Lighten Up

I went to my local Toyota dealer at the time (Canberra Toyota) who sold me what were called semi-sealed beam headlights. These units were different from the standard H4 sealed beam units; the halogen bulbs were removable. The dealer also sold me a pair of 100/55 Watt halogen inserts to match. As expected, these things were considerably brighter than the 60/55 units which were standard, and plugged straight in without any rewiring (well, that's not quite true; I actually rewired from the rear firewall forward for the RHD conversion, but what I meant was the standard wiring system did not need to be modified for the lights). The installation worked just fine for a couple of years until I sold the little baby (two MR2s and a Celica GT-Four in the family was a bit silly).

Surfing the internet the other day, I came across one of the UK contributors to the MR newsgroup who asked a question about improving the lighting; I replied with the information about the semi-sealed beams and the 100 Watt globes. He responded that his late model MR2 already had semi-sealed beams, so only the new bulbs were required. Ah ha I thought, I should be able to easily upgrade the eyes on my 1994 Bathurst model. My dealer here in Sydney didn't know anything about the 100 Watt globes, so when I was down in Canberra the other day, I called into Canberra Toyota and picked up four.

There was no Toyota part number (or brand name) so I figured they were locally bought. With my Canberra Celica Club discount they cost me only $8.40 each after tax. You may be able to buy them from your local auto parts store also: ask for 100/55 Halogen globes for H4 semi-sealed beam headlights (depending on who you get in the store, you may have to ask slowly). The bulbs are have three contacts on the back (configured to look like three sides of a square) and a large steel flange with three locating tangs (one large,two smaller); if your shop is not sure, it may be worth your while taking in one of the original bulbs (take care though: don't touch the glass of the bulb - the oil from your skin could cause a hot spot which can lead to early failure of the bulb if you don't end up replacing it).

If you have an AW11 or early SW20, check whether you have sealed beams or semi-sealed units (the sealed ones have their contacts moulded into the glass; the later ones have a large rubber cover over the globe, with a removable globe). If want to go for an upgrade, check the price of the semi-sealed assemblies (PNo 90981-04030) first -- last time I checked the price had gone through the roof ($186.90 +T {about $US140 each}) in Australia <:-( Check your local auto store, a non-genuine one may be called for.

If you have an SW20 manufactured after 9/90 you should be laughing; according to the micro-fiche that's when the semi-sealed units became standard in Australia; probably the same elsewhere, but it may pay to check. I've checked the fuse ratings for the AW11 and SW20, you won't do any harm with the 100 Watters. Here is the way to replace the globes:

1. Park the car in front of a wall, and mark the centres of where the high-beams land.
2. Turn off the lights, leaving them popped up.
3. Undo the four black Philips screws holding the black plastic trim in place (two on each side of the light). Remove the trim by tilting it forward (so the bottom goes under the bumper) then lift.
4. Remove the four stainless steel screws from the light surround, bottom first (don't touch the two larger beam adjusting screws). Take care to not lose these little jiggers -- if you do, you need to set the car on its roof and rattle it around a bit until the screw drops out ;-)
5. Remember which side of the trim was up (may be a weld in the middle of the bottom).
6. Catch the light assembly as it falls out. Remove the strange bits of heat-affected rubber band used for assembly.
7. Connect the disconnector, or is that disconnect the connector (pull off holding the insulator, not the wires). Note the way the rubber seal is fitted (bent tube to left, drain lip at the bottom, TOP marking at the top ;-)
8. Remove the seal (pulls off).
9. Unclip the globe and remove.
10. Fit new globe (don't touch the glass) and reset the clip.
11. Push the rubber seal back onto the globe the way it came off. Take care to not push on the right hand bump, you could unclip the clip.
12. Plug the connector on and relocate the metal surround.
13. Re-install the four stainless screws (trying hard not to loose them again).
14. Re-install the plastic surround.
15. Check the alignment on high beam using the previous marks (it probably won't need re-adjustment, but its a fun academic exercise to guess the centres). Take the car for a run, and try dazzling a few wombats (US readers could try squirrels, UK and NZ readers could try hedgehogs). If you dazzle Koalas, you may need to adjust the direction with the two screws and a long Philips screwdriver which of course you remembered to take with you (bottom one for up and down, side one for left to right). Make them point straight on high beam, landing on the road somewhere in the distance (just this side of where they run out of grunt should be OK).
16. Wonder what to do with the old globes.

Cheers,

embee.