Xenon front lamps

Please keep us updated about the condition of your light´s inner chrome coating.

Xenon produces more temperature and especially on older cars, the chrome coating comes off after converting to "Xenon".

If you want to make it really proper, you have to go for lights with integrated lenses - for example taken off an E30 BMW. Otherwhise, there´s only the look of Xenon and no other benefits.

 

Are you making a new 512tr, Mel?
Rear vieuw camara? Check!
Upgrade diff? Check!
Navigation? Check!
Special coating in the engine bay? Check!
Rust prevention in the chasis? Check!
Xenon lights? Check!

I'm waiting for the heated and cooling system for the seats ;-)

 

Good day All,

Although Xenon and HID lamps have a lot of benefits, they also have some problems too. Firstly the radiated light output that is closer to the "blue" spectrum increase light blindness to oncoming traffic. In fact some jurisdictions ban and/or heavily fine vehicles that retro-fit these type of lights into cars not originally designed for them... the rationale being that increased light blindness caused by these lights that could lead to a vehicle accident... I remember reading somewhere that cars designed to use HID lighting have some form of a gimbal within the lighting cavity in order in order to keep the lights at a relatively constant viewing plane so as to not blind oncoming traffic in hilly/uneven terrain...

Anyway, before you decide on retro-fitting these new HID lights, it may be prudent to see if it is legal to do so in your area... as if it is not and you somehow stimulate an accident you could be held accountable.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Now that we got the topic of xenons out of the way, any ideas on flashing lights on a US TR (fog Lights)?




Ago

 

Seem like someone has modified your TR to connect the fog lights to the parking lights (if I understood your post in the other thread correctly), or you've had some sort of failure. Some preliminary questions:

1. If you turn your present fog+parking lights "on", and remove fuse #14, do the fog lights stay "on" or go "off"?

2. If you turn your present fog+parking lights "on", and unplug the white b connector in the fuse-relay panel, do the fog lights stay "on" or go "off"?

3. In about the middle of the b white connector, there should be one contact with a single SN (pink-black) wire and another contact with two SN (pink-black) wires -- any splices/modifications here?

4. Any other obvious modifications noticeable in the fuse-relay panel area?

Another possibilty is that your fog light (relay) switch is stuck in the "on" position -- so try unplugging the j & k white connectors (or the foglight switch itself, but that's probably more work ) and see if that restores your ability to flash the fog lights when the parking lights are "on".

 

Good day Mel,

Although my post was not about "how", I thought it was actually on topic simply because it added some finer details to those who may consider doing this upgrade. Since I tend to prefer to have all of the details (hopefully in one place) I assumed others would as well. My apologies if I was mistaken.

Cheers,

Sam

 

Thanks Steve,
I will try the suggestions you mentioned. As it is now The parking lights have to be on for the fog lights to be able to switch on.




Ago

 

Maybe I don't understand your issue clearly (I thought you said, that, when you turn the parking lights "on", the fog lights come "on" too). This (parking lights have to be "on" for the fog lights to be able to switch "on") is normal -- the parking lights (or low or high beams) must be "on" for the fog light switch in the upper console to work. Can you please restate the problem? The way the stock US TR system works with regard to flashing (engine not running and key "off"):

If all exterior lights "off", pull back stalk = fog lights flash

If parking lights "on", pull back stalk = fog lights flash

If low beams "on", pull back stalk = high beams flash

If high beams "on", pull back stalk = nothing

 

Same on my car.

BTW: Yes, the look is important - if you´d install Xenon to the lens style lights of a F 512 M i would agree that it looks good. On the older testarossas...well...i don´t become friend with this conversion at all.

 

The figure on page H7 and the text on page H8 in your 512TR OM seems to indicate that it should: "Pull lever towards steering wheel to flash" -- but I've never personally verified it.

Also, it shows that you should have a ...101 relay named "Relay for flashing", and this relay is the relay that is (typically) used to select the fog lights to flash when the headlight pods are down or select the main (high) beams to flash when the headlight pods are up and the dipped (low) beams are "on".

 

Mel -- by "forward" do you mean in the direction of the arrow (towards the steering wheel) as shown in the figure on page H7? On my TR, the head light stalk doesn't move a lot like a regular car where it "clicks" to turn on the high beams -- more like just a slight flexing motion (to momentarily close the contacts when held back)

 

Steve,
My lights work as you stated in your above description. To change to hi beam you push down and the stalk drops in a detent. The fog lights don't flash when you pull stalk. maybe the flashing relay is defective or is it the same relay as fog lights?


Ago

 

No, nothing is wrong -- that's just the way it is designed. I haven't tried this yet, but the schematic indicates that if you have the parking lights "on" (headlight pods down) and the fog lights "on", and then pull the stalk, you will also get nothing (because the fog lights are already "on").

 

Steve et al,

Thinking about this thread, I tried this today as I had an occasion to have the fogs on but not my headlights. At a red light and thanks to a shiny black tailgate I observed my fogs and gently pulled back on the headlight stalk. Low and behold the fog lights pulsed brighter! So you CAN get a "Flash" with the fogs on.

To be sure I JUST went out in the garage and confirmed this. Parking lights on by headlight switch to first stop. No headlights. Turn on fog/driving lights with overhead console switch. Pull back on headlight stalk and the fog lights brighten. I will echo Steve in that the stalk flexes more than it pulls back like more contemporary cars. Don't yank it back!

With headlights on low (dipped) beam a pull on the stalk will get the brights to flash as expected.

Try it!

Curtis

EDIT: With high beams ON - a pull on the stalk yields nothing.

 

Sure, i can do that BUT the stalk won´t arrest in this position. This means you can only flash several times or keep the stalk pushed - than the lights stay on.

 

Thanks for doing the testing and the report Curtis. The voltage reaching the fog light bulbs when using the fog light switch must be lower than when using the stalk flasher switch -- there is more wire length, and more connections, associated with the fog light switch vs the stalk flasher switch, and, even though the fog light switch is shown as a simple switch symbol on the schematic, it is a glob of electrical gizmology so maybe it has a voltage drop larger than a conventional physical contacts-based switch (although, even a relatively small voltage drop at a fairly large current, would imply a lot of self-heating going on in the fog light switch -- so maybe that's why they tend to fail ).

 

That about sums up my knowledge of electronics! That is why I am ever so grateful for Steve and other members that help us out on these electrical issues on a routine basis. Thanks Guys!

 

I´ll check that later. I am assembling the car now...a hell of work...stripped it down to give it my personal note pics will follow within the next 10 days. Must be finished til Oldtimer Grand Prix @ Nurburgring.