LED Halo Head Lamps
- Thread starter feetforbrains
- Start date
Interior; or lack of...Message sent! I was also kinda trying to spot the difference between an Express and a Delica
ccmickelson
Well-Known Member
Posting this here as well as this thread..http://delicaforum.com/index.php?threads/tailights-and-dash-lights-out-relay.2001/page-2#post-29299 as it could be relevant to both...
In the process of tracking down a short in the driving lights/dash lights/horn circuit that kept blowing fuses, I discovered an internal short in the driver for my LED Halo headlights. Every time I switched on the driving/marker lights the #3 fuse for this circuit would blow. I initially thought it to be caused by the combination switch for the headlights on the steering column. But after "troubleshooting" with about 20 15-amp fuses I discovered the LED module had some sort of internal meltdown. Now I've gotta try to get a replacement LED driver from the Taiwanese company I got the headlights from. Anyone know of an alternate source for such a device? Thanks.
In the process of tracking down a short in the driving lights/dash lights/horn circuit that kept blowing fuses, I discovered an internal short in the driver for my LED Halo headlights. Every time I switched on the driving/marker lights the #3 fuse for this circuit would blow. I initially thought it to be caused by the combination switch for the headlights on the steering column. But after "troubleshooting" with about 20 15-amp fuses I discovered the LED module had some sort of internal meltdown. Now I've gotta try to get a replacement LED driver from the Taiwanese company I got the headlights from. Anyone know of an alternate source for such a device? Thanks.
Last edited:
Maybe... oraclelights.com
ccmickelson
Well-Known Member
Thanks, sk66. Don't see any specs so I'll give them a call tomorrow. The specs on the plastic casing just say "constant current, 9-18v, 400ma". I may also try to dissect this driver and see if it can be repaired. I'm wondering what caused it to short. Should probably test the LED halo light with my other good driver to make sure it still works...
ccmickelson
Well-Known Member
Well I contacted Oracle and they didn't seem to think their drivers would work with these lights. I did find these from Octane Lighting on ebay. Haven't installed them yet, but they seem very similar to the originals save for not having the extra white wire. They even come with the same red, female connector on the LED side. Will report back after I have them installed.
ccmickelson
Well-Known Member
Installed and can confirm that these drivers work great.
Delica_Dad
Active Member
SK66, any way you can fix the image links on your post? Doing an install this weekend and I remember you had some good visuals.Mine arrived yesterday and I spent some time figuring them out/installing and documented what I found... they come with no instructions. I bought the smoke version as shown in the OP. They're not very dark at all, but a lot less shiny/silver than the corner lights that come with them. I just kept my original corner lights because I thought they matched better. If you do replace the corner lights, there is no wiring required. The original bulb holders fit right in place (better than the replacements IMO).
BTW, make sure to get the LHD versions, not the RHD versions linked to in the OP!
First off, they are way brighter than the originals, and a lot "whiter." The headlight lenses are actually glass as advertised.... kind of surprising given the price and the trend to poly lenses these days. Here are some pics of the install after doing only the driver's side for comparison (I didn't get around to aiming them yet).
The LED ring light I connected to the lower marker light.
Low Beams
High Beams
I cut the plug off of the old headlight and used it to replace the new one (solder and heat shrink). These are the color matches I found.
I bundled all the excess wire and secured it to the mounting bracket behind the headlight.
To connect the LED halo to the lower marker light I pulled the two spade terminals from the plug, soldered the red and black wires to them, and reinserted. I left the white wire disconnected because I couldn't see what it was for.
Update: If you do want daytime running lights connect the white wire to the lower marker light instead, and connect the red wire to an ignition switched power source. Wired that way the LED halo will be on bright whenever the ignition is on, and it will dim when the other lights are on.
Plug everything back in, reinstall the lights, and repeat on the other side. Don't forget to move the two plastic square nuts from the old headlight over to the new ones before installing (the ones that clip into the square holes and are for securing the trim).
TBH, I kind of prefer the look of the original 4 light headlights; but the dimness and poor RHD pattern was something I just didn't want to live with any longer than necessary.
Update 2: After a drive in the rain one of my LED halos went out right when I need to get the van inspected... My first fear was I got bit by a (relatively) cheap product. My second thought was maybe one of my solder connections was weak/failed or the plug came apart.
After a bit of fussing and redoing the solder connections just incase I finally opened up the LED control module, it just snaps open easily and has no sealing of any kind... it had water in it causing an electrical short. Luckily nothing fried. So I dried it out, packed it with dielectric silicon grease (actually wasn't sold as dielectric and therefore a lot cheaper), and then sealed it with shrink tubing. Caulk and tape would work as well but you would need to let the caulk fully cure before applying power (let it dry out). I also used the dielectric grease on all of the connecters when putting everything back together.
Ooops! I thought they uploaded here with the post so I had deleted them from my google photos... luckily, I was able to recover them.
Delica_Dad
Active Member
Thanks!
Delica_Dad
Active Member
New Headlights installed! Took a couple days to get them dialed in. Started with the 25' method but had to lower the passenger side a bit more before people stopped flashing all the time. Nice being able to see while driving now, huge improvement.