Hella Headlight Relays, Good Or Bad?

[Scootin 81 C20]

Hey guys, I went bargain shopping for some headlight relays at the local pull a part and I got some Hella brand relays. They told me I can have a set for free, since I took in some OEM radios I had in my mini storage. So I grabbed these because they are a brand I recognize. Well, I'm wanting to do the relay upgrade on my truck, and I want to know if these are reputable relays or if I should go shopping again?

Thanks
Benjamin.

[staggerd86c-10]

yeah hella brand relays are usually really good. Kind of expensive thats why alot of people use the cheapers ones. You shouldnt have a problem with them at al if thats what your asking. thats what the oem uses in almost all the cars. I would suggest to start off a project with new relays, if they are bad you are going to be doubting your wiring when i just could be a bad relay.

[N2TRUX]

Hella brand are hella good. Seriously you should do just fine with them. Did they come with the sockets too?

[GmtGmt]

Hella is the best

head and taillights on many cars and trucks are Hella

i run a set of Round Hella Rally Fog lights on my DD They are Very high Quality but Also Expensive i got them from my dad who use to have them on his own

[Scootin 81 C20]

Ok, thanks. I got the relays and about 4-5" or wiring for them. Now I just need to find or figure out how to wire them into my single headlight setup.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Scootin 81 C20

..... Now I just need to find or figure out how to wire them into my single headlight setup.

Here ya go-

[54Caddy]

these are the relays needed to make the headlights brighter correct??

[Scootin 81 C20]

Yup, that's the mod that I'm wanting to do to mine.

[54Caddy]

im going to do mine too. anyone ever use the kit that lmc sells? i plan on ordering that one.

[glock35ipsc]

You can do it much cheaper by just finding 2 relays. It's really easy to do. Really easy. And it shouldn't cost more than $10 to do it.

[54Caddy]

which relays would i need though?

[glock35ipsc]

Any standard 30 or 40 amp automotive-type SPDT relay.

[N2TRUX]

Google "Bosch" or "Schosche" relay and you will get a ton of hits. You can buy cheaper, but not much better.

[54Caddy]

if hella are the best ones i should get them, now as far as the wiring i have to rerun a wire from headlight switch to dimmer switch to the relay, or just tap into existing wiring connectors at headlights?

[manimal]

You can tap into the existing harness under the hood. Just follow the diagrams.

[fixit-p]

Nothing wrong with junkyard relays just be careful to look at the schematic on the side if the relay has a diode if yes then terminal 85 needs to be used as ground otherwise you'll fry the relay. Hella as well as other relays also come with dual 87 terminals to simplify wiring. The schematic below is for a Hella 87453 Dual 87 relay w/Diode.

[Scootin 81 C20]

Where do I look to find out what Hella relays I have?

[fixit-p]

The relay should have the diagram etched or printed right on its side like the pic posted by glock. If you wire 85 to ground it wont matter if the relay has a diode, capacitor, resistor or nothing across pins 85 and 86 it will work for any relay.

[Scootin 81 C20]

Mine have a diagram but it's different than the others posted in here.

[gavinmosher]

How would you wire up something like this with the 90 suburban front clip?

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by gavinmosher

How would you wire up something like this with the 90 suburban front clip?

Hopefully you can read this one. This is not only to add relays for more voltage to the lights, but it adds a diode to turn on the low beam bulbs when in high beam.

I'll try to get one drawn up in CAD so the lines are darker.

[gavinmosher]

not tryin to steal the thread guys but on wiring up the 90 suburban what pin do the grounds go to... i guess im not real good at reading scematics... also what colors are the wires for high and low beam and can i add the relays under the hood near the headlights themselfs or do i add it under the dash?

also will this mod work with stock headlights or do i need to buy different ones

[fixit-p]

Originally Posted by gavinmosher

not tryin to steal the thread guys but on wiring up the 90 suburban what pin do the grounds go to... i guess im not real good at reading scematics... also what colors are the wires for high and low beam and can i add the relays under the hood near the headlights themselfs or do i add it under the dash?

also will this mod work with stock headlights or do i need to buy different ones

Tan= low beam, Lt green = high beam, the closer to the headlights the better and ground 85 on the relay.

[glock35ipsc]

Find the tan and light green wires in the harness between the washer reservoir and the first headlight bulb. Verify with a DVM or test light that you have the right ones first, then cut them.

Then wire 2 relays (1 low beam, 1 high beam):

85 - wire from light switch. This will be the "switching" wire.
86 - to ground
87 - out to the bulbs (the other side of the tan and lt. green wires)
30 - fused power in from battery

If you have the burb/blazer type, you can run a blocking diode between #85 on both to make all 4 lights come on in high beam. Install the diode so that power from #85 on the high beam relay sends power to #85 on the low beam relay. If it is backwards, all 4 will be on in low beam. Put the end with the band on the low beam side.

[piecesparts]

If you want a hard working long-term relay, go to the Pick-A-Part and pull some of the heater relays off of the mid 80s trucks. They are heavy duty and are mounted tright on the heater housings, where it is easy to get at them. They are nothing more than a standard relay but with the heavy duty capability to handle anything that you throw at them. They can also be polished for a clean look.