[TopherS]

The other day, one of my low-beams went out. I'm a car-part hoarder, so I had extras from an old Town Car I owned about 10 years ago...so immediate problem solved. It got me to thinking though...that the old halogens just don't do much really...especially compared to the lights on my wife's SRX. I want to replace my headlamps with ones that are brighter...but I want to try to maintain the functionality of the lamp monitors.

The original headlamps have a glass nipple on the back side, in the center of the electrical connectors, which carries light from the bulb. A little black tube around it keeps light from leaving out the sides...and the light coming through that nipple is picked up by the fiber optic leads and transferred to the monitor on the front fender. Composite headlamps, as well as our taillamp and front turn signal lamp assemblies, have a light-transmitting fitting attached that the monitor lead can connect to.

I noticed that the new headlights at the stores do not have the glass nipple...only a silicone sealant bead in the center...so new headlights won't shine light out the back of the bulb to the monitors.

I like the HID conversions that some have done with their cars, but I don't believe that any concession was made for a fiber optic lamp monitor functionality.

Is anyone aware of any sort of headlight upgrade that will keep the functionality of the lamp monitors?

Cheers.

 

[The-Dullahan]

Hmmm. Actually, I have replaced my headlamps with "modern" ones and the indicators on the front fenders worked perfectly fine. May haps only certain brands still used the "nipple".

I have also since replaced my headlamps with HID bulbs and have considered options for reinstating the monitoring system, as the HID housings do not contain any part to match up to the original fibre optic lead. While it is possible to easily ADD such a lead, I have never gone and done it. The main part of the work that one would have to do to make it functional however is not adding the "nipple" but actually, some cutting and splicing of wire harnesses, to make it work. This is because the stock headlamp socket would be used on an HID kit to fire the ballasts remotely, so you would have to disconnect it from the actual power wires and splice those back to the remote activation wires of the ballasts. Then, you have the connection that runs from the ballast to the actual bulb in the car, which you would have to cut and splice your original harnesses into (as replacements for the HID's sockets) as to allow the fibre optic sensor to be on the bulb, where it is supposed to be.

While possible, I have just never really gone into doing it. This is because the way that modernized bulbs are designed (HID included) there really is not a place to make the nipple between the electrical connections, so while you can easily modify the socket to be replaced with the original and all of the fibre optics would line up perfectly, there would be no light source to make it functional. Thereby, the only option is to add a "nipple" for the light to catch, which would be VERY easy, especially since most HID upgrade housings already featured a small hole that is normally to be used for a grommeted wedge bulb, to be used as a parking or accent lamp inside the housing itself (which would be perfect to use to make the "nipple" it would not be in the proper place for the fibre optics to match up.

Thereby, the most practical method I can fathom to modify HID housings to function that way is to convert said wedge-bulb location OR any other part of the housing to be used as the "nipple" and then run your own fibre optic lines from there and either to line them up with the factory fibre optics, or replace them entirely, running them all the way through the body and into the housing on the top of the fenders.

 

[cadillac kevin]

You cannot add fiberoptic lines to other fiberoptic lines. It will result in a very dim light. You'd have to replace the whole line.

 

[The-Dullahan]

It is possible to connect two fibre-optic pieces and have it work effectively. It is just time-consuming and ill-advised.

This is precisely the reason I have never done anything about my own. As with replacing my dashboard lights to LED, if there is ever a reason I have the fenders taken apart, I will replace the fibre-optics. Until then, that's just too bad, because I am not doing it.

 

[cadillac kevin]

It is possible to connect two fibre-optic pieces and have it work effectively. It is just time-consuming and ill-advised.

This is precisely the reason I have never done anything about my own. As with replacing my dashboard lights to LED, if there is ever a reason I have the fenders taken apart, I will replace the fibre-optics. Until then, that's just too bad, because I am not doing it.

So did someone cut your fiber optics?

 

[The-Dullahan]

Nope, mine are still there. I have just never bothered modifying the system to render the indicators as functional, because of the extensive nonsense involved.

Other people do not work on my cars. Sadly, my lack of free time has an effect on this, so some projects get pushed back some times. Even minor things.

 

[brougham]

You can splice the optics together with the stuff on Cadillacs and still have it show up alright but you have to take your time at it. Still probably easier then re-routing the whole line tho.

 

[The-Dullahan]

I agree. I have just never bothered enough to do it.

Main reason I commented was about the whole issue with buying bulbs that did not have the "Nipple" on the back for the fibre optics to pick up. I have actually never seen a sealed bulb like that that DIDN'T have the "nipple" on the backside. They definitely still make them, because even though I do not use them, I specifically recall purchasing a set no more than a couple months ago.