GE Nighthawk Install

[ZR1North]

Just sharing an experience installing the GE Nighthawks to complete my LED transformation this winter.

As you will gather from Hib's write-up regarding conversion from Halogen to LEDs headlights, you will have to modify the fog light circuitry because the LEDs do not sink enough current to pull in the LED fog light relay (i.e., fogs won't work with LED headlights without mods). Hib's suggestion is to cut the light green wire coming off the fog light relay and run the wire from the relay directly to ground. That was my plan until I realized the difficulty in accessing the wires at the rear of the auxiliary relay rack behind the trim panel on the passenger side. Short of taking the dash out, I could not see a way to access the relay wiring, and it seems impossible to pick the wire up elsewhere behind the instrument panel, unless you want to dig into the hi/lo beam switch - both options seem a bit excessive. Others may have found a solution, but I will share what worked for me in case it helps someone along the way.

Remove the trim panel on the passenger side to gain access to the relay rack immediately behind the trim panel. The fog light relay is one of the five relays on the auxiliary relay rack - it's the relay closest to the radio receiver and also closest to the passenger door. Remove the fog light relay from its socket and solder about a 4' length of 18 gauge wire directly to the relay terminal marked 86 (it corresponds to the connection labeled #5 on page 100-1 of section 8A of the "Section 8A Electrical Diagnosis Service Supplement Manual" for our cars). With the wire soldered as close as possible to the base of the terminal, cut the remaining portion of the "post" for terminal 86 so that when you insert the relay back into the relay socket, the internal part of the relay will not connect to the green wire attached to the corresponding terminal on the relay socket (it has the same effect as cutting the green wire at the back of the relay socket). To be safe, I used my dermal tool to etch a small "channel" in the base of the relay to harbor the 18 gauge wire so that the relay sat flush when inserted back in the socket - you may not need to do this, as I noticed the relay might sit sufficiently well even with the wire underneath. For added safety, I also ran a few strands of protective tape along the top of the soldered terminal/wire just to be sure the remaining portion of the cut 85 terminal would not touch the corresponding pin on the relay socket when the relay was reinstalled. I then ran the other end of the 18 gauge wire attached to pin 86 to a ground right next to the fuse panel by the passenger door.

If - for whatever reason - you want to return to stock headlights at some point in the future, all you have to do is replace the fog light relay with an off-the-shelf replacement and you're back in business; no need to worry about the "cut green wire" at the back of the fog light relay.

Hope this helps and saves someone some time.

[XfireZ51]

Pics would be nice.

[Johnny5]

I juts posted similar thread. So you do not have to take apart the dash? otherwise ill spend the extra $150 for plug n play

[ZR1North]

Originally Posted by Johnny5

I juts posted similar thread. So you do not have to take apart the dash? otherwise ill spend the extra $150 for plug n play

Don't have to take the dash apart, Johnny; just take the lower trim panel off on the passenger side (above where the passenger's legs would be positioned). I didn't take any pictures while I had it apart (agree I should have, Dom), but if you follow the short write-up in my initial post, you should have no problems.

[Billy Mild]

So you cracked open the body of the actual relay itself and ran a wire to that post?

[WVZR-1]

Originally Posted by ZR1North

Don't have to take the dash apart, Johnny; just take the lower trim panel off on the passenger side (above where the passenger's legs would be positioned). I didn't take any pictures while I had it apart (agree I should have, Dom), but if you follow the short write-up in my initial post, you should have no problems.

I understood and thought you did well. Snapshots? Maybe. You've done well I believe in the description/explanation in your first post.

You get on a roll with a project and it seems foolish sometimes to take the break for the time required!

[-=Jeff=-]

He just cut the spade terminal off the relay and ran a pigtail off the cut terminal on the relay. This way the terminal is not connected to the green wire.

I have another idea that adds a relay and will pro as factory with or without the LED . I have no way to test it or I would post it

[ZR1North]

Originally Posted by Billy Mild

So you cracked open the body of the actual relay itself and ran a wire to that post?

Sorry, you don't actually have to crack open the relay since the terminals are exposed once you remove the relay from the socket. You just solder the wire to the terminal (labeled 86) as close as possible to the base of the relay so that when you cut the remaining portion of the terminal, that particular post (#86) will not plug into or get inserted into the corresponding pin in the relay socket. In that way, the relay coil will not be affected by the green wire that is connected to the socket; rather, one side of the coil (#86) goes directly to ground via the wire you solder in, and the other side of the coil is controlled by the fog light switch which applies 12V to the coil when the switch is applied.

[32valvesftw]

Nice tip thanks.

[Johnny5]

I am going to buy these now that I have a write up to follow. I was originally going to buy HELLA housings a year ago but from what i read these should be better!