[HighLonesome]

Overview
I wasn't going to do a writeup, but the results were so great, I had to share the knowledge. Thus this writeup is pic weak. I used cheap GE bulbs, so I can only wonder what the superbright Philips bulbs could do! I just did a 1700 mile road trip, so all this stuff is tried and tested. I apologize about mentioning Walmart so often, but they seem to be the only place that has everything cheap.

The upgrade consists of 3 parts:

1. polishing the lenses
2. upgrading the harness
3. converting from 9004 to 9007 bulbs

Parts:
9007 bulbs ($12 for a pair at Walmart)

Kolak harness, or make you own using
-12 gauge wire
-(2) 30 amp auto relays
-9007 pigtails (Autozone I believe has them)
-20 amp fuse
-wire loom
-shrink tubing
-solder (I used 2 ft. of it building the harness)

New lamps (cheap on ebay) or polish the stockers using
-600 grit sandpaper
-400 grit sandpaper
-polishing compound
-plastic polish

Headlamp clips if you break them removing the lamps (Mopar PN 4762490)

Decisions
The quickest, easiest, and most expensive way to do this project is to purchase a Kolak harness, new lamp assys, 9007 bulbs, and 9007 pigtails. Alternatively, you can polish the stock lenses, build your own harness, and reuse the 9004 pigtails. You can do each step separately and see the benefit each time, so you can break this project into stages. The most difficult step is building and installing the harness, and it may not be DIY for some.

You will need to connect directly to the battery no matter what. Walmart has copper spades and nuts for connecting to the battery sideposts. This is what I did, and it will be give you high-current aux power. I used a propane torch and soldered in 10 gauge stubs. I did this when I installed the electric fan. (see pic 1 below)

Tools:
A polisher is mandatory if you plan to reuse the stock lamps.

Soldering skills if you build your own harness. Crimping would be a nightmare, but could be done.

Round file
Dykes
Needlenose pliers
Electricians knife
Heat gun
Asst hand tools

I'll be doing this writeup as I go, so bear with me. Next post...polishing the lenses.

[HighLonesome]

Polishing the stock lenses

Removing the headlamp assys makes the polishing process easy as pie. But removing the lamps is a frustrating process usually resulting in breakage of the mounting clips. The lamps pull straight out. To have a fighting chance, first remove the sidemarker assys. Then heat the bastardized clips with a heat gun, whilst paying attention not to melt them. Also shoot some heat into the back area getting the other fixed ballsockets. If you are careful, lucky, and have applied enough heat, the lamp may pull out without breakage. Also use heat to reinstall the lamps. If you break one of the fixed ballsockets, you're likely going to need a new headlamp assy, or a pile of ingenuity. If you break the variable clip, you can just replace with the Mopar PN listed above.

I put the lamp in a vise and started with 400 grit sandpaper to remove the yellowed coating. Then 600 grit, next polishing compound, and last 3M plastic polish. The plastic polish worked good, and at $13 a bottle, it should. This step took over 3 hours, and I was wondering why I just didn't buy new lamps. But the finished product looked decent.

Next...going from 9004 to 9007, the easiest step.

[TheCompound]

Good work!! But are there anymore pics of the harness and how its connected?
-TheCompound

[HighLonesome]

Converting from 9004 to 9007 bulbs

Here's a little info about the swap
http://candlepowerinc.com/pdfs/9004_9007.pdf
If you follow the steps below, there is no safety concern. The bulb will be positioned correctly. Also, I was worried about extra heat, but after much night driving, it doesn't seem to be an issue. I guess sitting around in stalled traffic on a hot summer night will be the ultimate test.

The headlamps should be removed just for ease and simplicity. First, take a round file and remove the (2) bulb orientation tabs from the headlamp assy, leaving only the one at 12 oclock. Blow out any debris that gets inside the lamp. Then apply a little vaseline to the 9007 bulb o-ring and the lamp mounting hole. Insert the bulb with the connector release facing upward (12 oclock), exactly how the 9004 bulb went. If you don't file away the tabs, the 9007 bulb won't go in. Now lock the bulb down by turning the lock about 1/4 turn.

If you use the stock or Kolak harness, you will need to redo the leads for 9007 bulbs. Just use the above link for the wiring. If you build your own harness, you'll incorporate this change.

So, to sum all this up, the two most important things are to file away 2 of the 3 tabs, and rewire the connector. I'd cut near the lamp and solder, finishing up with shrink tube.

[HighLonesome]

Originally Posted by TheCompound

Good work!! But are there anymore pics of the harness and how its connected?
-TheCompound

Thanks! Here's some info about the harness. If you plan to do this, I can snap some more pics for ya. This step is a lot of work and can take a whole day of liesurely hanging out in the garage.

The harness

As said, buying the Kolak harness can save a bunch of time and effort. All you would need to do is wire it up and swap the Highbeam and GND connections. Or if you've done the other steps, you're already seeing better at night and may want to stop here. But the harness makes a huge difference, and for reliablity, I'll stack up my homebuilt harness to any you can buy.

Pic 1 below is the diagram. For those that do mods a lot, this is all you'll need and you will just go wire it all up using your own tried and true methods.

If you plan to reuse the old pigtails, cut them off the stock harness, leaving yourself about 1/2" at the connector. You want these as short as possible because the stock pigtail doesn't use 12 gauge wire. This is the one place I chintzed and probably shouldn't have. I should have gotten new pigtails.

The driver's side lamp harness will go unused, so tuck it away nicely. The passenger's side harness will power the module you will build. The module consists of 2 relays and the fuse holder.

Assemble the relay/fuse module. There are many ways to do this and all will work. I taped the 2 relays together using metal tape. Then I soldered a fuse assy nearby, and velcroed this 'module' near the passenger's headlamp. The fuse holder just sits atop the relays using only the soldered wire to support it. I used 1/4" spades to connect to the relays. You could definitely crimp here, but I soldered anyway. See pic 2 below (sorry it sucks, but I will pull the battery and snap a pic if you plan on doing this project).

I did a chassis ground for each lamp. See the pic in the next post. Use a wire brush to remove the paint and star washers to make a solid ground.

You will need to run (2) 12 ga wires to the driver's lamp from the relays. One HB, one LB. I routed in front of the radiator and used wire 3/8" wire loom, but 1/2" loom would be easier I think in retrospect. There are holes in the chassis metal for routing the wires. Unusally, they are just where you need them on each side near the lamps.

[HighLonesome]

The driver's ground

[billzcat1]

I love how the link for the 9004-9007 comparo specifically instructs you NOT to perform the swap. LOL!

[HighLonesome]

Conclusion

The results are illuminating!

Excuse the pun. But I just did a lot of night driving, and I'd say the highbeams light it up for at least 1/4 mile out in front front. The highbeams are ridiculously better than they were. Lowbeams are now usable and night driving is no longer a daunting task. I won't post pics of the before and after beam patterns because I think it's a waste of time.

I am still in the process of adjusting the lamps. I've got the driver's right where I want it, and will finish tweaking the passenger lamp soon. Before this upgrade, the adjustment seemed fruitless and an exercise in frustration.

Just a tip for adjusting the lamps. When the lamps are removed, spray PB Blaster into the holes in the front of the adjusters. Then spray down the adjuster holes from the top. When you start making the adjustments, work the adjuster back and forth with the Allen wrench just a little at a time to loosen it up. Otherwise, you'll strip the adjuster gear, and they are a bear to replace.

Yea, considering the broken mounting clips, stripped adjusters, and yellowed lenses, a sane person would conclude that ZJ headlamps truly suck. But at least now they work.

[Mickey_D]

And here I just bought almost $40 worth of Silverstar 9004's...

[MoonyJohn]

Did you have any before and after pics?

[RRAM]

well I don't drive this jeep much at night, but when I did it sucked so bad It was laughable. I figure I can outdrive these crappy lights at about 20mph.

Anyway Thanks so much for this info. I think I you gave me enough info to at least try the polish and 9007 swap. I think a couple of mag lights duct taped to the hood would work 100% better than the crap I have now. have a Happy New Year.

[aaron7]

I have the same idea harness from Painless in my MR2. Didn't change my bulb type; simply did it to draw directly off the battery instead of through the headlight switch. Just that one change alone was HUGE! I installed Silverstars (way brighter, half the lifespan) and it was a world of difference.

Never thought to do it to the Jeep for some reason. My headlights are so bad it LITERALLY is like driving around with flashlights taped to the hood.

What is the benefit of the 9007 vs the 9004?

[danlanphear]

Why should I have to cut off the pigtails or replace the harness? Can't I just swap the connections at the back of the plug and reuse the old wiring the way it is? I mean, sure, you might not pick up those last few lumens, but anything more than what I have now would be an improvement.

[Kolak]

Routing the power directly from the battery to the bulbs makes far more than a subtle difference. The voltage drop on the ZJ is nearly 2 volts through the stock wiring, so even stock bulbs are much brighter with a relay harness. It's a must with higher wattage aftermarket bulbs.

Originally Posted by danlanphear

Why should I have to cut off the pigtails or replace the harness? Can't I just swap the connections at the back of the plug and reuse the old wiring the way it is? I mean, sure, you might not pick up those last few lumens, but anything more than what I have now would be an improvement.

[danlanphear]

Kolak, I see your point, and I understand the difference, but its dark outside now, and I'm trying to finish this up for tomorrow, and I just need to know if I CAN use the stock wiring without, say, causing a fire. I can always upgrade later.

-Dan