frogers Build - 2006 LX470 (1 Viewer)

[frogers935]

LED High beams and headlight black out

Since I have some (unpaid) time on my hands I went ahead and did some totally unneeded aesthetic work on the trucks headlights.

I wanted to incorporate LED high beam projectors so I could blackout my lights. The LED lights have added some challenges to wiring which I will address later on in more detail. For now here is the process I went through to get everything together.

You need to bake/heat up your headlights and take the covers off. Be careful when separating to control the soft sealant, once it hardens it is tough to get off once. To remove the high beam first gently pop off the outer ring:

It held in with clips:

The high beam reflector housing is similar to the low beam. There are 2 adjustment screws in the rear and a ball. Loosen the adjusters but don't remove completely, this will allow you to pop the ball free without the housing flying out (Thanks @Luke111 for the tip).

The bulb shroud is removed by bending the tabs in back straight and pulling it through the front.

Test fit LED

 

[frogers935]

Painting the lights, like any painting, takes a good amount of prep work to get it right. I used a combination of Oven Off and scotch brite. The oven off removes the chrome pretty well (Actually not chrome but most likely Al) but some of the harder to reach spots required some rubbing. I liked using the scotchbrite to rough the surface up a bit.

The sequence I followed Oven Off/Scrub -> thoroughly wash soap and water -> water rinse -> dry -> clean with IPA -> tack cloth -> Paint in light coats (I think I did 5-6).

Prepped for paint:

After final coat

Test fit LED. Note I am not using shrouds and I did not extend the shaft to have the LED sit further out. I will see how this works once everything is hooked up

Full assembly

I will have better pictures, light output, and wiring diagrams soon. (Sooner if the government doesn't open)

 

[frogers935]

As I work on the wiring and install I want to thank both @jerryb and @Luke111 (should have done it in my initial post). Lou has been great helping me get this setup and anyone in the market for the HID I highly recommend him for the brackets and anything else lighting. Jerry has been helping me work through the wiring and has been great to correspond with.

 

[frogers935]

Everything back together. I ended up polishing the covers and they look better but still show lots of signs of wear. One of my high beam covers has some spider web cracking in it, must be in the middle of the plastic b/c I couldn't sand it down. Ideally I'd replace these if I could find them. Also I plasti dipped my chrome grill black to match the lights.

Overall it looks good, light output is great. I still need to aim the high beams then I will get some night shots. I will still follow up with the wiring (it is not a plug and play setup), for now here is what it looks like.

LED DRL on (note on with ACC not working like stock DRL, I have the stock DRL disabled with techstream - will explain in wiring)

 

[Luke111]

Looks great..... did you end up following @jerryb advice on wiring?

 

[frogers935]

Yes we ended up doing about the same thing. I did a bunch of testing and the way I am running them now is not the way I am going to leave it. Based on the circuit diagram I think I can modify it to run in a stock manner.

- The LED High beam has 3 wires out - (2) +12V (one for main and one for DRL), 1 Common GND

- The stock (06 LX470) has one circuit for both the High beam and DRLs. When the DRL is on there is a switch in the relay that diverts the current flow through a resistor to GND. This drops the voltage in the circuit so the high beams operate at a lower light output. *** With stock bulbs the voltage for DRL's is ~6V ***

- With the LED's hooked up the stock circuit has some issues. Since the LEDs aren't the same 'load' as stock bulbs the voltage drop is not the same. I measured ~8.9V with the LED (main output) hooked up. This is enough to turn on the main LEDs (although not full brightness).

Current Solution: Disabled DRL via techstream. Kept main LED hooked to stock wiring. Wired DRL to ACC +12 via engine bay fusebox. Ran additionally wiring from LED to chassis GND.

Results: High beams work as they should. DRLs are on once truck is started. A switch could easily be added to disable this when needed.

Future Solution Initial Thoughts (opinions and suggestions welcome): I am going to attempt to replace the resistor in the DRL path to reduce the voltage to ~3-5V, most likely I will use a potentiometer to dial this in. This should prevent the main LEDs from turning on. I will use this reduced voltage to feed a DC-DC converter to bump it back upto 12V on a separate circuit to power the LED DRLs. Possibly need a relay to separate the circuit not sure yet.

 

[Rolocado]

Had a busy weekend working on the truck. I set out to repack the front bearings and install my new SS brake lines/flush system - I managed to get both done. The repack went smoothly but ran into the typical problems with the brakes - seized nuts on the hard lines and corroded bleeder screws (I had new ones in my cart when I ordered my parts not sure how I ended up without them).

Anyways here are a few pictures unfortunately not many - I was pressed for time. I will do a full review on the Goodridge SS brake line install shortly but for now here are the few pics I have:

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How have you liked the SS lines? do they give you any more stopping power?

 

[jerryb]

I just realized that if you add a fuse to the main box with these on the panel 7.5amp you end up with an off switch to these LEDs wired the way we talked about. Headlight knob all the way off = no lights. First position = DRL. handbrake low and high beam, hazrd, blinker doesn't affect it. That could save someone from wanting a rocker switch in the cab.

 

[Ridge15]

I was just thinking about doing my LX with black head lights. Then I saw your (same color and waiting for my dissent bumper with bull bar). It looks good. How do you like them a month in? Sorry if I missed it, but how long did it take from start to finish with paint and all?

 

[frogers935]

@Ridge15 The HID/LED was the best mod I have done on the truck for everyday use. The black was a PIA and took awhile. It took me several days to do it with the conversion, stripping and painting the reflectors, and reassembly.

After doing it once I could probably knock it out in a day. It would help to do it when it is warm out since a lot of time was spent waiting for things to fully dry.

 

[menancyandsam]

What is your current 2nd battery setup. I have a '05LX with ACH and would like the battery in the engine bay if possible.

 

[frogers935]

There was another member here that did a 2nd battery in the engine compartment by moving the steering pump reservoir, you have to search for the thread - I will link to it if I find it.

I took a different approach. Info on battery Location and setup HERE

It has seen 2 offroad trips with water crossings, no issues. I am in the process of designed a combo skid/battery tray to clean things up a bit.

 

[menancyandsam]

So if you had to do it over again would you still go for the undercarriage solution?

 

[frogers935]

@menancyandsam

I already had a nice battery and it was too big to put up front, in addition I have a bunch of weight up front with a bumper/winch. So yes for my situation (even if I did not have battery) I would put it in rear.

 

[duvinclunk]

Great build. Keep it up.

 

[Rollinrock]

Did you end up keeping your LX?

I remember you were looking to trade it for a Tundra.

 

[frogers935]

Still have the LX. My intent is to keep it and pick up a cheap pick-up, but if a deal for a tundra comes along I'd still consider a trade.

For now I am prepping the LX for a month long trip to Colorado this summer, lots of updates to thread coming.

 

[frogers935]

I am full on preparing for my summer trip to CO (3-4 weeks on road). I hope to do some mild offroading and some out of the way camping both in CO and along the way. This is a family trip so I will have the whole gang with me so the most important thing obviously is no issues with the truck. Up until my MAF failed last year everything on my truck has been rock solid and I had no worries. But I am now a bit paranoid of being stuck on side of the road solo with family. I am OCD with my maintenance both required and preventive so I have the following planned prior to the trip. I will try and document what I do as much as I can.

1. R&R Front sway bar bushings & links [Complete]
2. R&R Rear sway bar bushing & Links
3. Replace steering rack bushings [On the fence with this, have some play in the rack]
3a. New tie rod ends & alignment
4. Serpentine belt and tensioner
5. Spark plugs & air filter [Complete]
6. Fuel filter [Complete]
7. PCV valve & hoses [Complete]
8. Replace all ground wires & run higher gauge wire from alternator [Complete] *I will document this in another post, I was having some starting issues
9. Repack front bearings
10. Replace diff fluid
11. Various camping/organizer upgrades (Raingler net, Blue ridge attic, new fridge/cargo setup, swiss link roof box)
12. Bonus - Overhead switches with new lights


*** I would like some opinions on the following PM stuff, my logical mind thinks its overkill to replace functioning parts but the paranoid side of my says just spend the $ for peace of mind. Additionally these are failures I would not want to change on the side of the road***

1. Fuel pump? I am at 130k miles, while not something I would typically replace preventative the MAF failure has me worried
2. APPS/TPS? Have not read much about this not sure if I should look into more
3. Alternator/Starter/Batteries: I will document this soon as I have had some issues I am not sure I fixed
4. Any thing else recommended?

I am putting together a list of truck spares I will be carrying too but any recommendations on those are welcome too. Pictures of stuff to follow as I know posts are boring without them.

 

[trdcorolla]

I am full on preparing for my summer trip to CO (3-4 weeks on road). I hope to do some mild offroading and some out of the way camping both in CO and along the way. This is a family trip so I will have the whole gang with me so the most important thing obviously is no issues with the truck. Up until my MAF failed last year everything on my truck has been rock solid and I had no worries. But I am now a bit paranoid of being stuck on side of the road solo with family. I am OCD with my maintenance both required and preventive so I have the following planned prior to the trip. I will try and document what I do as much as I can.

1. R&R Front sway bar bushings & links [Complete]
2. R&R Rear sway bar bushing & Links
3. Replace steering rack bushings [On the fence with this, have some play in the rack]
4. Serpentine belt and tensioner
5. Spark plugs & air filter [Complete]
6. Fuel filter [Complete]
7. PCV valve & hoses [Complete]
8. Replace all ground wires & run higher gauge wire from alternator [Complete] *I will document this in another post, I was having some starting issues
9. Repack front bearings
10. Replace diff fluid
11. Various camping/organizer upgrades (Raingler net, Blue ridge attic, new fridge/cargo setup, swiss link roof box)
12. Bonus - Overhead switches with new lights


*** I would like some opinions on the following PM stuff, my logical mind thinks its overkill to replace functioning parts but the paranoid side of my says just spend the $ for peace of mind. Additionally these are failures I would not want to change on the side of the road***

1. Fuel pump? I am at 130k miles, while not something I would typically replace preventative the MAF failure has me worried
2. APPS/TPS? Have not read much about this not sure if I should look into more
3. Alternator/Starter/Batteries: I will document this soon as I have had some issues I am not sure I fixed
4. Any thing else recommended?

I am putting together a list of truck spares I will be carrying too but any recommendations on those are welcome too. Pictures of stuff to follow as I know posts are boring without them.

I would not replace the fuel pump, MAF, APPS/TPS if you aren't having any problems. I would have your battery and alternator tested, if those check out, all you have to figure out is your starting issue, that and adjusting the parking brake would be the only PM I would do if I were you before the trip.

 

[Singha]

I agree with above.
On my fjc I carried a replacement alternator brush pack (available for the fjc) from Toyota, not sure if it's available for the 100 I have not looked I to yet.