How To: Headlight Bulb Conversion (H11 to H9 & 9005 to 9011)
- Thread starter eddiebx
- Start date
Ok, just did the conversion today and I think everything went fairly smoothly. One thing I noticed is that the 9011s seemed a little loose in the housing compared to the stock bulbs; they still seem alright, but they're much easier to turn (like moving the wire to the connector will turn them). Anyone else notice this? Also, looks like the original photos are missing from this thread so here are a couple that helped me:
H9:
9011:
H9:
9011:
As an update to my last post, the way the 9011's fit in the housing just didn't sit right with me. After a bit more investigation, I figured out why they Philips 9011s aren't fitting as tight as the stock 9005s. The three tabs on the 9011 are measuring at roughly 1.9mm in thickness (this is difficult to measure since they are slightly tapered) while the tabs on the 9005 are measuring at around 2.0mm+ thick. The seal is still good since the O-ring has good fitment within the bore of the housing.
What I decided to do is shim the back of the tabs with a small piece of 3M Super 33+ tape, and this made the bulbs lock in to the sockets much more positively. I chose to put the shim on the back of the tabs for 2 reasons: to isolate them more from the heat, and to make the small shims less likely to fall into the headlight housing during bulb removal. I actually removed the bulbs several times after placing shims to see how it would work; they shifted a bit, but did not fall off completely. I also took some temperature readings at the back of the mount to make sure they were not approaching the max working temp of the Super 33+, and it wasn't even close.
Hopefully this helps if any of you run into the same problem!
A photo of the shims I added:
What I decided to do is shim the back of the tabs with a small piece of 3M Super 33+ tape, and this made the bulbs lock in to the sockets much more positively. I chose to put the shim on the back of the tabs for 2 reasons: to isolate them more from the heat, and to make the small shims less likely to fall into the headlight housing during bulb removal. I actually removed the bulbs several times after placing shims to see how it would work; they shifted a bit, but did not fall off completely. I also took some temperature readings at the back of the mount to make sure they were not approaching the max working temp of the Super 33+, and it wasn't even close.
Hopefully this helps if any of you run into the same problem!
A photo of the shims I added:
Last edited:
Now that I've done this mod, I've sort of been worrying myself about the H9 bulbs since there must be some increased heat in that little projector housing.
Have any of you who've done this mod seen any sort of evidence to suggest that increased heat from the H9 could damage the housing/plug, or have any of you heard about it happening?
I've done extensive searching on google regarding this topic, and have found a few instances of issues (Subaru comes to mind) and I think there was even someone in the 4th gen forum here who said they had an issue. That being said, I haven't seen extensive problems with the swap. I simply don't want to jack up my new 4Runner's expensive headlight housings!
Have any of you who've done this mod seen any sort of evidence to suggest that increased heat from the H9 could damage the housing/plug, or have any of you heard about it happening?
I've done extensive searching on google regarding this topic, and have found a few instances of issues (Subaru comes to mind) and I think there was even someone in the 4th gen forum here who said they had an issue. That being said, I haven't seen extensive problems with the swap. I simply don't want to jack up my new 4Runner's expensive headlight housings!
Ok, heard back from Daniel Stern on this and he thinks heat will be a non issue. They projector housings are solid aluminum, so it should be fine. Once I did a bunch of research, most of the heat damage issues from this conversion actually occurred from people improperly trimming the connector tab, which caused an incomplete connection and heat buildup at the connector due to high resistance.
On another note, did anyone get Philips H9s that were made in China? Would've much rather had German made versions, but I'm not sure what to do other than buy Sylvania at Autozone since I think those are still German.
Seems like I’m the only one bumping this thread lately, but just wanted to say I found the perfect tool for removing that pesky connector tab in the H9. It gets right down inside the connector and cuts it flush, and is thin enough to not mess up the pins. Hate to buy a tool just for that purpose, but there’s nothing bad about having another tool right? It’s actually really cheap but well made, and I was surprised to find it was made in Italy:
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-17...ower-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1510455940&sr=1-1
https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-17...ower-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1510455940&sr=1-1
Jhalko
New member
I ran them for a year before adding a bunch of led lights and going back to stock. I have another set in the garage, keep meaning to trim and install now that I have more rake again.
Hadelson
New member
Been running this conversion for a few years. No issues with heat-damage to housing or water seepage. Only had one bulb fail at 3 years which to me is no issues.
nglayton
Senior Member
Scroll back a few posts to #122
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...version-h11-h9-9005-9011-a-4.html#post2836145
Which bulbs are you running? I had the Phillips and then lasted 1 year and both blew within a week of each other. And I don't turn on the headlights unless I absolutely need them.
nglayton
Senior Member
I've been running this mod for a couple years now. In both the High beam, low beam and fogs. No increased heat, no melted housing or wires. No flashing of lights from blinded on coming drivers. It just works.
However, the worst part is the bulbs burn out about once a year or so, always carry a spare. Either a stock one or a pre-modded one.
The stock ones never seem to burn out, so to each his own.....
Last edited:
![NC[4]Runner](/data/avatars/m/137/137739.jpg?1787639493){kind=avatar}
NC[4]Runner
New member
Thanks for the info and idea. I like the plug and play option, not that I could not do the mod, but this seems like a better path.... Does anyone know for sure if this is the correct item specifically for the 5th Gen TE ? or just an "example" ??
I'm all for a better quality product, within reason... However, these guys have zero contact info available. The email option on their website just produces an error message. I have a little apprehension ordering from them. Can anyone vouch for them?
Being a novice and noob, haha, I don't know which of those harnesses would be the correct one. Not seeing what I would think is the right item.
Can someone chime in and clarify and/or post links directly to additional options ? Thanks in advance, good thread....
Attachments
Sylvania has an H9 option as well. I bought a set at O'Reilly Auto since it was just right down the road.
I installed these a couple of days ago and I have to say it is a great lighting upgrade going to the modified H9.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Thanks for the recommendation on a set of micro shear cutters for this job. It was a perfect tool for cutting out the plastic tab.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
XenonDepot
New member
Plenty of H9s Available. Just don't buy the blue tinted junk.
Best bet if you can wait a day or two: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YMPN3A/?tag=pda0e-21
Auto Zone (shows in stock in my store, but not sure about yours): https://www.autozone.com/collision-body-parts-and-hardware/headlight/sylvania-headlight/862725_404149_18268_8548
Oreilly: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/.../sylvania-bulb/h9bp/4743122/2008/cadillac/cts
Also at Oreilly (I'm not sure about Eiko quality, but price seems hard to beat): https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...en-headlight/h965bp/4292963/2008/cadillac/cts
Or use, any combination of part numbers from above links to search Ebay. I'm personally an Amazon Prime guy, so that's why I went that route.
Glad to hear it worked out for you!
Similar threads
