Installation of front off road lights [Archive]

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JCJ

11-25-2002, 01:33 PM

Tried installing front off road lights, but got stuck with connections, which were different from manual compared to real life. I could not find the "trailer brake light" connection (male or female) near the fuse box (driver side behind battery) to which the off road-light-harness should be coupled. Now what?
Next step is of course let the local Chevy dealer or another car-wiring-whizz finish it up 4 me. But 1st I would like to ask for any suggestions in the forum. Thanx in advance. JCJ

JCJ

11-25-2002, 01:33 PM

TonkaH2

11-25-2002, 02:51 PM

And tell us how you like them. . . .

-Jack
Yellow H2 on order
"I think I can make it. D'OH!"

11-26-2002, 10:28 PM

JCJ:

Did your lights come with a wiring kit? If so, it should have an inline fuse so that you can run directly to the battery. You route from the lights to the battery and then through the firewall to the in-cabin location.

I've installed lights on my other trucks/SUVs in the past; hope this is no different.

JCJ

11-27-2002, 08:56 AM

Jack: I got the stock round ones, to be installed using existing connections.

SJ: The harness the lights came with are supposed to be connected to existing wiring and relay box. No big rocket scientist deal, but difficult (for me) if real life situation differs from installation manual.

Must improvise now, I guess.
Will wait until Service shop manual comes out (but when? www. helminc.com still out of stock) to find out where the "trailer-brake-light" can be found or at least which of the colored spagetti wiring it represent.
Thanx anyhow! JCJ

11-27-2002, 04:26 PM

JCJ:

Keep us posted. I'm looking to buy a pair of Explorer ProComps this weekend and I hope I don't hit any snafus.

MAC

11-27-2002, 04:36 PM

I re-adjusted the front grill lamps to point higher, almost straight ahead, they are working great with as much brightness as highbeam or better. When I turned on highbeam with these grill lamps on, I don't see improvement of light. I will have to turn them on and off when I see lights coming around the bend. Having them pointed low was polite and save the work of on/off, but they did me no good in turn of brightness. My mountain roads are usually totally empty at night, the very twisty roads also give me advance warning of approaching vehicle when I see some light in the dark a couple bends ahead of me.

MAC

12-22-2002, 03:31 AM

Anyone knows what type of bulb is used in the front grill off-road lamps?
These are lamps from Hummer dealer, installed upon delivery of Hummer.
I would like to replace them with bright white Xenon or LED bulbs, but need to know the numbers before I order replacement.

Have not try very hard yet, but how do you open the lamp? from the front?

DRTYFN

12-23-2002, 02:17 AM

They're H3 bulbs. I replaced the 55w bulbs in my light bar with 110w bulbs. YEEE-DOGGIE!! I also aimed the lights outward for better lighting when off-roading at night. I used PIAA 110w bulbs.

MAC

12-23-2002, 05:03 AM

Thanks. I changed the head lamps to Xenon white bulbs, when I turn on off-road lamps, they are the original yellowish light, just not up to the new super white standard of the head lamps.

One caution with off-road lamps, I have many times forgot to turn them off when I walk away from Hummer, once over 1 hour. There's no auto shut-off and no warning beep. If there is auto shut-off and I am missing it, please let me know.

How about DRL bulbs? is it also H3?

I do highly recommend Xenon super white bulbs, very low cost, $10-$25 a pair. Tonight when the valet drove my Hummer to the Club's front door, I can see the beautiful blue white head light.

WHITE BEAST

12-23-2002, 05:28 AM

I JUST GOT THE SAME LIGHTS AND YES, THE MANUAL IS VERY POORLY RITTEN. THIS WIRING THAT YOUR LOOKING FOR IS TUCKED RIGHT UNDER YOUR BATTERY, IN A REALLY TIGHT LOCATION. UNPLUG THE TWO WIRES, AND REATTACH THIS ONE.

NICK /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

JCJ

12-23-2002, 10:45 AM

Do I understand correctly, that one can exchange the OFF road light bulbs as well to Xenon white bulbs (H3)?
Cool!
But how to get the "original" bulb out of the (off road) lamp?

12-23-2002, 06:09 PM

JCJ:

Did you ever get those off-road lights installed?

I'm finally going to install my fog lights. I exchanged a set of Explorer ProComps for Hella 500s and hope the install goes smoothly.

JCJ

12-23-2002, 11:53 PM

Like to borrow your eyes.
Looked under battery (did not lift it out).
Still couldn't find the wiring connection to which I should connect the (front) off road harness.
Also the relay box left of steering wheel column gave me a problem, because no plug in room left for front off road lights.
Roof off road lights allready occupied (only?) space.
Will consult local automotive electronics wiz.
Thanx so far. JCJ

12-24-2002, 02:50 PM

JCJ:

I have been humbled by automotive projects on more than one occasion. Modern vehicles are so laden with computers and complex systems that formerly easy jobs can be made almost monumental.

I'll admit now that I may be heading back to the 4 x 4 shop to have them install my lights. At the end of the day, they may only charge $45.00 and do a neater job than I will (since they do installs all day long).

MAC

12-24-2002, 03:01 PM

A good lawyer or accountant or doctor is worth his/her weight in gold, this is absolutely true and I have always rely on professionals. A good mechanic or installer may not weight in gold, but certainly saves me time, money and agony.

12-24-2002, 10:29 PM

I also keep in mind an hourly labor rate sign I recall seeing at a marine dealer once, it read something like: $55/hr for repairs, $65/hr for repairs to customer repair attempts.

JJ

OLE YLLR

12-26-2002, 02:26 PM

DID YOU GET YOUR LIGHTS INSTALLED? MY BUDDY GAVE ME 4 EXPLORER PRO COMP130'S 8 INCH DIAMETER FOR MY BIRTHDAY, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO INSTALL ON WRAP AROUND BRUSH GUARD. ANY IDEAS!!!! OLE YLLR

12-26-2002, 04:05 PM

OLEYLLR:

I exchanged my Explorer ProComps for Hella Fog Lights. My concern started to migrate towards visability during snow storms and the occasional fog in the nearby lower valley. I'll probably go back to a driving light if I do any night-time excursions or long trips to places like Alaska.

The brush guard has a set of two side-facing holes for the Hummer OEM driving lights, but they are too small for the lights I purchased. My solution is to go with clamps that Four Wheel Parts sells, instead of drilling new holes in the guard.

Once the lights are clamped, I plan to run the leads to the relay. From the relay, you have a red wire to the battery and in-line fuse; blue wire to the lights; black to a selected ground; green to the switch that I will mount in the cabin.

I haven't determined where I'll go through the firewall (or if I'll simply route via the door sill).

My hope was to do the install two days ago, but other things came up. I'm now shooting for the weekend or early next week and I'll let you know how it goes.

DRTYFN

12-27-2002, 01:05 AM

The DRL's are 3157 or 4157 bulbs.

MAC

12-27-2002, 01:27 AM

Drtyfn, thanks.
Things are a little bit more complicated than 3157 or 4157. Stock is Sylvania 4157K, manual says 3157KX/4157K. The 3157 bulbs I found seem too small, and have many different bases, there is no 4157 on the net.

This the reply I received from bulbs.com
Good afternoon, In response to your email: We do carry the 3157 bulbs but I'm not sure what the KX refers to in the model number. I was able to find some information on the 4157... these are pretty much the same bulb. The 4157 is slightly higher in amps and they last a lot longer but the dimensions (according to the catalog I was looking in) were the same along with the type of base. You may want to contact a manufacturer of automotive bulbs. Maybe they can refer you to a place that carries the exact bulbs you need... they can also explain the differences between the two types. If you need anything else please let me know.