LED headlights

[Nedgoon Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nedgoon]

Hi guys and gals.
I recently replaced the headlamp bulbs in my GXL 150 with LED in both low and high beam.
The conversion went well; However, the LH high beam would not work. I tried everything I could think of to find the fault.
I swapped bulbs side-to-side. The bulbs were fine.
I checked the fuse, it's OK.
The earth and power were fine at the OEM wiring connector too.
I thought it might be the contacts within the connector. No, they were fine also.
Then, on a whim, I tried putting the LED plug into the OEM (symmetrical) connector back-to-front. Voila..! It worked.
The LED is polarity sensitive "obviously". The OEM wiring is set up differently only on the left side with the pos and neg terminals around the other way to the right. The only minor drawback is that the connector lock has nothing to engage to. A bit of electrical tape and she's good to go...!

Paul../

[Smoker Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Smoker]

Nedgoon, was the upgrade of the LED lights worth it? For some reason i keep on blowing the standard globes ( 2014 GXL) - never had an issue until about 2 years ago and mst have blown 8 since then- both sides. Wondering if the LEDs would be more stable and longer lasting? What sort did you buy?
Cheers,
Smokey

[Nedgoon Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nedgoon]

Hi Smokey. I can't remember the brand (eBay specials). I have been running them for a couple of years now and have had no problems so far (touch wood). The only drawback is they don't "seem" to project as far as halogens, but they actually do. A higher temp in the light spectrum means different visual effects.
I had my XRAY driving lights (that I had converted to HID) short and blow the fuse. I pulled the HID bits out and tried them with 55W halogen bulbs back in. Compared to the LED headlights alone, they were like glow worms in jam jars. I couldn't tell if they were on or not. The LED light bar I have on the bull bar then outshines the LED headlights and floods the road with light massive amounts of light.
I have since replaced my XRAY driving lights with Kings 7.5" Laser LED driving lights. The wiring loom plugs straight into the OEM loom. Surprisingly, the polarity is now the right way around for the LH headlight. These driving lights then outshine the headlights and the light bar alltogether. All the lights on at the same time create the equivalent of a small sun on the front of my car. Oncoming motorists flash well before you crest the hill due to the etherial halo emerging from the other side and about 10 km away line of sight if they can still see at all....!
If you're thinking of LED driving lights however, I would NOT recommend the Kings Laser LED's (4WD Supa Centre). While the light output is IMMENSE, the "laser" part (huge LED and lens in the middle) puts out a pencil beam for a bit over a kilometre. The "spot" a k' or so down the road is a bit mesmerising and distracting and if the mount has ANY movement at all, it jiggles in the distance as you run over a ant on the road. Also, If you have the lights on when approaching a reflective road sign, the sign becomes so blinding you have to dip your lights.

Paul../ (AKA Nedgoon)

[Leethal Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Leethal]

Smoker,

If your regularly blowing bulbs I would be checking my alternator voltage output. Also if your using high output bulbs (e.g. + 100 Narva etc.) they all have a shorter service life than standard bulbs.

Lee

[Johnaprov Moderated member Find all posts View Profile Close Johnaprov]

There could be problems in the relay operation; perhaps this element has burned out. Repairing this device will likely not give results, so it will be easier to change the part. The safety element could also fail. This problem is considered one of the most common.