Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here

[married2speed]

Hi all
As advised, I visited qutab MASS and explained the mechanic the problem. The problem is as follows
Earlier, I got 90/100 installed on my honda city with a relay. The output was a lot better than the stock lights but what used to happen was that with the car turned off as well, the lights woudn't turn off. Reason atributed to this was, faulty relay. Now, that i've got the relay changed, the high beam always keeps getting fused. If i get the right one changed, the left one blows out and if i get the left one changed, the high beam of the right one blows out.
Now, what the guy said was: get the alternator checked as there is excessive current being passed. He said that the relay has nothing to do with the blowing out of the tubes.
After this comment, I called up honda and told the service advisor what i was told about. He said that this has nothing to do with the alternator and that a relay of around 500Ampere was to be installed. He said none the less, i COULD bring the car in for a check up.
Now, I'm totally confused. I got the car serviced about 2K before from honda and had there been a problem with the alternator, wouldn't have that come up during the service? Is the MASS guy taking me for a ride or should i get the alternator checked from Honda and get pinched from them?
Please help . All i want is good bright headlights for my weak vision.

[tsk1979]

Hook up a multimeter to your battery terminals and rev the car. Tell us what the voltage is.
In your case it appears that alternator is indeed surging(regulator issue).
As for service, nobody checks alternator voltage at service unless its exceptionally high

[married2speed]

the volt meter shows a reading of 14. The guy says that the hella tubes are local and I should try halonix. any ideas what should i really do?

[tsk1979]

If you get 14 at idle then this could be a problem.
Rev the engine and see how high the voltage goes.
You can try halonix and see how it goes.

[married2speed]

on a rev it showed a max of 14.38. 14 wasn't quite at idle but a low rev. I'll try putting on halonix but the question would still remain, why are the tubes blowin out. What is the relay there for then? May i mention that the stock tubes dn't blow out and last for over 2 years, while the aftermarket stuff, doesn't even last me 2 weeks.

[tsk1979]

If your stock tubes are lasting, it could be fakes.
Try Halonix and see.
The relay is there so that your stock wiring is not overloading.
It won't alter your alternator voltage(which seems to be fine).
Bulbs are rated for 14.4V, so no issues here.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by married2speed

the volt meter shows a reading of 14.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If you get 14 at idle then this could be a problem.
Rev the engine and see how high the voltage goes.

Originally Posted by married2speed

on a rev it showed a max of 14.38. 14 wasn't quite at idle but a low rev.

The alternator is working OK. Voltages shown at idle & rev are correct. If you have less than 13V (10V-12V) or more than 15V (actually 14.8V) on engine ON, then you have problem.
Might be a faulty battery thats causing excessive current to be drawn - or they screwed up while wiring the relays.
Would rule out the faulty battery if your other electrics are working OK.

[anupmathur]

A relay cannot narmally be the cause of bulb failure.
If the bulbs are GENUINE and are yet fusing, the problem seems to be with the regulator in that it is allowing voltage spikes through.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The relay is there so that your stock wiring is not overloading.

A relay is an 'electrically operated switch' and cannot protect wiring in any way. It protects stock switches/contacts from overloading.
The relay only prevents your 'stock' column SWITCH from having to handle the high currents required for headlamps. This reduces the heat generated inside the switch and prolongs its life.

[tsk1979]

@anup. when I said relay. I meant the whole kit since I have seen that most relays in market come with wiring and holders, so the old stock wiring(which is thinner) is not being used.

[anupmathur]

Sorry Tanveer! No offence.

[married2speed]

Thank you to all who took time out to reply to my query. The other electronics seem to be working fine and even the low beam is working fine. It's just the high beam which blows off and the pattern is quite erratic. It starts off from the right one and after the right one is replaced, the left one blows out. Seems like the car is conspiring against me not to have 2 full high beams

aah78 - you mentioned about a mess up while wiring up the relay. How do we check if there's a problem with the relay. Some diagnostic perhaps. Maybe the relay itself is ok but the wiring not quite ok? Putting up halonix and hoping they don't blow out would only solve the problem but not help me understand why the problem is there. Also, how do i find out if the tubes are original? some marking to look out for perhaps. Please pardon me for my limited knowledge but this time i'm determined to get to the bottom of this and not be taken for a ride by the pesty mechanics

tsk1979 - you mentioned my stock tubes could be fake? tubes put in by the honda personnel at the service station. How can they be fake? to add they are philips tubes.

Thank you all for the advice. Appreciate it.

[tsk1979]

do you pull that stalk towards yourself frequently and enable high+low filaments together frequently?
If so this could be the reason.
Otherwise the only way to check is to stick the multimeter at the holder terminals and see what voltage you get.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

do you pull that stalk towards yourself frequently and enable high+low filaments together frequently?
If so this could be the reason.

I don't get this. Could you please explain what mechanism would result in failure of the high beam filament in this situation?

And a regular multimeter would not be able to report about the voltage spikes getting through.

[tsk1979]

Sometimes while driving on low beam, you can pull the stalk towards yourself and flash high beam. At that stage both high and low beam are on.
This is a practice used on highways while flashing truckers.
If you do this very often, it can lead to bulb blowout.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Sometimes while driving on low beam, you can pull the stalk towards yourself and flash high beam. At that stage both high and low beam are on.
This is a practice used on highways while flashing truckers.
If you do this very often, it can lead to bulb blowout.

Roger that.
What I cannot figure out is WHY/HOW.