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Re: advice on head/driving lamps

To: Hlsinger@aol.com, spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: advice on head/driving lamps
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 13:53:38 -0700 (PDT)
No comment as to the right fuse for your application, but in general adding
relays is a great way to take the load off your switch and increase its life. 
Especially if you've added additional lighting to the circuit, which may tax
the existing wiring without a separate relay circuit.  Those standard little
30-amp plastic units with connector work fine....a heavy separate lead from a
hot source, appropriately fused or (preferably) circuit-breakered, and you're
in business.

Older cars naturally build resistance in the harness as connections age and
corrode, so a marginal harness design can be further taxed by
age/corrosion/aftermarket additions.  Adding relayed lighting circuits helps
all that plus increases the life of expensive hard-to-find switches by dropping
the switched load. Careful splicing at existing connections can preserve the
originality of the wiring by only doing reversible changes (sounds like you're
already at peace with that issue, since you've been splicing already).

--- Hlsinger@aol.com wrote:
> We have had a 1971 Midget that has the  turn signal, high/low/flash 
> combination switch for about ten days.  It has been converted to halogen 
> sealed beams.  Driving lights have been added by putting a two to one 
> connector in the blue with white stripe high beam wire in front of the 
> radiator. The high beams and driving lights did not work either at the high 
> beam setting or the flash setting when we  got it.  The problem is in the 
> combination switch.  It has no continuity between the purple wire and the 
> blue/white wire in high beam or flash positions.  I have ordered a new 
> combination switch.
> 
> My question to the list is what is the best way to install driving lights to 
> keep from having elect problems?
> 
> Should the driving lights and/or the halogen sealed beams be put on separate 
> circuits with relays to keep from burning the contacts out of the combination
> 
> switch?  There is a 30 amp fuse in the 7-8 position on the fuse block.  Would
> 
> that be the correct size? Lots of smaller wire for interior lamps, boot lamp,
> 
> etc also connected to that fuse. Comments and suggestions on how to get this 
> right would be appreciated.
> 
> Alex Holsinger
> 1971 Midget
> Tulsa, Oklahoma


=====

Michael B. Dietsche, P.E.

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