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Kolak headlight wiring harness upgrade

4K views 14 replies 4 participants last post by  Kolak 
#1 ·
A couple months ago I ordered this because I wanted brighter lights but I'm not ready to undertake a projector conversion.
Last week I finally got around to installing it with new housings and piaa 9005 and 9006 bulbs.
I am disappointed so far.
The plugs on the wire harness have grooves in them to fit specifically with the 9006 or 9005 bulbs. One groove for the 9005 and two for the 9006.
The single groove on the new wire harness plugs for the 9005 are not deep enough to fit correctly.
I got one to go on but when I unplugged it, the plastic broke off and got stuck in the bulb housing.
Obviously some cheap plastic.
I removed the stock plug and transferred it to the new wire harness and it worked fine. I also noticed that the stock plugs have moisture seals where the wires attach. The new harness does not.
So after that I got everything hooked up.
Both grounds were secured in stock locations, piaa bulbs plugged in, and fused power to the battery.
When I turn on the lights, both 9006 bulbs come on and blinkers work.
When I turn on the brights (9005)the relay clicks but no lights come on.
I switch the plug for the brights with the regular lights.
This time the power to the bright lights turns on the regular lights but again, no bright lights.
Upon closer inspection of the wiring harness I found that whoever assembled it knicked the wires when they put the protective loom on. I don't think that this would cause a failure but it's certainly exposed wire and that's not good.
This is all very amateur in my opinion and I don't think it's a quality harness.
I'm not going to be using it and will just hook up the stock wiring until I can find something better.
I emailed Kolak 3 time and posted to his shock thread but have not received any response.
I'm providing this experience in case anyone else is contemplating this purchase.
 

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#7 ·
Whatever the outcome is (Kolak will take care of you), a headlight harness is rather pointless on a recent vehicle. Some older stuff ran clear from the switch inside the cabin (XJ's) and had a ton of resistance because of it. Your factory wiring runs a relay in the box that's hardly any further from the headlight than a new harness will be.

If you want brighter lights on your WK, get 9011/9012 HIR bulbs and be happy until such a time that you upgrade to HID in a projector.
 
#9 ·
The stock wire is sufficient for OE wattage. Look up a good chart on wire gauge vs load&distance. Even if the wires did get slightly warm during use, they are designed to work up to a certain temp.

If you're going to run a higher-than-stock wattage bulb, oversized wiring will help. As will the ceramic bulb ends on your harness. Most of the resistance is at the connectors anyway, not the wiring itself.

If it makes you feel better, so beit. It's not my money. But... 'the more you know'
 
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