Headlights way too dim

[dphflytyer]

Is my 01 TFR getting old or am I just going blind?. My headlights just don't seem bright anymore. I can leave the "highs" on and rarely get flashed. I cleaned the housing inside and out, switched to sylvania bulbs and still not bright. My wife has a Venza and the difference is night and day. We actually lined both cars up and the Venza lights are much brighter and project further. I researched this before posting and didn't see too much about brightness or dimimg. It gets really bad in the winter once all that crud gets on the lens. I'd sure hate to give up nighttime driving. Maybe it's me.

 

[morbidsanity]

ive noticed it aswell, the stock lights on 4runners is way 2 low,ive been looking for a recomondation for new bulbs,i wanted like that really bright clear blueish lights i see some people driveing with,i think those will get a better light output...

 

[nissanh]

Don't go for blue light. On a rainy day you see nothing. Go for more yellowish lights. I got a pair of bright lights from a shop in NJ and unfortunately I don't remember their name. I'll give a good try today and will let you guys know.

What kind of head lights are you using? are they OEM headlights or aftermarket?

http://www.amazon.com/Streetglow-H4-White-Xenon-Bulb/dp/B0002I9YV6

 

[robb1887]

Is my 01 TFR getting old or am I just going blind?. My headlights just don't seem bright anymore. I can leave the "highs" on and rarely get flashed. I cleaned the housing inside and out, switched to sylvania bulbs and still not bright. My wife has a Venza and the difference is night and day. We actually lined both cars up and the Venza lights are much brighter and project further. I researched this before posting and didn't see too much about brightness or dimimg. It gets really bad in the winter once all that crud gets on the lens. I'd sure hate to give up nighttime driving. Maybe it's me.

Of course the vensa will have better light output. You're comparing 10-12 years of difference and potentially HID vs regular reflectors depending on the vensas package. Newer wiring, fresh lenses.

You might need to align your lights

You could also look into doing a retrofit to projectors with HIDs that a few people have done around here.

ive noticed it aswell, the stock lights on 4runners is way 2 low,ive been looking for a recomondation for new bulbs,i wanted like that really bright clear blueish lights i see some people driveing with,i think those will get a better light output...

Those are HIDs and are about 400 to retrofit properly. Just putting HIDs in stock lights would just potentially blind all on comers and be more of a danger than a benefit.

 

[fourwd1]

Is my 01 TFR getting old or am I just going blind?. My headlights just don't seem bright anymore. I can leave the "highs" on and rarely get flashed. I'd sure hate to give up nighttime driving. Maybe it's me.

Yeah, it's time for you to turn in your drivers license, you and your truck are over the hill.

But seriously, if you think your 2001 lights are lame, think how bad my 80's trucks are.

Before you go swapping and replacing things, check your wiring, it's a common problem. It's barely adequate when new, add years of heat and corrosion and the bulbs may not be getting the same voltage as when the truck was new.
A quick check would be to measure the voltage right at the headlight bulb vs the voltage at the battery. If it's less at the bulb, it means there is loss in the wiring, resulting in dimmer lights.

 

[MattAK]

My first T4R was a '94 2nd Gen. Those things had some crappy headlights. Compared to that, my '01 with Silverstar Ultras looks great.

 

[JSwain]

Definitely check the voltage on your battery(with and without it running), and at the headlight plug. With it running you should be getting 13.8+, with it stopped and key out of the ignition for 2 minutes the battery should hold 12.8+.
I bought an ebay alternator for my truck two years ago and after only driving it for a month it didn't want to charge over 13v, then slowly started getting worse and worse thus making the headlights dimmer and dimmer. If it all checks out good maybe you are in need of some new bulbs, if not try cleaning all the connections thoroughly until they look like new, and remeasure the voltage.

 

[Crashnrondo]

Has anyone ever added a relay with heavier gauge wire to feed the headlights? That trick worked on a few motorcycles for me over the years. Just a thought.

 

[fourwd1]

Has anyone ever added a relay with heavier gauge wire to feed the headlights? That trick worked on a few motorcycles for me over the years. Just a thought.

You can do that, I think 4crawler.com sells a kit to do that.

 

[dphflytyer]

Great reply's. Never though about checking voltage. It sucks getting old.

 

[sk8rt4r]

Quick question- There seems to be some feed back in other threads about aftermarket 99-02 headlights (vs Toyota brand) that they are terrible on projecting the light or something?

Can someone elaborate on the problem with them..are some brands better than others?

I have already increased my bulbs to 90/100W (5000k) in my '98 and I'm still getting out shined by car headlights that are following me & street lights.
(FYI-I have not checked input voltage yet )

 

[Singtoe]

Is there anything in my teeth?

Special Thanks to Brock.

 

[sk8rt4r]

I have already increased my bulbs to 90/100W (5000k) in my '98 and I'm still getting out shined by car headlights that are following me & street lights.
(FYI-I have not checked input voltage yet )

I checked my voltage tonight, 14volts while idling @ Battery but only 13V @ headlamp for high beam and low beam.

 

[fourwd1]

I checked my voltage tonight, 14volts while idling @ Battery but only 13V @ headlamp for high beam and low beam.

Are those readings with the lights On or Off?
If it's with them Off, it's just going to get worse when they are on.
Either way, it's a bit low, bulbs are rated @ 13.8V.
While the lights are On, take a piece of heavy gauge wire and run it from the battery positive terminal to the high or low beam terminal, and see if it doesn't get brighter.

 

[TheDurk]

Are those readings with the lights On or Off?
If it's with them Off, it's just going to get worse when they are on.
Either way, it's a bit low, bulbs are rated @ 13.8V.
While the lights are On, take a piece of heavy gauge wire and run it from the battery positive terminal to the high or low beam terminal, and see if it doesn't get brighter.

Yikes! DON"T do that on a non-DRL truck like sk8rt4r's '98! With switched grounds that's a DIRECT short-circuit and will probably fry your stalk switch. DRL 3G's ('00 and up and all Canadas) have switched hots, it's ok there. For sk8rt4r, you could run the wire to the COMMON terminal (unless Canadian).

Presumably, he knows this if he has been checking voltage unless he is just doing it at the bulb. He can also run a wire from battery ground to the high and low terminals to see if there is resistance in the stalk-to-ground circuit.

http://tacoma.site40.net/4Runner_96-02_Repair&Wiring/techinfo.toyota.com/ileaf/ewdtmc2/ewdtmpdf/ewdsourc/2002/024runne/systemci/019hl.pdf

 

[sk8rt4r]

Yikes! DON"T do that on a non-DRL truck like sk8rt4r's '98! With switched grounds that's a DIRECT short-circuit and will probably fry your stalk switch. DRL 3G's ('00 and up and all Canadas) have switched hots, it's ok there. For sk8rt4r, you could run the wire to the COMMON terminal (unless Canadian).

Presumably, he knows this if he has been checking voltage unless he is just doing it at the bulb. He can also run a wire from battery ground to the high and low terminals to see if there is resistance in the stalk-to-ground circuit.

http://tacoma.site40.net/4Runner_96-02_Repair&Wiring/techinfo.toyota.com/ileaf/ewdtmc2/ewdtmpdf/ewdsourc/2002/024runne/systemci/019hl.pdf

Actually this is my 1st Toyota (bought last Fall '12)and I did not know about the switched grounds. Thank you for letting me know. As for my test voltages Battery was 14V whether lights were on or off. I tested the power at the bulb by simply unplugging the bulb and putting test leads into the socket. 13V was for both high and low. I did notice the polarity switching as I was testing so I figured the circuit was not simply "straight forward" wiring

 

[TheDurk]

Actually this is my 1st Toyota (bought last Fall '12)and I did not know about the switched grounds. Thank you for letting me know. As for my test voltages Battery was 14V whether lights were on or off. I tested the power at the bulb by simply unplugging the bulb and putting test leads into the socket. 13V was for both high and low. I did notice the polarity switching as I was testing so I figured the circuit was not simply "straight forward" wiring

Ah, well, I think you want to do your voltage testing with one lead on the battery and one at the bulb, as I described above. Battery Positive to high and then low and battery negative to the common. Then you have an idea where your voltage drop is occurring.

 

[Thurlo76]

Yeah, it's time for you to turn in your drivers license, you and your truck are over the hill.

But seriously, if you think your 2001 lights are lame, think how bad my 80's trucks are.

Actually, I just sold my 87' 4runner over Christmas break and got a 97' the next day. My headlights in my 87' were WAY better than the ones in my 97'. Its literally night and day difference. I need to swap them out but i want to do my homework and get the best bang for the buck

 

[The Deec]

My bulbs yellowed out and barely project anything now they are Sylvania Silver star Ultras going on 4 years now but did very well for the first year. I just slapped some Rigid Dually's in my Bumper and called it a day. They are aimed as low as possible and I get about 1/4 mile-1/2 mile of usable light. My normal headlights sorta feel like a fog light now compared to the Dually's

 

[fourwd1]

Yikes! DON"T do that on a non-DRL truck like sk8rt4r's '98! With switched grounds that's a DIRECT short-circuit and will probably fry your stalk switch. DRL 3G's ('00 and up and all Canadas) have switched hots, it's ok there. For sk8rt4r, you could run the wire to the COMMON terminal (unless Canadian).

Good catch, yeah the +12V is the common terminal (#3) on later models,
Red/Blue stripe wire on left light and Red/Black stripe on the right light.
Also remember the ground side wiring is weak too. If upgrading the wiring they need to be as well.