Ads78

iTrader: (2)

Only recently learned this is a no no, and not a moment too soon by the looks of things.



Have I done more damage to the wiring elsewhere?

dunx

iTrader: (3)

If you have a multimeter you could measure the resistance of near and offside feeds and compare, but the only real way to tell would be to inspect the cable. It's easy enough to plait some wires into a loom using a relay fed from the battery direct to the bulb connector.

IMHO.

dunx

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

As above, shoulda used a relay.

Get some now, two will do, use the two feeds to trigger two relays, one for live, one for dip, and feed the lights from the battery, via fuses, through thicker wire..........

Here: http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.e...e/thinwall.php, ref 25, it can be had in cut lengths.

Ads78

iTrader: (2)

Cheers guys, got some standard bulbs back in for tje moment.

vindaloo

I've had that sort of thing happen on a standard bulb in other cars, both H4s.
As it's the connector, I'm not too sure what you could have done to prevent it. If the wiring's damaged, then, yup, some nice chunky cable and a relay will sort it out. You're still left with the H4 connector though. Can you even get good quality H4 connectors with chunky terminals?

J.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

You can get new connectors, with new terminals, and then solder the terminals to the wires before push-fitting them into the connector. Lewt's face it, that connector is there for ease: it holds each terminal at the right angle to it's mates and in the right order.

It's the terminals that do the business. If they are "open" ie not a tight fit, they can cause arcing under a heavy current and especially when the connector vibrates.

Once you've got arcing, you have two problems: firstly it'll overheat, secondly, the arcing burns the connecting surfaces, causing a HIGHER current to have to flow to break it's resistance down.

The trick is to either be VERY careful when you remove the connector from the bulb, (SQUEEZE the connector sides and pull straight back, DO NOT wiggle it), or gently nip their sides up when they are off, making them a tight sliding fit.