Xantia Mk 1: Which Headlamp bulbs?

davetd · Post by **davetd** » 12 Dec 2006, 17:32

Layout is; (for each side so x2)

Red and black to relay with inline 7.5a blade terminal fuse in red.

Existing bulb terminal cable (yellow) to switching pin on relay.

Red from relay output to bulb

Took half an hour to do (including cigarette at half time)

NB to remove relay from headlamp area you need to extend the yellow existing cable as its only really long enough to reach the bulb

This makes a considerable difference to the lights especially if combined with xenon technology bulbs (not HID) just normal upgrade ones like Halfords Super Brilliance or Osram Silverstars.

I've shaved 15 mins of my morning 1 and a half hour journey to London each day as I can go faster on the country lanes cos I can see where I'm going!

The pair of bulbs cost me 15.99 (2 for 1) at Halfords and the connectors, 35 amp relays, fuses and holders, cable etc cost 20quid.

Cheaper than the 175 for a proper xenon conversion and perfectly adequate

Evodad · Post by **Evodad** » 12 Dec 2006, 18:02

Excellent help & advice from excellent guys.
As my two boys would say, Respect!

Thanks,
Roy.

dan_the_v8man · Post by **dan_the_v8man** » 12 Dec 2006, 18:43

top stuff, gunna have to get that done now

davetd · Post by **davetd** » 12 Dec 2006, 22:03

Glad to be of service 8)

Let us know how you get on

This is the best time of year to do this because you'll feel the benefit on those dark mornings

regards

davetd

Post by **Peter.N.** » 12 Dec 2006, 23:04

You can get some much cheaper Xenon conversions now - have look on ebay.

Evodad · Post by **Evodad** » 14 Dec 2006, 17:32

Got my relays from here:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1

Got two pairs of bulbs from here:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1

I'll let you know how I get on, just need to get some female Lucars & "proper" end connectors for the battery & earth wires.

Evodad · Post by **Evodad** » 22 Dec 2006, 19:54

I fitted a 30A relay on dip beam last weekend & four Philips Vision Plus 55W H1 bulbs today.

Before the relay was installed there was a 0.7V drop between battery & bulb, with the relay there's 0.2V.

There was some improvement in brightness with just the relay mod & again, an improvement with the xenon bulbs.

I'm not 100% satisfied, but with good chrome on the reflectors & good lenses, I reckon it's as good as it gets. Guess it's now down to headlamp design.

Guys, thanks for all the help. Over the holiday, think I'll do the relay mod on main beam just to finish it off.

Roy.

rlatarche · Post by **rlatarche** » 05 Apr 2008, 14:02

I bit the bullet and upgraded this afternoon too. I fitted 2 30Amp Relays with inline 7.5amp fuses using 4mm cable.. . . . . Results

LUX before upgrade 524 LUX

LUX after upgrade 784 LUX

thats a 66% increase in light output!

One question though. I haven't extended the yellow switch wires and as such the relay is sitting close to the light housing. Where have people fitted the relays to or have they just left them behind the lamps. Also, as i've uprated the negative earth from the lights too i have 4 new cables coming from the back of the lights now and i cannot close the cover on the lamps. Is this a bad thing or should i try and work things out so that the cover can close correctly.

In other words is it ok to leave the lamp housing covers off??

Thanks

Post by **CitroJim** » 05 Apr 2008, 14:25

That's a very useful increase and good to see the effectiveness of the relay mod scientifically proven!

I've not done the mod on my 2.1 but I have put some Osram Silver Stars in and the differeence is pretty amazing. The lights are nearly good now.

rlatarche wrote:In other words is it ok to leave the lamp housing covers off??

I'd try to do the job so they can be put back on. They're there for a good reason or Citroen would have saved a few centimes per car by not fitting them. Although the backs of the lights are reasonably well protected from the elements it's still possible for dirt and water splashes to get in, neither of which will be good for the light units. Water ingress will quickly tarnish the reflectors and undo the good work you have done.

samtronic · Post by **samtronic** » 05 Apr 2008, 15:50

The lamp housing covers helps keeping bugs and moisture out of the lamps.
Both will damage your reflectors in time.
And you cannot polish them; the reflecting surface is a very thin layer of silver which can be removed by a soft cloth leaving you with a non-reflecting reflector...

Regards,
Søren

rlatarche · Post by **rlatarche** » 05 Apr 2008, 22:16

So how was everyone else done it then so that they can put the covers back on???

Just drove home in the dark and with it raining and the difference is amazing. The dipped headlamps are brighter and better than the main beam and no one flashed me on the way home so they must be aligned correctly.

Next project will be to upgrade the full beam system, however i think i'll leave it until i know how other people have upgraded there lights with the ability to put the covers back on.

In summary - it costs £20 and an hour of your time to give you brilliant night vision!!

Thanks to all those that have posted on here explaining the process and parts.

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 05 Apr 2008, 23:21

I fitted relays to my S1 Activa last week, wow what a difference

. The voltage at the back of the bulbs increased by over 1.5 volts. I hid the relays in a spare slot in the relay box behind the battery and the ECU box behind the O/S headlight. To feed the wires in and out of the headlamp I drilled small holes in the rear covers the exact size of the wires.

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 06 Apr 2008, 08:32

Sounds like a job for late summer! I've fitted relays for a job like this before, in my case it was for a direct feed to a fuel pump when i found a voltage drop of 1.5-2V when running, not a good idea as the pumping output drops alot with every volt lost! It's an easy job too.

rlatarche · Post by **rlatarche** » 06 Apr 2008, 08:38

DickieG - thanks for th einfo - i'll have a look in the relay box and see if theres any room. As for drilling i did toy with the idea but any hole will allow moisture in. I might go down the route of drill a hole and use a rubber grommet to make sure its sealed as best as possible.

sbraud · Post by **sbraud** » 12 Nov 2008, 07:14

This excellent idea passed me by until I stumbled on it looking for something else

One question, not being big on relays? What’s the best type or replays to get and bet place to get them?
Are they the same exposed connector pin relays that seen standard of some other type… Only ask as I was wondering how people are connecting and insulating wires from battery to relays ?

Cheers
Steve