after a hi/lo indicator switch to suit a 79 Rangie.
It is on the RHS of the steering column and has a black connector.

Mine has decided to melt the Hi beam contacts, and driving home on night shift is painfully slow (on low beam).
The Flash setting works, but it's difficult to hold this on and drive the 40+km country roads.

I'm sure I have one from a 79, lying around. Not sure what condition - will look tomorrow. It's yours if any good.

That is what happens because they don't have a relay for the headlights.

I did mine in coming home after a long Sunday trip. Going around a bend at the time, with a cutting on the right and a creek on the left and total black because of tree cover and no moon. Didnt want to stay out there until the next day, so continued driving holding the flasher on high beam. Mine has switch on the left and I had to let it go to change gears. But it didn't survive more than about 10km. Ended up sticking close behind a companions truck for the rest of the trip home.

Fitted relays after that and lights became brighter as well.

Thanks John.

At least I know I'm not the only one to strike this problem.

I've read (several times) to install relays, but haven't.
Guess what I'll be doing this weekend!!!!!

Let me know the condition of your switch.
If good, i'll probably grab it.

Although at work today I started nutting a cheap fix using utilising relays off the low beam (which works) to switch the high beam.

When you work out where to run the relay could you let me know please, I to have a melting light switch, I never use to have high beam flash, had low beam and high beam just no flash, now ihave no low beam but have high beam and flash, mine is the wire which puts power to the high beam it gets fairly hot and has started melting it, so when you work out the solution can you let me in on it
many thanks
Dixie

MQ SWB wrote:When you work out where to run the relay could you let me know please, I to have a melting light switch, I never use to have high beam flash, had low beam and high beam just no flash, now ihave no low beam but have high beam and flash, mine is the wire which puts power to the high beam it gets fairly hot and has started melting it, so when you work out the solution can you let me in on it
many thanks
Dixie

On the Rangie the best place to fit the relays are where the headlight wires run past the brake booster/mc. Just cut the wires in the right place, fit terminals, and connect the relay. Very easy.

On a county it is more difficult, because the routing of the wires is different. I fitted mine near where the wires go through the fuse box. On a county, as well as the switch melting, you can have the added problem of the fuse holders for the lights melting!!!

MQ SWB wrote:When you work out where to run the relay could you let me know please, I to have a melting light switch, I never use to have high beam flash, had low beam and high beam just no flash, now ihave no low beam but have high beam and flash, mine is the wire which puts power to the high beam it gets fairly hot and has started melting it, so when you work out the solution can you let me in on it
many thanks
Dixie

I don't know about the later rangies, but this info should apply at least up to 84.

The wires for the headlights run down the left side of the engine bay to the headlights. The 2 wires you are interested are the blue wire with white stripe and the blue with red stripe. These come from the switch and 1 goes to high beam lights, the other to low beam.

Determine where to put the 2 relays (1 for high and 1 for low beam). On top of the LH inner guard near the shockie mount is where I put mine. Since installing mine I saw this pic which I like better.

The relays usually have 5 terminals, the most suitable for headlights have 2 terminals marked 87. Some have 1 marked 87 and 1 marked 87a (not as useful). I used 30 amp relays.

The wire from the switch (blue/white or blue/red) should be connected to relay terminal marked 86.

Run a wire from terminal 85 to a good earth (under the screw that mounts the relay to the body in this pic).

Run a heavy wire from the battery + terminal to a fuse holder, then to relay terminal 30. I ran mine from the solenoid I used for my dual battery isolation because it was convenient.

Run a heavy wire from relay terminal 87 to each light (left and right). If the relay has 2 terminals marked 87 you can use one for left and the other for right.

Don't use terminals marked 87a as the light will be on when the switch is off and will go out when the switch is on.

When I installed the relays in mine, I did a quick and dirty job. I cut the blue/white wire which gave me one wire from the switch (connect to terminal 86) and one wire connected to the lights that I connected to terminal 87 (instead of running new heavier wires to the lights). Then did the same with the blue/red wire using a 2nd relay.

The result is low current through the switch, which fixes the problem with the switch failing. The lights are brighter because the length of wire between the battery and the lights is shorter.

Ideally use better wiring to the lights and also the wire from the other side of the lights to body earth should also be replaced with heavier wire.

So what your saying is that the (blue/red) or (blue/white) reach the left hand light first then split over to the right hand side one (right). Because I'm also having trouble with the fuse holder and just one of the 3 fuses it's like the bottom contact on the fuse is slightly loose and every now and again the wipers won't work am going to replace the fuse holder and hopefully this one will have a cover.
many thanks for this guys

Dixie
p.s could you just run one relay say a 60amp and run both wires (red/blue of one 87 and white/blue off the other 87) just a thought.

MQ SWB wrote:So what your saying is that the (blue/red) or (blue/white) reach the left hand light first then split over to the right hand side one (right). Because I'm also having trouble with the fuse holder and just one of the 3 fuses it's like the bottom contact on the fuse is slightly loose and every now and again the wipers won't work am going to replace the fuse holder and hopefully this one will have a cover.
many thanks for this guys

Dixie
p.s could you just run one relay say a 60amp and run both wires (red/blue of one 87 and white/blue off the other 87) just a thought.

Not sure if I understand what you said.

On mine the harness runs across near the top of the radiator. About the middle of the radiator, there are joiners for both the blue/white and blue/red wires from these joiners the wires go both left and right to the lights (so it is like a Y).

The lights are in parallel. If you went to the left light then the right light (series) you would halve the voltage at each light.

If you ran the blue/white wire from 87 terminal and the blue/red from the 2nd 87 terminal you would have the high and low beam on together. You would still need a second relay for low beam alone.

I melted two of those bitches on my 78, worth $180 new each, so thought, OK i'll professionally get a relay. That was $180.

Sure enough, it melted again, so I figured, F it. I'll have no low beam!