Anyone know offhand

the difference between the 9007 and 9004 bulbs...other than 3...lol

The 96 Ranger that I am using the wiring from used the 9007 bulbs but the 92 used the 9004 and I tried the 9004 in the socket and turned on the switch and it illuminated the bulb...

So...I was wondering if it was "safe" to use them in the 96 wiring or will something blow up or out if I run them...

TIA

OK...so I did the unthinkable and actually searched Google...here is what I found...with a link to the original article...and under the circumstances, I will be using a 9004 bulb and the 92 Ranger lights on my 88 cab using he 96 wiring modified to work with the 9004 bulb...so it is safe and won't burn up or blind other drivers...

In order to do this I will need to alter the existing wiring on the 96 harness...

Technical bulletin: 9004 & 9007 bulbs.

9004 and 9007 Bulbs
What are the differences? They look interchangeable— but they’re not.

When should I use 9007 bulbs?
Use 9007 bulbs in headlamps marked “DOT HR HB5” and wherever a 9007 was the original bulb.

When should I use 9004 bulbs?
Use 9004 bulbs in headlamps marked “DOT HR HB1” or “DOT HR” and wherever a 9004 was the original bulb.

The 9004 (HB1) bulb, introduced in 1983, was the first halogen replaceable
headlight bulb available for use in North America. It uses 12 Volts, has a
45 Watt low beam filament producing 700 lumens, and a 65 Watt high beam
filament producing 1200 lumens. These filaments are transverse—if you hold the
bulb upright, they run across the bulb from side to side.

The 9007 (HB5) bulb, introduced in 1992, uses 12 Volts, has a 55 Watt low beam filament
producing 1000 lumens, and a 65 Watt high beam filament producing 1350
lumens. These filaments are axial—if you hold the bulb upright, they run along the
bulb from top to bottom.

9004 and 9007 bulbs are keyed differently, so they can’t be interchanged, but
the higher light output of the 9007 tempts some people to try making 9007 bulbs fit
in headlamps designed for 9004 bulbs.

This is not an upgrade, and it’s unsafe.

It’s important to use the specified bulb.

Each headlamp is designed to use only one type of headlamp bulb. It may be a
9004, a 9007, or some other type. Headlamps are optical instruments, and they
depend on the filament being very precisely oriented and placed exactly how
and where it’s supposed to be, in order to form a beam pattern with the right
amounts of light in the right places.

If the filament is improperly oriented or placed because the wrong kind of bulb
is used, the headlamp’s optics won’t see what they’re expecting to see, and they
won’t be able to do their job. The result will be a damaged beam pattern that
won’t provide safe seeing light for the driver, and will cause blinding glare for other road users.

www.candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/9004_9007.pdf

Wattages are similar, but 10W higher for the 9007 low beam element. High beam element is the same wattage. The 9007 is brighter for both high and low beam which some try using as an upgrade, but there is a problem.

The filament arrangement is different thus the headlight optics won't generate the correct pattern so just changing bulbs isn't a good idea. If you change the full headlight assembly however that is a different story.

There is also some difference in the wiring so unless you re-wired for the different bulbs, they will still light but instead of getting one or the other filaments to light it looks like you will get either one element on or both in series which would be dimmer even with both lit. Looking at the chart, if wiring is for 9003 and a 9007 bulb is used, low beams selected will illuminate the high beam element of the 9007 bulb. Selecting high beams will put both in series.

Here is a good reference document http://www.candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/9004_9007.pdf

so to rephrase that, even though on paper the actual light output is brighter with the "upgrade" to the 9007, there will be less light on the ground where you need it, and will effectively be dimmer...

this thread should be stickied I think


furthermore, that above reason is EXACTLY why HID's are illegal as an aftermarket upgrade in all of canada and the USA, the arc that produces the light is not in the right spot, and will not reflect correctly.

Reviving this one for ease of use...

About to retro fit the bulb socket...using the 9004 bulb in the 96 socket but shifting the wires one peg over each...

I understand the low beam is actually lower wattage (45) compared to the 9007 at 55 watts...I'm not electrically functional so to speak so I'm thinking...does the 9004 bulb burn hotter or is it a function of the element to control the wattage...meaning it won't blow itself out using the low beams...

I can always drive around with the high beams on and deal with angry drivers at night...or just make sure I'm home before dark...

So...my question again...will rewiring this have any adverse effects?

The bulb itself is different. I had some 9004s in my 9007 housings and I could not see anything at night, the bulb didn't stick into the reflector far enough to produce a beam.

I suspect that going to other way would cause a clearance issue.

Sorry, I wasn't clear...

I am using the 9004 bulb in the 92 lamp case so the bulb actually fits perfectly...my concern is that when I swap the wires around HGL (High, Ground, Low) on the 9007 becomes GLH for the 9004 bulb to work properly...the wires are basically shifted one position to the left to make them work.

H-G-L (9007)
G-L-H (9004)

What was concerning me, again now that I clarified a bit is...does the bulb set the impedence to produce the wattage or is it something that comes though the line regardless...

From what I remember of my brief electronics course was the impedence of the bulb (filament) created a higher or lower wattage...but I'm not sure...

And...more importantly of concern is...can the bulb burn out faster or just pop when power is applied because there is too much watts...too many watts...

In my mind last year when I was toying with the idea of what way to go I thought I had it figured out...the bulbs would work in the sockets if the wires were rearranged...but over the past year my mind and reasoning have become clouded...hence the question...

I am just about to snip wires and wire the engine bay...and connect it all up to watch for sparks...lol

You should be fine switching the contacts around.

The higher-wattage bulb simply has a thicker filament to draw the higher power, producing more light (vice-versa the lower-wattage bulb).

Thanks for the confirmation! I couldn't find anything contrary to that and I really didn't want to go through a electronics DC basics course...too old and lazy for that but better to ask anyways because so many knowledgeable people to tap into is too tempting...

The 9004/9007 pinouts are different. But I think the only real difference is the layout of the filament inside the bulb. One has axial filament, the other is transverse. This really only affects the reflector design, since the low-beam needs to be offset at just the right amount, to avoid blinding oncoming drivers. That's why they're not interchangeable. And intuitively, I suppose the axial filament layout might aim light more efficiently towards the reflectors?

I found this interesting: http://www.headlightsdepot.com/headlights_101.php

cvar said:

The 9004/9007 pinouts are different. But I think the only real difference is the layout of the filament inside the bulb. One has axial filament, the other is transverse. This really only affects the reflector design, since the low-beam needs to be offset at just the right amount, to avoid blinding oncoming drivers. That's why they're not interchangeable. And intuitively, I suppose the axial filament layout might aim light more efficiently towards the reflectors?

I found this interesting: http://www.headlightsdepot.com/headlights_101.php

Click to expand...

Interesting article...I can imagine acetylene tanks providing fuel for lighting...like something out of mad max...lol

The bulbs are definitely different design as far as projection of the light and do require the specific lenses for each one. Since I am using a 96 frame and wiring for the 2.5 engine and the 92 body (88 cab) parts I figured I could get away with just rearranging the wires. The wiring controls whether you use the high beams or low beams and for safety reasons (I imagine) they could not simply wire them to work the same way.

I'm not keen on blinding other drivers...so I want to make sure this works as safely as possible...