Xenon to Halogen
#1
05-10-2013, 03:47 AM
Xenon to Halogen
Xenon to Halogen
Majority of users want to have a perfect kit to convert halogen lamp to xenon lamps without incurring buying a very expensive set of xenon lamps for the car in use. I am one that wants to replace OEM xenon lamps for OEM halogen lamps units.
My Outlander 2012 V6 GT has xenon lights but due to some European regulations xenon lights require between other things an automatic self leveling mechanism and lamp washers. My Outlander does not have any of these functionalities. I was advised to buy halogen units and replace the original xenon lamps with halogen to pass the government test. Halogen does not require automatic self leveling system and washers.
Here are the questions:
1- The USA xenon uses connector A-37 (12-pins) (LH) and connector A-56 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin# 1 and pin# 12 are utilized to carry current. Ground is achieved with pin# 5.
2- The USA halogen uses connector A-37 (12 pins) (LH) and connector A-56 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin#1, pin# 9, and pin# 2 are utilized to carry current. Ground is achieved with pin# 6
3- The European (UK) halogen uses connector A-37 (12-pins) (LH) and connector A-54 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin#1 and pin# 2 to carry current are utilized. Ground is achieved with pin# 6.
Any connector has a female usually fully populated with wires and a corresponding male that does not need to be fully populated with wires to slot into the female. An example could be when I wrongly assume that the female of the bumper harness (rear fog light project) will have a rear fog light wire coming from the front of the car under the car’s carpet to meet the male at the bumper location. I new that the male (USA) did not have a rear fog light wire but I have already implemented a rear fog light wire on it. When I disassembled the rear of the car and check the female wiring all the wires were there with exception of the wire that will carry current to the rear fog lamp (as in the European cars). The female connector did not have rear fog light wires (positive and negative). This event almost brought my project to fail.
Does anyone in this forum have any experience of replacing the xenon unit with halogen units just by unplugging the xenon lamp connectors and then plugging in the halogen unit connectors just like that? If the female connector A-37 and female connector A-54 are fully populated and the male A-37 and male connector A-54 are fully populated then it appears that there is not a problem. The problem will appear if female connector A-37 (Xenon) pin# 1 and pin# 12 and female connector A-56 (Xenon) pin#1 and pin# 12, which are responsible for conducting current to the xenon bulbs, are no longer utilized pins for the halogen male set. If female connector A-37 (xenon) with pin# 1 and with pin# 2 also carry current and female connector A-56 (xenon) pin# 1 and pin# 2 also carry current then when male connector A-37 (halogen) pin# 1 and pin# 2 and male connector A-54 (halogen) pin# 1 and pin# 2 are fitted into the female (xenon) connectors the results will be perfect.
On the xenon lamps the ground is pin# 5 (connector A-37 and A-56) while in female connector A-37 and A-54 (halogen) the ground is pin# 6. The important situation is that current to the halogen lamp must come from the xenon female by using corresponding pin# in the halogen male lamp connector to transfer current. I am afraid that just plugging the male connector (halogen) into the xenon female connector will not work. Pin # must correspond or at least pin# in the halogen connector must have equivalent pin # in the xenon female connector. For example the xenon female carry current through pin# 1 and pin# 12 to the bulb in a xenon lamp. Changing the xenon for halogen lamp units the male of each halogen lamp when plugging into the xenon female will not correspond. The pin# 1 of the male will plug into the pin# 1 of the xenon female. The effect of just this action will be to activate the main beam event in the halogen lamp. Pin# 2 of the halogen male will plug into pin# 2 of the xenon female and the result will be unpredictable because we do not know what pin# 2 in the xenon female is for. What we know is that xenon female pin# 12 carries current to a xenon lamp bulb, a bulb that is not anymore there (because it was taken away by removing the xenon unit) and the effect was to activate the dip beam of the original xenon lamp. This impasse may be solved by routing pin# 2 of halogen male to pin# 12 of the xenon female. How?
The cost of 2-halogen units will be more than$1500. Labor about $200-$300
Majority of users want to have a perfect kit to convert halogen lamp to xenon lamps without incurring buying a very expensive set of xenon lamps for the car in use. I am one that wants to replace OEM xenon lamps for OEM halogen lamps units.
My Outlander 2012 V6 GT has xenon lights but due to some European regulations xenon lights require between other things an automatic self leveling mechanism and lamp washers. My Outlander does not have any of these functionalities. I was advised to buy halogen units and replace the original xenon lamps with halogen to pass the government test. Halogen does not require automatic self leveling system and washers.
Here are the questions:
1- The USA xenon uses connector A-37 (12-pins) (LH) and connector A-56 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin# 1 and pin# 12 are utilized to carry current. Ground is achieved with pin# 5.
2- The USA halogen uses connector A-37 (12 pins) (LH) and connector A-56 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin#1, pin# 9, and pin# 2 are utilized to carry current. Ground is achieved with pin# 6
3- The European (UK) halogen uses connector A-37 (12-pins) (LH) and connector A-54 (12-pins) (RH) but only pin#1 and pin# 2 to carry current are utilized. Ground is achieved with pin# 6.
Any connector has a female usually fully populated with wires and a corresponding male that does not need to be fully populated with wires to slot into the female. An example could be when I wrongly assume that the female of the bumper harness (rear fog light project) will have a rear fog light wire coming from the front of the car under the car’s carpet to meet the male at the bumper location. I new that the male (USA) did not have a rear fog light wire but I have already implemented a rear fog light wire on it. When I disassembled the rear of the car and check the female wiring all the wires were there with exception of the wire that will carry current to the rear fog lamp (as in the European cars). The female connector did not have rear fog light wires (positive and negative). This event almost brought my project to fail.
Does anyone in this forum have any experience of replacing the xenon unit with halogen units just by unplugging the xenon lamp connectors and then plugging in the halogen unit connectors just like that? If the female connector A-37 and female connector A-54 are fully populated and the male A-37 and male connector A-54 are fully populated then it appears that there is not a problem. The problem will appear if female connector A-37 (Xenon) pin# 1 and pin# 12 and female connector A-56 (Xenon) pin#1 and pin# 12, which are responsible for conducting current to the xenon bulbs, are no longer utilized pins for the halogen male set. If female connector A-37 (xenon) with pin# 1 and with pin# 2 also carry current and female connector A-56 (xenon) pin# 1 and pin# 2 also carry current then when male connector A-37 (halogen) pin# 1 and pin# 2 and male connector A-54 (halogen) pin# 1 and pin# 2 are fitted into the female (xenon) connectors the results will be perfect.
On the xenon lamps the ground is pin# 5 (connector A-37 and A-56) while in female connector A-37 and A-54 (halogen) the ground is pin# 6. The important situation is that current to the halogen lamp must come from the xenon female by using corresponding pin# in the halogen male lamp connector to transfer current. I am afraid that just plugging the male connector (halogen) into the xenon female connector will not work. Pin # must correspond or at least pin# in the halogen connector must have equivalent pin # in the xenon female connector. For example the xenon female carry current through pin# 1 and pin# 12 to the bulb in a xenon lamp. Changing the xenon for halogen lamp units the male of each halogen lamp when plugging into the xenon female will not correspond. The pin# 1 of the male will plug into the pin# 1 of the xenon female. The effect of just this action will be to activate the main beam event in the halogen lamp. Pin# 2 of the halogen male will plug into pin# 2 of the xenon female and the result will be unpredictable because we do not know what pin# 2 in the xenon female is for. What we know is that xenon female pin# 12 carries current to a xenon lamp bulb, a bulb that is not anymore there (because it was taken away by removing the xenon unit) and the effect was to activate the dip beam of the original xenon lamp. This impasse may be solved by routing pin# 2 of halogen male to pin# 12 of the xenon female. How?
The cost of 2-halogen units will be more than$1500. Labor about $200-$300
#2
05-10-2013, 03:50 AM
Xenon to Halogen
I was told by an auto electrician that he has a better way to convert xenon to halogen. He said the following:
1- He has designed a special halogen bulb socket that will fit onto the xenon lamp bulb socket so a halogen bulb might be screwed in after taking away the xenon bulb
2- The ballast (xenon control unit) will be disconnected. This may not be as easy as it sounds Ballast wires intrude into the inside of the xenon lamp.
3- He will use a halogen bulb to have 2 filaments,(one for the main beam and the other for the dip beam)
4- He will fiddle with the xenon female/male harness to route wires from this connector to the halogen bulb with two filaments in order to match corresponding actions (main and dip beam)
5- Although the xenon lamp has 2-main light housing he will use only one and there is not need to touch the Daytime Running Light (DRL) of the xenon lamp assembly which in a xenon arrangement the second light housing is used to hold the DRL bulb.
He also said once the vehicle has passed the light requirements of the government; he will take all his stuff back and return me the car with its original xenon lights, perhaps with very few manipulation scars (e.g. soldering/unsoldering, some wires with electrical tapes protectors, few internal scratches, etc).
I would like to ask members of this forum what are your thoughts about this electrician approach/method for converting xenon to halogen and vice versa.
Approximate costs is just labor $500-$600 job
I was told by an auto electrician that he has a better way to convert xenon to halogen. He said the following:
1- He has designed a special halogen bulb socket that will fit onto the xenon lamp bulb socket so a halogen bulb might be screwed in after taking away the xenon bulb
2- The ballast (xenon control unit) will be disconnected. This may not be as easy as it sounds Ballast wires intrude into the inside of the xenon lamp.
3- He will use a halogen bulb to have 2 filaments,(one for the main beam and the other for the dip beam)
4- He will fiddle with the xenon female/male harness to route wires from this connector to the halogen bulb with two filaments in order to match corresponding actions (main and dip beam)
5- Although the xenon lamp has 2-main light housing he will use only one and there is not need to touch the Daytime Running Light (DRL) of the xenon lamp assembly which in a xenon arrangement the second light housing is used to hold the DRL bulb.
He also said once the vehicle has passed the light requirements of the government; he will take all his stuff back and return me the car with its original xenon lights, perhaps with very few manipulation scars (e.g. soldering/unsoldering, some wires with electrical tapes protectors, few internal scratches, etc).
I would like to ask members of this forum what are your thoughts about this electrician approach/method for converting xenon to halogen and vice versa.
Approximate costs is just labor $500-$600 job
#3
07-19-2013, 01:50 PM
Xenon to Halogen
My Outlander Mitsubishi GT failed its IVA test today on the grounds that the Xenon lamps fitted properly with halogen bulbs produced a lump pattern of light directed to the right off the front of the car instead of the left for the UK market. I saw this pattern in an MOT Station and it seems that nothing can be done other than buying 2-new appropriate halogen lamps (£ 1000) to fit the headlamp cavities of my Outlander. The explanation was that the mirrors that make the bulb housing of the lamp have a design constructed specifically to produce this phenomenon. So it appears that it is not true that xenon can be converted to halogen just by changing the bulbs as it is said by many professionals that advertise their trade in the media.
However having further thoughts about buying a couple of halogen headlamps from a Mitsubishi dealer my question was if the connector (male) that accompanies the halogen lamps will fit the connector (female) attached to the vehicle which is wired to produce Xenon in my car. I understand that in spite of the fact that both connectors (halogen and xenon) have 12-pins, the pins from a xenon connector do not match, as far as functionality is concerned, the pins from a halogen connector. Talking with the technician he assured us that by disassembling the front bumper of the GT to install the new halogen headlamps, I will see/find a 12-pin connector attached to the Outlander that at the moment is covered/hidden by the from bumper. In other words, each halogen headlamp comes with a male 12-pin connector and the vehicle (GT) provides a halogen female 12-pin connector that cannot be seen but it is hidden by the front bumper. He also said that Outlanders 2012 sold in Europe and in America are sold with 2-set of connectors attached to the vehicle. This is to say that my vehicle can operate with xenon or halogen headlamps providing I use the proper connector when installing the headlamps.
Could someone in this forum give comments on the above?
My Outlander Mitsubishi GT failed its IVA test today on the grounds that the Xenon lamps fitted properly with halogen bulbs produced a lump pattern of light directed to the right off the front of the car instead of the left for the UK market. I saw this pattern in an MOT Station and it seems that nothing can be done other than buying 2-new appropriate halogen lamps (£ 1000) to fit the headlamp cavities of my Outlander. The explanation was that the mirrors that make the bulb housing of the lamp have a design constructed specifically to produce this phenomenon. So it appears that it is not true that xenon can be converted to halogen just by changing the bulbs as it is said by many professionals that advertise their trade in the media.
However having further thoughts about buying a couple of halogen headlamps from a Mitsubishi dealer my question was if the connector (male) that accompanies the halogen lamps will fit the connector (female) attached to the vehicle which is wired to produce Xenon in my car. I understand that in spite of the fact that both connectors (halogen and xenon) have 12-pins, the pins from a xenon connector do not match, as far as functionality is concerned, the pins from a halogen connector. Talking with the technician he assured us that by disassembling the front bumper of the GT to install the new halogen headlamps, I will see/find a 12-pin connector attached to the Outlander that at the moment is covered/hidden by the from bumper. In other words, each halogen headlamp comes with a male 12-pin connector and the vehicle (GT) provides a halogen female 12-pin connector that cannot be seen but it is hidden by the front bumper. He also said that Outlanders 2012 sold in Europe and in America are sold with 2-set of connectors attached to the vehicle. This is to say that my vehicle can operate with xenon or halogen headlamps providing I use the proper connector when installing the headlamps.
Could someone in this forum give comments on the above?
#4
07-19-2013, 04:40 PM
I'm a bit tired, so sorry if I missed it. Are you replacing the headlight assembly as well? Xenon/HID bulbs require a "projector" style of headlight, Halogen does not.
As far as pins go, have you put a volt meter on the different pins to see what is engergized. If the pins required for halogen are engergized, I'd say go for it....as long as you have a halogen assembly.
I'd be worried about using customized bulbs. What if the guy moves/dies/becomes disabled...where do you get your custom bulbs? When you later sell your car, I'd hope you'd disclose the custom light job so they know what they are buying.
Since this car is relatively global, have you looked into to retrofit this vehicle with leveling lights?
As far as pins go, have you put a volt meter on the different pins to see what is engergized. If the pins required for halogen are engergized, I'd say go for it....as long as you have a halogen assembly.
I'd be worried about using customized bulbs. What if the guy moves/dies/becomes disabled...where do you get your custom bulbs? When you later sell your car, I'd hope you'd disclose the custom light job so they know what they are buying.
Since this car is relatively global, have you looked into to retrofit this vehicle with leveling lights?
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