Hi/lo beams

Hi...

Wonder if anyone happens to know, or if not possibly someone
else with a 94 lhs would at their convenience do a little
experiment for me...

Rarely drive late night anymore; today I did. Low beams were
acceptable, but then I got on virtually deserted highway, and
used the high beams. Not too good at all, in fact I preferred
the lows.

Noticed that if I gently pulled the stalk, as a signal
perhaps. Not all the way to click it, just enough that
I might be asking an approaching car to lower theirs,
that all 4 (2 low, 2 high) came on, and it looked good.

However, pulling further to actually switch to high,
caused (I think) the lows to go out.

Question is when high is selected should all 4 filaments
be on, or only the 2 highs?

Can't find any info on this, so appreciate any advice on
whether or not I have something to fix

Thanks, and take care.

Ken

In article <wBqMg.533755$IK3.71847@pd7tw1no>,
Ken Weitzel > wrote:

> Hi...
>
> Wonder if anyone happens to know, or if not possibly someone
> else with a 94 lhs would at their convenience do a little
> experiment for me...
>
> Rarely drive late night anymore; today I did. Low beams were
> acceptable, but then I got on virtually deserted highway, and
> used the high beams. Not too good at all, in fact I preferred
> the lows.
>
> Noticed that if I gently pulled the stalk, as a signal
> perhaps. Not all the way to click it, just enough that
> I might be asking an approaching car to lower theirs,
> that all 4 (2 low, 2 high) came on, and it looked good.
>
> However, pulling further to actually switch to high,
> caused (I think) the lows to go out.
>
> Question is when high is selected should all 4 filaments
> be on, or only the 2 highs?
>
> Can't find any info on this, so appreciate any advice on
> whether or not I have something to fix
>
> Thanks, and take care.
>
> Ken

Normal.

Ken Weitzel wrote:

> 94 lhs

> Rarely drive late night anymore; today I did. Low beams were
> acceptable

That makes one of you. The rest of the world thinks these headlamps are
garbage, 'cause they are!

> Noticed that if I gently pulled the stalk, as a signal
> perhaps. Not all the way to click it, just enough that
> I might be asking an approaching car to lower theirs,
> that all 4 (2 low, 2 high) came on, and it looked good.

Great way to burn up the woefully undersized headlamp wiring.

> However, pulling further to actually switch to high,
> caused (I think) the lows to go out.

Correct. That headlamp uses one 9007 high/low beam bulb on each side of
the car (not counting the useless inboard auxiliary
lights).Two-filament headlight bulbs are pressurized to about 10
atmospheres COLD. Basic chemistry (PV=nRT) tells us what happens when a
gas is heated but not permitted to expand: The pressure rises! They are
not designed to handle the heat (or the current on the common filament
support lead) of running both filaments at the same time for more than
very brief periods during beam changeover or headlight flashing. Doing
so carries the very real risk of the bulb grenading inside the
headlamp, destroying it. Some people who think they're clever wire it
up this way anyhow, and the "Brite Box" people have made a business out
of this "clever" (not) modification. Running the lows with the highs
can only be done safely if the lows are produced by different bulbs
than the highs.

> Question is when high is selected should all 4 filaments be on, or only the 2 highs?

Which version of the headlamps do you have?. The early-production
'93-'95 units have a reflector lamp inboard of the main high/low
headlamp; the late-production '95-'97 units have a projector lamp (with
round "eyeball" appearance) inboard. Neither of them is especially
effective. Are the lenses marked SAE F, SAE Y or SAE Z?

Hi Dan,

I know you are no fan of the Honda's but my wife bought herself a 2005
Accord Hybrid. The low headlights are terrible. Probably not as bad as my
old 94 LHS but darn close. Do you have any suggestions (other than trade it
in) to improve them?

Thanks,

Art



"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Ken Weitzel wrote:
>
>> 94 lhs
>
>> Rarely drive late night anymore; today I did. Low beams were
>> acceptable
>
> That makes one of you. The rest of the world thinks these headlamps are
> garbage, 'cause they are!
>
>> Noticed that if I gently pulled the stalk, as a signal
>> perhaps. Not all the way to click it, just enough that
>> I might be asking an approaching car to lower theirs,
>> that all 4 (2 low, 2 high) came on, and it looked good.
>
> Great way to burn up the woefully undersized headlamp wiring.
>
>> However, pulling further to actually switch to high,
>> caused (I think) the lows to go out.
>
> Correct. That headlamp uses one 9007 high/low beam bulb on each side of
> the car (not counting the useless inboard auxiliary
> lights).Two-filament headlight bulbs are pressurized to about 10
> atmospheres COLD. Basic chemistry (PV=nRT) tells us what happens when a
> gas is heated but not permitted to expand: The pressure rises! They are
> not designed to handle the heat (or the current on the common filament
> support lead) of running both filaments at the same time for more than
> very brief periods during beam changeover or headlight flashing. Doing
> so carries the very real risk of the bulb grenading inside the
> headlamp, destroying it. Some people who think they're clever wire it
> up this way anyhow, and the "Brite Box" people have made a business out
> of this "clever" (not) modification. Running the lows with the highs
> can only be done safely if the lows are produced by different bulbs
> than the highs.
>
>> Question is when high is selected should all 4 filaments be on, or only
>> the 2 highs?
>
> Which version of the headlamps do you have?. The early-production
> '93-'95 units have a reflector lamp inboard of the main high/low
> headlamp; the late-production '95-'97 units have a projector lamp (with
> round "eyeball" appearance) inboard. Neither of them is especially
> effective. Are the lenses marked SAE F, SAE Y or SAE Z?
>

Art wrote:
> Hi Dan,
>
> I know you are no fan of the Honda's[/quote]

Not necessarily true. I don't want one, but it would be silly to deny
they are well engineered and built.

> a 2005 Accord Hybrid. The low headlights are terrible.

American Honda took a decent optic and defocused it for what they
perceive as American preferences in lighting. Don't ask me, it doesn't
make any sense to me, either.

> Do you have any suggestions (other than trade it in) to improve them?

That's one case in which there *is* actually a "magic bulb" solution.
The 9011-9012 HIR bulbs do a good job of bringing those headlamps up to
snuff without causing negative consequences. Go send e-mail to
to get set up.

Also, American Honda did their usual dance with the rear lamp clusters
on the '05, changing the turn signals to red for "model year
identification" and because "Americans prefer red turn signals" (were
you ever asked to vote?). Do your wife and your future insurance costs
a favor: Swap on a set of '03-'04 outer rear lamp clusters (w/amber
turn signals). Neither difficult nor expensive to buy, see
http://tinyurl.com/rvwfz . You'll need the amber 7440A bulbs, which can
be tricky to find locally; Candlepower's got those, too.

Please don't respond on here; I'm almost never in Usenet any longer.

DS

If things worked right I sent you a private "thank you" email but just in
case they didn't, and you happen to check the usenet.... Thanks!







"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Art wrote:
>> Hi Dan,
>>
>> I know you are no fan of the Honda's[/quote]
>
> Not necessarily true. I don't want one, but it would be silly to deny
> they are well engineered and built.
>
>> a 2005 Accord Hybrid. The low headlights are terrible.
>
> American Honda took a decent optic and defocused it for what they
> perceive as American preferences in lighting. Don't ask me, it doesn't
> make any sense to me, either.
>
>> Do you have any suggestions (other than trade it in) to improve them?
>
> That's one case in which there *is* actually a "magic bulb" solution.
> The 9011-9012 HIR bulbs do a good job of bringing those headlamps up to
> snuff without causing negative consequences. Go send e-mail to
> to get set up.
>
> Also, American Honda did their usual dance with the rear lamp clusters
> on the '05, changing the turn signals to red for "model year
> identification" and because "Americans prefer red turn signals" (were
> you ever asked to vote?). Do your wife and your future insurance costs
> a favor: Swap on a set of '03-'04 outer rear lamp clusters (w/amber
> turn signals). Neither difficult nor expensive to buy, see
> http://tinyurl.com/rvwfz . You'll need the amber 7440A bulbs, which can
> be tricky to find locally; Candlepower's got those, too.
>
> Please don't respond on here; I'm almost never in Usenet any longer.
>
> DS
>

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> Art wrote:
>> Hi Dan,
>>
>> I know you are no fan of the Honda's[/quote]
>
> Not necessarily true. I don't want one, but it would be silly to deny
> they are well engineered and built.
>
>> a 2005 Accord Hybrid. The low headlights are terrible.
>
> American Honda took a decent optic and defocused it for what they
> perceive as American preferences in lighting. Don't ask me, it doesn't
> make any sense to me, either.
>
>> Do you have any suggestions (other than trade it in) to improve them?
>
> That's one case in which there *is* actually a "magic bulb" solution.
> The 9011-9012 HIR bulbs do a good job of bringing those headlamps up to
> snuff without causing negative consequences. Go send e-mail to
> to get set up.
>
> Also, American Honda did their usual dance with the rear lamp clusters
> on the '05, changing the turn signals to red for "model year
> identification" and because "Americans prefer red turn signals" (were
> you ever asked to vote?). Do your wife and your future insurance costs
> a favor: Swap on a set of '03-'04 outer rear lamp clusters (w/amber
> turn signals). Neither difficult nor expensive to buy, see
> http://tinyurl.com/rvwfz . You'll need the amber 7440A bulbs, which can
> be tricky to find locally; Candlepower's got those, too.
>
> Please don't respond on here; I'm almost never in Usenet any longer.

Hi Daniel...

Tried to write you directly, it bounces. (fyi, it 550's with
your name doesn't exist, but that you may exist at umich.edu;
however that too bounces)

What in the heck was wrong with the good old 4 lamp sealed beam halogens?

Worked great, 10 bucks and 5 minutes to replace them... and even
it they were aerodynamically inferior, makers could have put a
plastic cover over them.

And it doesn't matter much to me, rarely go out much at all,
and even rarer for it to be after dark. However, grandkid
2 doors away is eligible to try for her "go by herself" class
license next month, and if she succeeds will almost certainly
want to use it to go to school. Here in Manitoba, Canada in the
worst of the winter it'll be dark(ish) before she gets home, so...

Sadly can't find any SAE designation on the lenses, I'll send a
url to a pic it it's helpful, perhaps you can recognize it.

And I sure don't understand the optics, never thought of putting
a light source *behind* a reflector When I look in there, it
looks to me like there's nothing but a black hole
Sort of like someone had stolen the bulb, or at a minimum hadn't
seated it in it's socket

Thanks for all your help, and take care.

Ken

By the way your LHS probably has fog lights too. They are not very good
either but might help when using brights if they stay on when brights turn
on. My 94 LHS was sold a long time ago so I can't check for you.


"Ken Weitzel" > wrote in message
news:wBqMg.533755$IK3.71847@pd7tw1no...
>
> Hi...
>
> Wonder if anyone happens to know, or if not possibly someone
> else with a 94 lhs would at their convenience do a little
> experiment for me...
>
> Rarely drive late night anymore; today I did. Low beams were
> acceptable, but then I got on virtually deserted highway, and
> used the high beams. Not too good at all, in fact I preferred
> the lows.
>
> Noticed that if I gently pulled the stalk, as a signal
> perhaps. Not all the way to click it, just enough that
> I might be asking an approaching car to lower theirs,
> that all 4 (2 low, 2 high) came on, and it looked good.
>
> However, pulling further to actually switch to high,
> caused (I think) the lows to go out.
>
> Question is when high is selected should all 4 filaments
> be on, or only the 2 highs?
>
> Can't find any info on this, so appreciate any advice on
> whether or not I have something to fix
>
> Thanks, and take care.
>
> Ken

Art wrote:
> By the way your LHS probably has fog lights too. They are not very good
> either but might help when using brights if they stay on when brights turn
> on. My 94 LHS was sold a long time ago so I can't check for you.

Hi Art...

Sounded like a great idea so I just went out to the driveway
to check it out...

Unfortunately they go out with the high's, but that might
be not too difficult to modify.


And while I'm here, have to correct my previous thought... looked
into the headlight while it was on, and I see that the reflector
goes much further back than I thought, so the bulb isn't
behind the reflector at all. There's some kind of black shield around
much of the bulb, along with the top of the bulb being black.

Not sure what I typed, seeing a lot of spots

Take care.

Ken

Ken Weitzel wrote:

> ...looked
> into the headlight while it was on, and I see that the reflector
> goes much further back than I thought, so the bulb isn't
> behind the reflector at all. There's some kind of black shield around
> much of the bulb, along with the top of the bulb being black.
>
> Not sure what I typed, seeing a lot of spots

LOL!!

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')