New Headlights, Still Too Dim

[Gonchar]

I bought new headlights from Eagle Eye for my Bronco 2, and when I first put them in and tried them, they obviously needed to be adjusted. However, they are now adjusted all the way up and all the way out, and they still kinda suck. With my low beams on, I can probably see 30ish feet ahead of me. With the high beams on, I can see probably 100ish feet ahead of me. What's really confusing me is that when my low beams are on, the light is concentrated right in front of me, and then it gets cut off, almost like something is blocking it. Also, my high beams are just as good as the low beams on my sister-in-law's '08 Town & Country.

 

[Dirtman]

Check for voltage drop. Read the voltage direct from the battery and then direct at the headlight socket. If there is a difference the issue is most likely a bad ground, dirty contacts on the socket or partially broken wire making the lights dim.

 

[Gonchar]

Sometimes I notice the gauge bouncing around. Sometimes it's just fine, the needle sits right above half while driving and while idling. Other times it's fine while driving, but dips below half at idle. When it goes below half, all of my lights get a little dimmer. When I give it some gas, they all come back to the normal brightness. Alternator?

I'll check for the voltage drop, too. What is a decent price for a multimeter? I'll have to go buy one, and I don't want to get the cheapest quality one, but I also don't want to spend a small fortune on a professional one.

 

[Dirtman]

Definitely worth checking the alternator and battery as well. The lights dimming/brightening based on the RPMs could very well be a failing alternator or battery. You can have those tested at autozone or advance auto for free. The guage in the instrument cluster is barely a step above useless for diagnosing anything. You need to do some real tests to determine where/what the problem is (i.e get the tests done at the parts store for alt/batt and get a multimeter to check voltage drop and grounds)

Look at the Innova 3320 on amazon. It's under 20 bucks and works fine for simple automotive stuff.

 

[JerryC]

This kit has higher wattage bulbs?
Did you get a relay harness with the kit?
If not you could be trying to draw too many amps through the factory wiring harness. Eventually something will melt.

The beam pattern sounds like you have projectors, and possibly bulbs that move for high/low beam? If this is the case having the bulbs installed upside down may cause the problem you have. If that is the case just remove and rotate them 180 degrees and reinstall. I had this problem with a HID kit I had on my old Mustang.

 

[adsm08]

This kit has higher wattage bulbs?
Did you get a relay harness with the kit?
If not you could be trying to draw too many amps through the factory wiring harness. Eventually something will melt.

The beam pattern sounds like you have projectors, and possibly bulbs that move for high/low beam? If this is the case having the bulbs installed upside down may cause the problem you have. If that is the case just remove and rotate them 180 degrees and reinstall. I had this problem with a HID kit I had on my old Mustang.

+1

Are you

A) Sure you have the right bulbs

and

B) Sure the housing isn't in upside down.

 

[Curious Hound]

+1

Are you

A) Sure you have the right bulbs

and

B) Sure the housing isn't in upside down.

^^^^ +1 again and don't forget what was mentioned about relay controls for high wattage lamps. Ranger headlight switches don't like the current they were originally designed for and anything higher will be bad.

Otherwise, remove sunglasses after sundown.

 

[Gonchar]

I only bought the headlight housings, I guess I should have specified that. Everything else is factory, including the type of bulb. Probably not the factory bulb in there, but they're not HIDs and hey're not projectors. Is it even possible to install them upside down?

 

[JerryC]

do you have a link to the housings?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm reasonably sure that vehicle used sealed beam headlamps. Correct?

Edit... Or perhaps I'm confused. I know my 88 used sealed beams.

 

[adsm08]

I only bought the headlight housings, I guess I should have specified that. Everything else is factory, including the type of bulb. Probably not the factory bulb in there, but they're not HIDs and hey're not projectors. Is it even possible to install them upside down?

Still check that they are the correct bulb number. 9005 and 9007 look the same, can be physically interchanged, but will cause beam projection issues if you use the wrong one.

I'm reasonably sure that vehicle used sealed beam headlamps. Correct?

Edit... Or perhaps I'm confused. I know my 88 used sealed beams.

No, 89 was the first year of the halogen bulbs for RBVs.

 

[Gonchar]

do you have a link to the housings?

This is for the passenger side:

Passenger Side Halogen Headlight, With bulb(s)

Buy your Replacement 20-1670-00 Headlight from JCWhitney and get a chance to enjoy discounts, free shipping and 30-day guarantee.

www.jcwhitney.com

This is for the driver side:

Driver Side Halogen Headlight, With bulb(s)

Buy your Replacement 20-1671-00 Headlight from JCWhitney and get a chance to enjoy discounts, free shipping and 30-day guarantee.

www.jcwhitney.com

 

[Gonchar]

Not sure if resurrecting a thread is a bad thing or not, but I figured I'd add some things. I got my alternator tested at O'Reilly, and the voltage regulator kept failing, which I think is what could be causing my issues. It's an internal voltage regulator, right? I ordered the internal one for $35 through them, and it should be here in a couple days. Before I dig in to it, does anybody know an easy way to replace one? I heard something about taking the whole alternator off, but I am not a fan of messing with the belts and all that. It looks like I might have a little bit of room to finesse it.

 

[adsm08]

A bad regulator can cause all kinds of odd electrical issues. I've never replaced one without doing the whole alternator, but I can't imagine it will be made easier overall by not removing the alternator.

V-belts should be adjusted periodically anyway, so not wanting to mess with the belts is a bad reason to make the job harder than it needs to be since they are probably due to be adjusted.

 

[Ranger850]

BTW, it's never bad to revive an old thread, as long as it's adding to the collection of knowledge to that specific thread. ( did I say that right? )