... and seeing in the dark!
The old wiring and light switch of a 40 year old Citroen is possibly past its best. I have read that switch failure is common and the replacement is not inexpensive. The headlight wiring on my seventies DS for high beam, low and long range lights was also liable to suffer voltage drop resulting in dim lights. I have already replaced the old dual reflector lights which used two H1 globes with new H4 units.
The answer is to rewire the headlights to supply power more directly from the battery by way of relays thereby reducing the current running through the dashboard to just a trickle. I have no problem putting together such a system but the cost of buying cable, relays, replay mounts and connection plugs and terminals adds up even from the discounts auto stores.
An easy alternative, especially for someone not confident in wiring, is a kit I found on Ebay. Posted within days from Thailand was a “Headlight Booster” at less than A$30 incl.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Harness-Rela...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cb41667e6
It comprises two relays (high and low beam) , two H4 headlight globe female connectors and a clever H4 male connector. The latter is to take the voltage from the existing headlamp wiring as a switching signal. The joy of the system is that it is virtually “plug and play”. Both headlight connectors are removed and the male connector is plugged in to just one of them, providing switching for both high and low on both sides. The female plugs are pushed onto the back of each headlight. Relays can be mounted anywhere convenient (I hung a removable plate off the battery frame). A heavy black cable if connected directly to the (-) terminal and red to the (+).
The system is well made and complete except for fuses. I prefer to have two inline fuses so the high and low beam are on separate circuits.
For the long range lights Supercheap have a driving light wiring kit with relay on special presently at around $15. You could fit three of these kits to do the whole job but without the Plug and Play convenience. Maybe a good time to save your headlight switch and improve your lights if you have not yet done so.
The old wiring and light switch of a 40 year old Citroen is possibly past its best. I have read that switch failure is common and the replacement is not inexpensive. The headlight wiring on my seventies DS for high beam, low and long range lights was also liable to suffer voltage drop resulting in dim lights. I have already replaced the old dual reflector lights which used two H1 globes with new H4 units.
The answer is to rewire the headlights to supply power more directly from the battery by way of relays thereby reducing the current running through the dashboard to just a trickle. I have no problem putting together such a system but the cost of buying cable, relays, replay mounts and connection plugs and terminals adds up even from the discounts auto stores.
An easy alternative, especially for someone not confident in wiring, is a kit I found on Ebay. Posted within days from Thailand was a “Headlight Booster” at less than A$30 incl.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Harness-Rela...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cb41667e6
It comprises two relays (high and low beam) , two H4 headlight globe female connectors and a clever H4 male connector. The latter is to take the voltage from the existing headlamp wiring as a switching signal. The joy of the system is that it is virtually “plug and play”. Both headlight connectors are removed and the male connector is plugged in to just one of them, providing switching for both high and low on both sides. The female plugs are pushed onto the back of each headlight. Relays can be mounted anywhere convenient (I hung a removable plate off the battery frame). A heavy black cable if connected directly to the (-) terminal and red to the (+).
The system is well made and complete except for fuses. I prefer to have two inline fuses so the high and low beam are on separate circuits.
For the long range lights Supercheap have a driving light wiring kit with relay on special presently at around $15. You could fit three of these kits to do the whole job but without the Plug and Play convenience. Maybe a good time to save your headlight switch and improve your lights if you have not yet done so.
I generally snip the unburnt housings from CX wrecks (that have dozens of relays).