Headlight Booster Kit?

[Dogran]

Hi - wondered if anyone had come across one of these fitted to their Bongo? I recently purchased the very excellent Willinton Kit and set about fitting it today - however hit a snag straight away as there was a relay (it says FET Twin Relay on the side) bolted to the chasis where the new battery tray should sit. This relay gets a direct feed from the starter battery, and has three outputs - one to each headlight and another that disappears out of sight. Its earthed at the bolt by the header tank which is also used by the Willinton Kit. A bit of googling suggests this a headlight booster kit, which is meant to make your headlights brighter by bypassing the original headlight wiring with heavy grade cable - whether this works or not I don't know, although I've always been impressed with how bright the bongo's headlights are.

Anyway, my questions are -1) does this sound right, and 2) would it be ok to simply unbolt the relay and relocate it elsewhere? If so, could I simply cable tie it to something rather than finding a new spot to bolt it to?

Any ideas?

[dom_e]

Could it be the opposite - dims the headlights when sat in traffic? From what I've read on BF, this is a fairly common thing in Japan.

[dave_aber]

Sounds feasible in theory - you use the original headlight wiring to trigger this relay and you could have a lower resistance path from battery to headlight. Doubt it would be much lower resistance though.

Certainly this is the sort of arrangement you should use if you have high wattage bulbs fitted (higher then 55/60). If that's the case though, be aware that the lenses are plastic and could melt if you have really excessive bulbs fitted. (And dip beams over 55W are illegal for road use)

It should be OK to move the kit out of the way though, and let it co-exist with the Willinton kit.

Please check that the heavy-duty cable feed direct from the starter battery is fused at the battery end though - otherwise if it shorts out you could potentially have a fire on your hands.

[Dogran]

thanks for the speedy replies. Don't think its to do with dimming the lights when in traffic as never noticed this when driving over the past 18 months.

The kit is fused, but the fuses are next to the relay itself, not the starter battery. Assume this is ok? As, I said, the headlights are bright, and the lenses are discoloured (not uncommon as I understand it) but no evidence of them melting!

Feeling happier about moving it now - why can't things ever be straightforward?

[dave_aber]

The kit is fused, but the fuses are next to the relay itself, not the starter battery. Assume this is ok?

Afraid that's not OK. You mention Fuses, not Fuse, so I presume that they are on the outlet side of the relay? Presumably, the Twin Relay relates to one half for main, one half for dip, and each of these outputs is fused on the outlet?

If that's the case, that would be fine if the relay was mounted within a few inches of the battery.

As you have an un-fused cable running from the starter battery all the way over to the passenger's side, I'd recommend fitting an additional in-line fuse right next to the battery. It should be rated to handle the 2 main beams on together. Assuming 'standard' 60W, that's 10A - but best to check the bulbs to be sure. If that's the case, a 15A fuse should be fine. Of course, the cable should be rated higher than the fuse - so the fuse protects the cable.

[Dogran]

Thanks Dave - the fuses (it appears to be a 2 fuse holder but didn't look inside) are between the battery and the relay, but literally right next to the relay so the cable does run from the starter battery across to the passenger side before being fused. Will look into getting an in-line fuse fitted next to the starter battery.