Upgraded my Headlights to LED's | Page 5 | FerrariChat

Upgraded my Headlights to LED's

Discussion in '348/355' started by 308gtsqv, Dec 28, 2015.

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  1. Kaivball

    Kaivball Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2007
    35,997
    Kalifornia
    Are their pics/threads on now to do this?

    I just bought the LED's.

    Kai
     
  2. Kaivball

    Kaivball Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2007
    35,997
    Kalifornia
    Did you take pics?

    How did you do it?

    Kai
     
  3. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
    Maryland
    Full Name:
    David
    Try this one. Make sure you put a towel between the glass housing and the front fascia panel or youll bugger it up for sure. You kinda have to pry the headlight housing up 1/4 inch to get the assembly out.

    Unless you have really small hands and can get behind the motor assembly.
    http://www.clubscuderia.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=45494

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
     
  4. Kaivball

    Kaivball Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2007
    35,997
    Kalifornia
    Awesome. Thanks. Info was great.

    Just switched my Low and high beams.

    Wow.

    Kai
     
  5. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
    Maryland
    Full Name:
    David
    Hey.. curious with these new bulbs in place.. has anyone noticed battery drain?

    I usually keep my car on a trickle but the few times I left it off the trickle in the past it would be fine to stay off a few days. I just got a battery light steady on in the car last night... and right now the LED's are the only thing that's changed. (well besides the obvious Ferrari electrical nonsense).

    Just adding this to my troubleshooting list. Going to check the other obvious culprits as well.
     
  6. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    This would typically point to a bad alternator or a fault in the charge wiring, so that's where I'd start looking. First guess would be that it's coincidental to the headlamp swap.
     
  7. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
    Maryland
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    David
    Thanks.

    I always ask "what changed?"... as a first step. But agreed the alternator was actually the first thing I was going to inspect.

    It's the newer rev but who knows..maybe the belt is loose from the major or something funky happened.

    It's just in the mid 90s here... too hot to get motivated to get under her.

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  8. Kaivball

    Kaivball Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2007
    35,997
    Kalifornia
    I always use the kill switch when I park the car.

    And keep the battery on a trickle charger.

    Kai
     
  9. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
    Maryland
    Full Name:
    David
    I've thought about doing the kill switch thing... I did when this started right after the LED install.. battery was completely dead. Had to jump the car to get to a show. So I took jumper cables and when I got there enabled the kill switch.

    Might try to get under her tomorrow.
     
  10. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Absolutely agree! That should be the first step in any diagnostic process and I certainly see why you're asking it now. If it was my car I'd charge the battery just enough to start the engine and check the voltage at fast idle. That'll give an idea as to whether there's a charging system concern. I'd also check the battery itself, especially if it's an older one. Could be that the battery is no longer capable of holding a full charge.

    Next thing I'd do is s parasitic draw test to determine how much load there is on the battery with the car just sitting in the garage. Between the three tests you should have a good idea which direction to head. Problem is, I dunno what diagnostic equipment and skills you have at your disposal. As the former owner of a car shop I own tools not everyone has, so my idea of the most expedient diagnostic path might be impractical for others.

    I can totally sympathize with your hear concerns. Actually a bit warmer where I am and I don't deal well with heat, so I tend to aim toward quick-n-easy diagnostic paths. But it helps having a Midtronics battery tester so I don't have to pull the battery and take it somewhere. :)

    In any case, the parasitic draw test should help determine if you have any valid concerns regarding the new headlamps.

    Good luck and let us know what you find.
     
  11. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
    Maryland
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    David
    Pulled the Alternator... took it and had it bench tested... Yep.. it's bad.

    Ordered parts to rebuild it myself but also letting the folks who bench tested it provide a price.

    If interested... see the thread (http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/142329-348-alternator-removal-rebuild.html) . Amazingly enough.. buddy of mine just had the same exact problem so he's in the process of getting his tested and possibly rebuilt.
     
  12. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Glad you found it easily and are on the road to repair. I've been told that one of the more common failures with Delco alternators is heat related, so the time of year may have played a part. Although I'm guessing your car would have come with the Nippon alternator, but might be a factor in the other failure.

    Thanks for the followup. Hope you get it fixed soon.
     
  13. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
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    David
    Yep.. it's the NippD version. Couple of different covers and mine has the one with the hard to find rectifier

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  14. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
    1,586
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    David
    #114 dahveedem, Aug 11, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  15. krazykarguy

    krazykarguy Formula Junior

    Apr 17, 2014
    716
    Fort Mill, SC
    Full Name:
    Matt
    The heat sink on those bulbs is quite interesting. Does the sheer size of the heatsink cause any installation difficulties?
     
  16. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
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    David
    Nope... just opened them up as far as I could and then spread them out inside the housing. trying to be careful to touch as few wires as possible.

    Also from the looks of it, I'm going to need to adjust the fogs down a bit too.
     
  17. eulk328

    eulk328 F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2005
    2,800
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    F683
    wow... that ad is full of poor English and B.S. but my favorite is "High Beam Fog Light Bulbs"
    must be some kind of new invention.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/272511100383?rmvSB=true

    2x H1 LED Headlight Kit 6000K White 100W 10000LM High Beam Fog Light Bulbs | eBay
     
  18. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
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    David
    Lol... it's eBay...


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  19. eulk328

    eulk328 F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2005
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    If they have a decent pattern and don't overheat anything nearby they should be okay. Just some of the nonsense they wrote makes me wonder. And, if they're really 50 watt LED's... well that's an awful lot of power consumption for an LED, brightness and heat production. I think a goal of going to LED's should always be to reduce electrical load and heat. The regular halogen bulbs are probably rated at 55 watts each.
     
  20. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
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    David
    Ok.. finally had a chance to take her out for a shorter drive. No excessive heat build up and the pattern looks pretty good. They are also pretty bright and match the headlamps really well.

    While I an partly a purist and like the OEM lights... these give the car a slightly more modern look coming at you and certainly better night time visibility.

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  21. Enzojr

    Enzojr F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2013
    14,001
    West of PDX
    Full Name:
    Tomy
    OK so it is 2018.
    Does anybody have a brand name, and part number for 355 LED bulbs ?
    I figure at this point someone has installed these and has had good long term results.
    Also high beam, brand, and part number would be appreciated.
     
  22. dahveedem

    dahveedem Formula 3

    Mar 12, 2012
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    David
    Any one have any issues with alternator and these lights?

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  23. m.stojanovic

    m.stojanovic F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 22, 2011
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    Miroljub Stojanovic
    There is no special effect of LED lights on the alternator. They should actually load the alternator less than the conventional bulbs.
     
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  24. ruey220

    ruey220 Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 24, 2019
    312
    Sf bay area
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    RM
    4 years later and I'm surprised these bulbs are still ranked as one of the better LED kits. I'm surprised the technology hasn't consistently improved over this time period. The bulbs probably already had matured when these were released to where incremental improvements were not demanded over the additional cost to R&D an improved bulb different from for example how cell phones constantly had improved over the same period of time.

    A bulb is just a bulb and I guess the improvement these have already are good enough replacements over stock. Assuming nobody has reported issues with these bulbs over this period of time I'm going to get a set.
     
  25. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 7, 2002
    11,166
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Barry Wolinsky
    My OPT7 high and low beam LEDs are doing just fine nearly three years after installation.

    OPT7
     
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