Raften
Northern Calfornia
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Joined: 01/27/2003
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I was aware of Stern when I first decided to upgrade my lights and would have gone with lights mounted on a prerunner bar but then saw a truck like mine down at Jawbone with the lights I got. That sold me plus the fact that lights on a bar are tempting to vandals.
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scot_douglas
Metro Detroit, MI
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Joined: 08/09/2007
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Raften wrote:I was aware of Stern when I first decided to upgrade my lights and would have gone with lights mounted on a prerunner bar but then saw a truck like mine down at Jawbone with the lights I got. That sold me plus the fact that lights on a bar are tempting to vandals.
But did you try the relays?
Anyhoo, I retrofitted HID lights into my wife's car and IMHO they light up much more details than the stock H1's they replaced. I wanted 4800K, but found a really good deal on a 5000K set ($200).
Have you installed your HIDs yet? I would still recommend running a relay to power your ballasts. (relay on far left)
Here are the stock leads to the headlights in my wife's car, maybe 18ga?
1996 F250 7.3L
2008 Bronco 1200
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DonCurley
La Sal, Utah
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Joined: 12/27/2006
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DonCurley wrote:Raften wrote:I wonder how many of you carry a long TORX driver and adjust your headlights to compensate for the light pattern with or without the TC.
I have a 3rd generation Dodge, and my service advisor told me the last time I was in for service that surprisingly there is no vertical height adjustment for the headlights on '07 & '08 Dodge Rams. He said that the headlights are installed at the factory with this vertical plane in a fixed position, and that only side-to-side adjustments could be made. If this is true, this seems ridiculous to me. What is someone to do with situations like a TC (or other heavy load) in the bed, or putting on a leveling kit, installation of a heavy front bumper/winch combination, etc., etc.?
After doing more research and posting on DodgeTalk, I am happy to report that my service advisor was apparently smoking something in that the headlights in '06 through '08 Dodge Rams CAN be vertically adjusted up & down. It's actually the horizontal adjustment (left & right) that cannot be changed (which makes a lot more sense if you were going to lock-down one of the two adjusting directions). Here is a diagram out of a 2007 Dodge Ram factory service manual:
#2 in the diagram is in fact the vertical adjusting screw. Perhaps my service advisor got a bit confused with the side-located screw (which is where you might expect the lateral adjusting screw to be), but it is actually for up & down headlight adjustment despite its location.
I feel better now. 
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Raften
Northern Calfornia
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Scot,
Yup, got the relays. Lights aren't in my truck yet, did one of the other trucks first. We purchased 4 sets for four trucks. I'll start installing mine this week.
Don, that is good to know but it just confirms that good service managers are hard to find.
* This post was
edited 04/12/08 02:11pm by Raften *
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DonCurley
La Sal, Utah
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Raften wrote:Don, that is good to know but it just confirms that good service managers are hard to find.
Pardon my cynicism ... but finding a good (fill in the blank) is hard to do these days.
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Sportsman Matt
Blackstone, MA
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Joined: 10/16/2007
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Sounds like the typical Dodge lens problem. I found that some auto restoration places carry a cleaner for chrome and glass that goes on like naval jelly and cleans up the plastic on the lenses. I did this to 3 vehicles and had to go to dimmer generic factory bulbs to pass inspection because the low beams put out more than the state allowed for high beams. Sorry I can't help with the name brand of the cleaner, as soon as I locate the can, I'll let you know.
good Luck
matt
Life is short, Play harder.
2002 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab Long Bed 4.3L V6 Automatic 2WD
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Fishing and Hunting New England and eventually the world
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JoeChiOhki
Keizer, Oregon
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Joined: 11/20/2003
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DonCurley wrote:phoenix827 wrote:I know when I put fogs on a few vehicles, this is why I wire them off the parking lights rather then the low beams. I am assuming you are talking about factory lights, you should be able to find the trigger wire that connects the fogs to the low beams and re-wire it to wherever you want, or just install after market fogs and wire them up new.
No can do on 2006 to 2008 Dodge Ram pickup trucks. As I mentioned in an earlier post above, starting in 2006, Dodge ran the entire lighting system of the truck through the ECM, and if it senses any current draw variations beyond acceptable specs, it just shuts down the offending circuits (including the fogs, parking lights, or whatever). Those with 2005 or earlier Dodge Rams can in fact do what you have suggested. Again, I am not a fan of the factory putting the lights under computer control, but that's just the way it is for later model Dodge Rams.
This is also an issue in '06 -'08 Dodge Rams in terms of installing aftermarket driving or off-road lights. Unless you come directly off the battery, you cannot get away with triggering or slaving-off existing circuits. I found out from Innova that they have a special order Brite Box that can do all of the low beam and fogs on during high beam operation, and has a special driving/off-road lights slave module and wiring for safely adding such lights without tripping something off due to the ECM control. I will need this with the additional lights I will be getting with my new Buckstop bumper.
That's when ya put in a relay with the sense line tied to the existing headlights. Then any added headlights are doing a direct battery draw instead of pulling their voltage from the existing headlight wiring.
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Raften
Northern Calfornia
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Joined: 01/27/2003
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Matt, the cruddy lights have been from day one but if you find the name of that product please pass it along as my wife has very cloudy plastic on her car and the guy across the street is worse. I have tried plastic cleaner but to no avail.
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phoenix827
torrington, ct
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Raften wrote:Matt, the cruddy lights have been from day one but if you find the name of that product please pass it along as my wife has very cloudy plastic on her car and the guy across the street is worse. I have tried plastic cleaner but to no avail.
SUPPOSEDLY polishing compound and a light touch will work good for clouded lenses. iirc, you need a light touch and a fair amount of time to do it tho.
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DIMDave
Sachse, TX
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Joined: 05/21/2007
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Here is a headlight polishing kit. There are others.
97 Sun-Lite Eagle RK
01 F250 CC SWB PSD
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