Why are my Lo Beams burning out?

[thegawd]

that's sweet and simple! I saved that pic incase I ever wire up one of these again.

 

[someotherguy]

I had no idea you had a kid.



The idea of a Subaru sounds nice..... 4wd off-road-ish car, but then I hear that some of thier weirdo flat engines have issues.



Wow, I had no idea they were THAT much. I bought mine years ago, and I don't recall what I paid for them, but I don't think it was that expensive. Mine are probably the "original" Silverstars. I think I still have one, because I only installed one. My passenger side mounting bracket has a stripped bolt or something on it, and I think I was under the impression that I had to remove it, or somesuch non-sense. If I'm carefull, I can get my hand in there without removing the battery.

Maybe I should try selling my original Silverstar as "vintage".

I see they are all 1000 lumens...

Didn't have kids til the second wife; got 'em in the deal. Just-barely-grown stepdaughter and stepson with the perfect timing of "they're already outta the house" - joking though, as they're great young adults.

The Subies are known for being mechanical disasters. I'd avoid them at all costs.

As far as bulb replacement on a 400 you should only need to pull the headlight to do the high beams. It's possible one of the "nuts" in the bracket is spinning in the plastic due to the pin-bolt seizing up in it; it does happen.

I was surprised to see they're all rated at 1000 lumens, as well. The only real difference in advertised specs being the color temperature and expected lifespan, which are dramatically shorter. I'll never buy those rotten things. In fact I knew the Xtravisions had a slightly shorter lifespan than the plain old halogen offering, but it's not by much, and they only had 1 of those in stock while the Xtravision were sitting there in the 2-pack.

I've got 35W HID's in my SS, have had them forever and warrantied a couple ballasts over the years (DDM lifetime), they're transplanted from previous vehicles. I like them OK but being Chinesium I don't expect much. I know once the weather gets colder they'll have trouble reliably "firing off" and I'll have to play with the headlight switch to make them both come on. Maybe I'll dig into my stash and see if I still have those HIR's..

Richard,
Where did you get the specs on the Sylvania bulb life--Sylvania seems to keep that a secret.......!

Believe it or not, from the manufacturer-supplied specs on the O'Reilly site. Subject to error for sure since it's not Sylvania's site, but considering people's experiences with the "higher end" Silverstars short lifespan, seems accurate.

Richard

 

[454cid]

The Subies are known for being mechanical disasters. I'd avoid them at all costs.

Yeah, that's the plan. I know they have thier fans, but I'd rather have something else.

As far as bulb replacement on a 400 you should only need to pull the headlight to do the high beams. It's possible one of the "nuts" in the bracket is spinning in the plastic due to the pin-bolt seizing up in it; it does happen.

Yes, I think that's what it is. It's been forever since I've looked at it. I actually have a brand new bracket that I bought and never installed. It may happen soon, as the headlights are really getting bad. I was finally going to pull the trigger and get the glass Spyder's and they seem to be out.

I was surprised to see they're all rated at 1000 lumens, as well. The only real difference in advertised specs being the color temperature and expected lifespan, which are dramatically shorter. I'll never buy those rotten things.

Agreed, it would be money wasted.

I've got 35W HID's in my SS

Checking my Rockauto history, it looks like I have PHILIPS 9006VP (vision plus), which don't have a stellar lifetime (300+ hours), but have worked for the limited driving of the truck I've done since I put them in. I'm going to have to check specs better next time. On the flip side, I likely didn't pay much for them. EDIT: i just checked the Rockauto price, those bulbs are almost $10 each, if buying x2 the price goes down to about $7 each. I paid $11.48 for the pair.

 

[351FUN]

96 and 97 K1500's.

The 97 has had the Painless Headlight and 4 hi kit for two years--no problem. Sylvania SilverStar Ultras in all four headlights. I put maybe 5k on the truck a year.
My 96 has had the same kits, installed a little over a year ago, I installed it the same as the 97 with my own relays, but I just burned out my second set of Sylvania SilverStar Ultra 9006's. I've probably put 13k on the truck in the last 15 months. I just had a friend/mechanic tell me the Sylvanias--especially the Ultras--have a very short lifespan.

Both trucks still have the factory "driving lights" feature that come on as soon as I turn the key on.

Shurkey and others have mentioned too high of a voltage can contribute to shorter bulb life.

You guys have any ideas or is it a function that Sylvanias actually do have a short lifespan?

The Sylvanias are the problem. Those are garbage bulbs honestly. They're good if the only parts you can get are what's at autozone, but we're in the information age and you can get good Phillips bulbs to your door tomorrow probably.

 

[351FUN]

The idea of a Subaru sounds nice..... 4wd off-road-ish car, but then I hear that some of thier weirdo flat engines have issues.

That mindset is how I ended up with a lifted 400 awhp Taurus on BFG KO2's

 

[alpinecrick]

Believe it or not, from the manufacturer-supplied specs on the O'Reilly site. Subject to error for sure since it's not Sylvania's site, but considering people's experiences with the "higher end" Silverstars short lifespan, seems accurate.

Richard

lol......
Even RA says about the brighter bulbs "Improved visibility, but shorter lifespan". I should have paid more attention I suppose.

BTW, I live in the land of Subarus, they ain't bad cars, quirky in the way they're designed, but more simple and straight forward for the most part. If I was to buy a Japanese car, Subaru would be one I'd look at first.

 

[smdk2500]

All this talk about headlights makes me think I can't remember the last time I replaced one. Its been at least 15 years I think since I've had one burn out.

 

[alpinecrick]

In the course of replacing my bulbs, I found I could rattle the relays and the headlights would flicker--my ChiCom relay box--and especially the connectors the relay spades slide into--are junk. Do any of you fine citizens have a good source for a quality relay and fuse box with decent connectors?
I would appreciate any helpful info......

 

[Hipster]

All this talk about headlights makes me think I can't remember the last time I replaced one. Its been at least 15 years I think since I've had one burn out.

Same here, bulbs are 12 plus years old, haven't replaced one since I've had the truck.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

Do any of you fine citizens have a good source for a quality relay and fuse box with decent connectors?
I would appreciate any helpful info......

Here's what I did with my 88...
www.gmt400.com/threads/electrical-upgrade-just-do-it.51911/#post-1145991