Headlights are not very bright

[Rambo]

I was driving my spider about a week ago at night for the first time in a while. The headlights were noticeably dim. I have the car apart now doing some work on it. So i figured i'd look into it. Using a voltage meter attached to the left headlight power line and grounded to the valve cover while the line is on and plugged in i have 9.42 volts (without engine running). My left and right sidewall grounds dont appear to be nessesarily clean. One appears to have a little paint over it. Any ideas? Thanks!

[TStark]

Relay harness, phat wires, there is no substitute.

[vandor]

The problem is that a little voltage is lost at each one of the switches, cconnections, etc.
We sell a headlight relay kit that is designed specifically for the Spiders, or you can make your own if you know electrics pretty well.

[Rambo]

Thanks for the responses! How do you normally wire relays into the 2000s system?

[So Cal Mark]

use the existing headlight current to turn on a relay, that will put battery power to the lamps and preserve your hl switch

[vandor]

What he said. I usually run a larger gauge wire from the alternator to the fuesbox area and put the relays behind the fusebox. Use the wires that went from the column switch to the fusebox to turn on the relays, then the output of the relays can be plugged back into the fusebox where the wires from the column switch originally went.

[Rambo]

Thanks for the help. Ill have to add this to my list of winter projects.

[DieselSpider]

Myself I find that I really am at an age where working under the dash in tight spaces is not as easy as it was 30 or 40 years ago so I am more inclined to put the relays in a location that I can easily get to. I already have a Ford style barrel relay on the firewall with 1/4 inch main lugs on it fed directly off the battery to power the Diesels Glow Plugs so my inclination is to tap in there and put the relays in the engine compartment where I can more easily deal with them putting a fused line in from the main lug on the barrel relay and tap into the head light wiring under the hood to switch the relays to feed the new fused power to them.

My Dad was an Army Signal Corp Wire Chief and I keep falling back on what he taught us using Western Union Splices (Square Knots) instead of Crimps soldering them followed by water proof shrink wrapping them in critical or extreme applications. Tension on the wire will only draw them tighter if they get hot and the solder melts. They hold up very nicely on wire strung from poles or cables laid under water which was their original application.

You have a lot of options that are all good just pick the one that works best for your situation.

[spider2081]

and put the relays in the engine compartment where I can more easily deal with them putting a fused line in from the main lug on the barrel relay and tap into the head light wiring under the hood to switch the relays to feed the new fused power to them.

I too believe it is physically easier on the person installing the relays to install them under the hood on the drivers side fender. I use the Bosch style relays. I do not use relay sockets as that requires more splice connections. I use female spades and connect the wires direct to the individual posts on the relay. As other have stated use the original headlight wires to energize the relays. The new power wire is run from the alternator out put post or starter battery post which ever is easier. I have wired about 10 Spiders this way over the past 12 years with no problem since the installation was completed.

In the 70's it was determined that under vibration soldered wire connections tend to contribute to wires breaking at the point the solder ends and the insulation begins. For that reason the majority of all aviation and automobile electrical connectors and splices have changed to crimp connectors. This change was made for reliability reasons not because of cost. Good quality tools and crimp connectors can make better electrical connection in a car than soldered connections.

Equally as important as the headlight relay is a relay in the starter solenoid circuit. Spiders with automatic transmissions and a few mid 70 years had a relay in the solenoid circuit. The relay greatly lessens the load on the ignition switch in the "start" position. The infamous "dreaded click" when trying to start can be eliminated by installing a relay if your car did not come from the factory with one. If your car did come with a relay from the factory it might be time to replace it as a general maintenance item.

[DieselSpider]

Unfortunately wires also break at the crimp however the key appears to be using a good shrink wrap that helps prevent the wires from bending/stressing at the juncture where the solder meets the insulation or the end of the metal section of the crimp meets the insulation. The job really isn't completed if you don't shrink wrap the splices regardless of whether you use a crimp or solder joint.

[profcucchi]

Would it be advisable to do both the "Brown wire fix" and relays?

I have amber-ish lights and slooow wipers. I don't mind the wiper speed, I don't drive in the rain, but the lack of lights makes night time driving a hassle.

[toplessexpat]

Brown wire fix is a useful upgrade in any circumstance.

Csaba's approach of relays behind the fuse box is really smart.

Like others, I'm not particularly agile to hang upside down wiring them in under the dash (I'm 6'6") so I put an auxiliary fuse box on the driver side fender wall, fed direct from the alternator stud, and used the stock wiring to switch the nice pure alternator feed directly to each lamp/circuit.

Then I changed to LED headlights, which I could have done to start with using the stock wiring - and they'd be just fine!

Oh, swapping out sealed beams for H4 based 7" headlamps is a smart move too.

A

[njoconnor]

+1 on the "H4 for sealed beam" swap. Just finished this conversion with Csaba's/Greg's relay kit, and could not be happier with the light output. The kit puts the relays downstream of the fuse block, in any case.

RE: the brown wire fix: what's the recommended spot/method for getting the brown wire through the firewall? Also not flexible and into inverted wiring postures, so apprecate any suggestions!

Neil

[toplessexpat]

Getting the Brown Wire through the firewall: I've reused an existing channel (on the 76), which had the main harness coming through. Just popped a bit of WD40 on the brown wire, and slid it through the center of the bundle (gently!). On the 2000 that wasn't happening (v tight harness bundle). I just drilled another small hole nearby, put a grommet in it, lubed up the brown wire and slid it through.

A

[spider2081]

Just my opinion,

Brown wire fix is a useful upgrade in any circumstance.

is not a "fix" but a means of by-passing and leaving an existing problem.

The brown wire originates at the starter solenoid's battery terminal. Depending on the year of the car it passes through electrical connectors before it reaches terminal 30 of the ignition switch. Adding an additional "brown" wire leaves the original brown wire and it's problem connections in the car.
In many of the cars there is a 3 pin connector located on the drivers side fender well containing the brown wire a red wire and a black wire. The red wire is from terminal 50 of the ignition switch and its function is to engage the starter in the start position of the ignition switch. The black wire is the feed from the alternator output to terminal 30/1 of the ignition switch. If the brown wire in this connector is making a poor connection there is a good chance there is a problem with one of the other wires also. A fix would be to repair the connector. In later cars these connections are single bullet type connectors located in the same area of drivers side fender well.

The ignition switch has 2 connection points for terminal 30. They are the same piece of brass and go to the same contacts inside the switch. Adding the brown wire uses the factory unused terminal 30 on the ignition switch. This does nothing internally for the switch. Again if the original connection to the switch is faulty, the "brown wire fix" is bypassing the original problem but leaving it in place.

Later cars have a connector directly behind the ignition switch. Its contacts are prone to problems. The "brown wire fix" by passes this connector again leaving the original problem.

In my opinion a "Fix" is to locate the points of failure and repair them. Adding wires to bypass existing problems can complicate troubleshooting issues in the future.

I do agree with adding relays for headlights, windshield wipers, and the starter circuit. The wire diagram for these mods should be kept in the cars glove box for future use. The relays not only provide greater voltage to these circuits but also extend the life of the switches that control them.