i was reading a post and someone mentioned the daniel b. headlight mod i was just wondering what exaclty this is?

 

It is an idea for having both high and low beam headlights on whenever the combination switch is in the high-beam position.

This only an idea. I have not made this modification. I do not positively know it will work. Warning: this idea is untested.


1) Purchase:
- two auxiliary horn relays.
- a 30 amp fusible link.
- twenty feet of stranded copper wire. I'm not sure about the gauge of wire, I'd guess 14 gauge. Perhaps the audio enthusiasts can tell us more on this subject.
2) Raise the hood.
3) Mount each horn relay close to the headlight it will serve.
4) Remove the plastic cover from the narrow link-and-fuse box adjacent to the battery.
5) Choose an unused link site among the fusible links. It should have a "hot always" male spade terminal and a vacant terminal slot next to it. My Maxima has several of these.
6) Fashion a power wire with a male spade lug crimped or soldered to one end.
7) Insert that male spade terminal (from below) into the vacant slot you chose in the link-and-fuse box.
8) Run the power wire to the power terminal of both relays.
9) Carefully strip some insulation away from both low- and high-beam headlight power wires an inch or two away from the socket. Splice new wires to form "T" junctions and secure with solder or crimp fittings. Note that the high- and low-beam wires still power their respective headlight filaments.
10) Connect each newly-added high beam branch wire to the signal terminal on its relay.
11) Connect each newly-added low beam branch wire to the load terminal on its relay.
12) Plug the 30 amp fusible link into the link-and-fuse box, at the formerly-unused site. Mark the map on the plastic box cover AUX HEADLIGHTS. Snap the box cover in place.
13) Close the hood.
14) Smoke test: try the headlights, both low and high beams.

One advantage of this modification is that it is easily disabled. All you need do is remove the fusible link and the headlights will work just as they do now.

It is possible to accomplish this objective with only one auxiliary relay, but I specified two in order to maintain the independence of the two headlight circuits.

 

If you did this, would oncoming traffic or cops notice something had been done to the headlights or would you just see more from in the car?

 

I did it and it works just fine so far! My only concerns were if having both filaments in the bulb going at the same time would cause the bulb to overheat and burst (NOT YET!) and nothing electrical has gone bad. So I say kudos to Dan. BTW, if something ever did happen, I would not blame Dan either cause I, as a mechanic, understand what is going on and will take full blame if something did happen.

 

Cops will not be concerned about this. All they (and everyone else) cares about is whether or not you DIM your lights and not blind anyone. It helps me out cause you see everything your lows see and your highs see at the same time.

 

How difficult is it to perform this mod and what is the estimated install time? Sounds like something I'm gonna have to try.

 

If you understand what a relay is and what it does, this mod is simple as pecan pie. The relay I installed (just one,30 amp just like the fusible link) has 5 prongs.
- A ground (1 prong)
- a power source (30amp fusible link, 1 prong)
- 2 prongs (one for each headlamp wire)
- 1 prong for a "switching means/method"
Once you understand this it is not difficult at all. I want to say it took me about an hour. Don,t quote verbatim on that.