Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
VanagonEuroVan
Subject:Re: Seen my van? Just curious; PLUS: Melted lightswitch... again!
From:David Marshall
Date:Sat, 29 Aug 1998 09:20:33 -0700

I pretty sure I have the Daylighters relay done currectly.  An 8ga cable to
the battery split to two 12ga wires from the relay.  The trigger wire goes
to the wire that leaves the steering column and the ground to the relay is
interupted by a factory switch so I can turn off the lights if I so choose.

At 08:05 8/29/98 EDT, GMBulley@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 8/29/98 2:25:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG writes:
>
><< The next day I looked at my lights.  The H4 is a Phillips "All Weather"
> rated 55/60W and the H3 is an Osram (Bosch) 55W.  These are nothing more
> than what the factory would use.  The only other thing that I am running
> off of the high beam circuit is a relay that controls my two 150W KC
> Daylighters.  Is the factory switch under engineered for the additional
> lights they added in 86 - or it is bad luck in the used switch
department? >>
>
>The switch is okay, but VW runs ALL of the current for the lights through the
>switch. As far as your relay, it sounds like you may be getting the *current*
>(mega-amps) for your Daylighters from the high beam wire. That's a no-no. You
>could get the *signal* (mili-amps) from the highbeam wire, and get the
current
>from the big-main-fat-red-from-the-alternator-to-the-fusebox wire. I used to
>run four 150w Daylighters on the front of my 1976 loaf this way. Better set-
>up, but of course, it was a better switch, too.

>gmbulley
>cary, nc
>mostly lurkin' and deletin' these days, business is good.

-- David Marshall, Quesnel BC, mailto:david@volkswagen.org --
   -- 78 1.8L VW Rabbit, 80 2.0L VW Caddy, 87 Audi 5KQ  --
   --  85 1.8L VW Cabrio, 88 2.0L VW Syncro Double Cab  --
   --   Volkswagen Homepage http://www.volkswagen.org   --
     --  USE DAVID@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG WHEN SENDING PMAIL  --

Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »