Upgrade your headlight relay to electronic, How to wire up the new relay Options

[Mike Bellis]

The factory highbeam relay is a mechanical toggle relay. As they get old, they stop working correctly. It takes multiple pulls on the colum switch to engage the highbeams. Some may stop working completely.

Below you will see how to wire up an electronic relay. It's very easy to do. The very smart European builders have standardized their relay terminals. So many manufaturers relays will work. The picture below is a Saab relay. This relay can be found for $5-10 at junk yards. The 914 relay is about $50





You will need to jumper terminals 30 and 86 together with the 914 wire from terminal 30

Terminal 56a will go to the 914 Yellow headlamp wire

Terminal 56b will go to the 914 White headlamp wire

Terminal S will go to the 914 wire from Terminal S

The final wire will be a new Ground wire you will add to terminal 31

That's it! You will now have an electronic highbeam relay. Now you have to figure out how to mount it.

[Krank]

If this circut is just used for the dimmer circut then I believe you could just use a brand new switching relay to achieve the same results. They run about 10.00 to 15.00 I don't have the 914 schematics so I can't tell you which wire goes where but the relay used in the above example (it is a mechanical one also btw) utilizes one power source and switches it from one output to the other. You can also then use a brand new base connector to make everything look neat and tidy. If someone would send me the schematics of the lighting system I could make a lighting schematic with the new relays.

HELLA relays and bases
http://www.hella.co.nz/?m=search&f=rel...6&B1=SEARCH
(bottom two relays)
Note: use the 40amp circut for the hi beam (pin 87)

A note on using diode relays with sensitive electronic equipment like fancy disc players
http://www.hella.co.nz/?t=9&pcid=251

They do list a solid state relay but not a switching one

You can even use a delay relay to have a fancy courtesy lighting system so your lights stay on for a short interval after you turn your car/lights off.

I used two switching relays to replace the power window system in my '68 Lincoln Continental. The polarity needs to be reversed to operate a DC motor in the other direction. I also used a switching relay to supply power to my road lights on my pick-up only when my high beams are on so that I can dim my high beams and turn off my road lights with one click rather than fumbling around for another switch as a car approaches. Relays are fun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)