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Headlight harness connector

SuperKirby

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June 23, 2012
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City, State
Central MN
Year, Model & Trim Level
1993 Explorer XLT
Awhile back, I posted that I bought this

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fex/full.aspx?Page=46

Due to some unfortunate life events, I've been unable to install it until now. This morning I went out to try to do so, but I can't for the life of me find the connector for the existing wiring harness. It appears to be roundish with three wires coming out of it. I don't know if the colors match, but looks to be a blue, white, and brown. Can anyone tell me where the connector is to plug this in? A picture or two would be uber helpful.
Thanks guys!
 



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Wouldn't it be the connector that plugs straight into the bulb behind the headlight. So the connector that plugs into the bulb would just plug onto the harness.

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He he... yup. My bad. I was trying to make it harder than it was.

Thanks.
 






I know this is an old thread but inquiring minds want to know how it worked out for you!
 






My first gen. ex lights barely work at all! Would love to use this if it works well!
 






Hey guys, sorry for the delay.

I would strongly recommend this. It's made a huge difference in how bright the lights are. In fact a couple weeks ago my shift got off work and one of the guys had a flat tire. There was three of us that pulled our vehicles up and pointed them at his and turned our headlights on. It was a conversation topic that the other two guys had trucks 10 and 14 years new than mine and my lights were way brighter. Definitely worth the $45 or $50 I paid for it.
 






All you need is an automotive relay, an inline fuse, a ring terminal, and some red 14-12 gauge wire. A total of about 15 bucks if you don't already have it.
 






so what light bulbs did you use.
?
 






I installed the LMC kit on my Mounty last night in between rain showers. The Low beams are as bright as the High beams used to be!

I wrapped the unused factory plug and the relays in plastic bread bags to minimize the chance of water damage.

I really like the fact that it was plug and play. Some of the other kits I researched required cutting and crimping or soldering. If something goes bad like a fried relay I can go back to the original system at the side of the road.

Yes, as others have commented, I could have created my own system. In the future on a warm, dry Summer day I might. For now this was a quick, relatively inexpensive proof of concept that it really works!
 






Does our headlight switch create THAT much resistance in the circuit, to where it dims the lights?
 






Does our headlight switch create THAT much resistance in the circuit, to where it dims the lights?

On my 1992 Chevy Suburban, I hooked a multimeter up to measure both the voltage drop and amperage when connected to the battery, bypassing the factory harness. I forget the exact figures but there's a few amps missing from the lights due to voltage drop. I can actually see the difference looking at the light when I bypass the factory wiring. I know this is a Chevy with a different system but it's opened my eyes and when the weather is better, I might do a video on this with the same voltage drop and bypass measurements on my 1991 and 1994.

This would definitely be a fun little wiring project to get more oomph out of the lights.
 






Perhaps a bit off topic but hopefully valuable anyway... I just replaced the entire headlight assemblies in both of my Gen1 ex's - what a difference in light output! If your lenses are getting cloudy it really helps and is a fairly easy job - described elsewhere in this site. The first vehicle took me about 3 hours, the second less than 2. I also use the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs which claim to use the same current as the standard bulbs but are somewhat brighter.
 






Does the automatic lights on and off function on the review mirror work with this set up? (If you have that in your Explorer?)
 






If done correctly, the only thing this kit does is bypass the switch so the positive wires to the headlights run right off the battery. Everything else should remain the same.
 






Headlight harness

When my headlights started turning off when I was driving at night {go figure} I found the connector for the headlight switch was melted.. When I fixed that somehow I ran across one of those harness's. Well I read about you don't have the voltage drop and when the power for the headlights didn't have to run through headlight switch anymore. That's kinda like going through your azz to scratch your elbow right? I bought one but from somebody else same price but heavier wire and better relays and made in the USA. A diesel truck site? Searched for lighting upgrades and the hd harness is what I found. I really like my Ex's lights with it installed also have 9007 for the bulbs.

S.
 






Even the LMC Truck one is a good setup and in my opinion well worth the money. I don't think I'll do the 9007 swap as I like to be able to go back to stock in a pinch on something like that. I think my next upgrade will be to throw in some LED bulbs for it. Sucks to pay what they want for them but then if it makes as much of a difference as I'm hoping it will it will be worth it. I'm still trying to figure out which ones I should buy for sure.
 






You gotta be careful with bulb swaps. Yes the 9007's are brighter but the elements are oriented differently and won't behave as good as the 9004's. Not to mention, if the difference is significant enough, you can get a ticket for that. Modifying your existing lights and housings isn't worth it unless you wholly replace them and align them properly. IMO, it's better to run extra lights. You can read the statutes for your area and see if spot/flood lights are allowed, how many and where they should be positioned.
 






Here lately, I have noticed a delay, when I pull the headlight switch, before the lights come on. I'll pull....1 mississippi....lights come on.

The LMC kit may be in my future. Or, a new switch, or new wires...

Do you all think my switch may be going out? I've never heard of anyone mentioning a "delay", but that's what I'm getting now.
 






Corrosion in the wires has a profound effect on our old rigs electrical system. It may not be just the switch, itself, but the cumulative of all the wiring, switches and connectors that results in dimming or slow to light up headlights.

I agree that the LMC route is not necessary, but its a 10 minute plug and play job. I actually went back to halogens from HID's because the beam pattern was so goofy that the brightness just wasn't very usable. With aftermarket diamond cut reflectors and super bright Sylvania bulbs and the relay kit, my lights are fantastically bright and with excellent coverage and when aimed well, they don't blind other drivers. Are they as bright as HID's? Nope, but not by much.
 



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When my headlights were acting goofy the last place I looked was the headlight switch. There appears to be a good bit of current going through it to several different areas. Mine one of the heavier gauge wires at the connector was melted and the plastic was in bad shape.
 






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