Mini Morimoto RetroQuik Bi-Xenon Projector Swap for '06+ Headlamps

[gaterose]

I did this swap a couple of weeks ago and couldn't find any good info about the swap other than the basics which were already obvious, then I ran into a couple of problems. That combined with the recent group buys and likelihood other members will be buying this kit seemed to warrant making a writeup.

Thanks to Andrew @ TheRetrofitSource and [MENTION=44999]HOJeepster[/MENTION] for their help with swap.


Here's a good write-up from Magert54 if you need help opening the headlamps.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/94693-blacked-out-headlights-06-sport-diy.html

Once you have the lights open, there are 4 screws that hold the OEM projector in place. Pull those and slip the rubber grommet off the rear and the projector will pop right out.

Then bolt the included bracket to the Morimoto projector. (No pictures because it's self explanatory once you see the bracket) Just make sure you put the nut on top and screw on bottom otherwise it won't bolt down in the housing. You can see the nuts in the second picture below.

Here's a couple shots of the Mini Morimoto compared to the OEM projector
(OEM Left, Morimoto Right)

(now the Morimoto's on the left, yes confusing, sorry.)

Then bolt the new projector in with the 4 OEM screws
(Morimoto Right, OEM Left)

Next I drilled a small hole (I used 1/4") large enough for the high beam wire to pass through the housing and ran the wire through then sealed the hole with silicone (not shown).

((In case you're wondering what the blue stuff on my adjuster bolts is, I tried to draw lines with a sharpie to make realignment easier but the ink instantly spread all over the bolt.. Not sure what the deal is with that.. it ended up being unnecessary anyway.))

Then close, bake, and seal the lights back up.

I (and a couple others I spoke with) ran into this problem with the D2S connectors.

As you can see the connector is very difficult to connect to the bulb due to the projector being recessed in the opening. The angle also prevents the OEM rubber grommet and the included rubber grommet from attaching and sealing.

After further thought, this could be solved by cutting a channel into the opening and sealing with silicone then reinstalling the grommet, but I was afraid of leaks so after speaking with Andrew at TRS I found out I could get some AMP ballasts (instead of the D2S ones) and use a AMP to D2S straight adapter for the bulbs.

After they sent the new ballasts and connectors I cut the grommet off of the D2S ballasts (big no-no) and made the opening large enough to fit over the D2S straight connected and it seals perfectly inside the OEM grommet.

[reserved for missing picture]

DISCLAIMER - if you order this kit, and run into this problem DO NOT CUT THE GROMMET OFF OF THE D2S BALLAST. I was very fortunate that the guys at TRS are understanding and gave me a full refund for the D2S ballasts but it is NOT their usual policy and they WILL charge you 20% restocking on the ballasts for missing/damaged parts.

Then comes the task of wiring which is very simple thanks to TRS, they include an adapter that the two wires for the high beam clip into, then you clip that and your OEM high bulb into the splitter and plug that into the OEM high beam wire.

For the ballasts, they include a VERY NICE wiring harness with two relays and direct power for the bulbs... Unfortunately I couldn't get the harness to work despite connecting everything where it should be... So I just plugged the ballasts into the OEM 9006 connectors (or the 9006 connectors TRS includes if you actually have an '06 and have an H11 plug).

I didn't take any pictures because that part seemed obvious (since I didn't use the harness). I'm sure the relays and direct battery connection would help the ballasts fire more quickly but until I have time to see what went wrong in my connections this way works fine. If/when I reconnect the harness I'll post pictures & info in the 2nd post.

These shots show the new stuff (with Morimoto 35W 5000K ballast & bulb) in the driver's side and the OEM projector (with eBay Phillips 6000K H11 ballast & bulb)

(the difference in cutoff sharpness is pretty clear in this picture)

Here are some output shots, all at ISO 250, 18mm, f/22, & 13"

Morimoto Low Beam

OEM High Beam + Morimoto Bi-Xenon High

With 2x 7.5" combo and 13.5" cpot LED bars on the roof, just for poops and gigglies.

(should've taken a shot from this angle with only the lows but I forgot)

Close Up of cutoff (55mm, ISO 250, f/22, & 13")

[MENTION=51033]97BlackAckCL[/MENTION] shared some additional photos and helpful notes here - Post 1746116

 

[riceandpho]

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

 

[ChaosStarter]

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

I did the FX-R upgrade. LOVE it. Worth all the time and cutting, however I have a RX projector here that if I can find a match up for it, I'll be switching them up and sell the FX-Rs

 

[CrimsonCountry]

Great job Matt, and perfect timing too. I think I am about to pull the trigger on a TRS Retrofit kit myself and this will definately come in handy. Right now, I know little to nothing about the headlights or their wiring so i've got some reading up to do. I'm a little uneasy about doing it myself but hoping I can just take my time given that they are the extra set of headlights I bought off Ebay. I'm still trying to decide if the extra work involved with the FX-R III kit is worth it over the easier Mini D2S or H1 kits....OR If I should take my time and piece together are more "OEM" retrofit.

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

I did the FX-R upgrade. LOVE it. Worth all the time and cutting, however I have a RX projector here that if I can find a match up for it, I'll be switching them up and sell the FX-Rs

I may need to find me some of the RX projectors if they are that much better. I'm guessing they probably aren't that common (or cheap) though...

 

[gaterose]

u have a shield problem, its suppose to be more sharper, but these are great upgrade from stock, i wanted more performance and more light, so i swaped the morimoto to the rx, big difference. the morimoto have to much foreground and not enough distance.

What do you mean? It should be clearer than that at 50+ feet? Because it's much sharper when I'm closer but I would think over a distance the sharpness would fade.

Distance how? It seems like they should only be able to throw light so far then you need brights? (Which I have plenty of)

I did the FX-R upgrade. LOVE it. Worth all the time and cutting, however I have a RX projector here that if I can find a match up for it, I'll be switching them up and sell the FX-Rs

I wanted to do a nice retro or try to go with OEM projectors but the deal was hard to pass up on these and I've never really had a problem with the stock projectors.. I just bought these because a local friend showed me his Morimoto H1s and I decided I really like em.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

So these literally just drop right into the stock projector location and screw in?

 

[HOJeepster]

So these literally just drop right into the stock projector location and screw in?

More or less. The kit comes with an adapter plate the screws into the OEM holes, so yes drop right in. You will have to do a little 'fab' work to seal up the back, but like gaterose did, you figure it out and improvise.

 

[riceandpho]

When you compare the morimoto d2s to rx projectors, the mori dont have enough distance throw of light, so u see a bright spot upclose to the truck and not enough light projected down the road. Let say you take a tl projector, you will see how even the light is on the road and see darther down the road with it. Its kind of discussed on hidplanet. The mori are great projector from stock halogen upgrade, but its better with a oem projectors. If u check my video on my rx retro thread you might tell a diffence.

 

[riceandpho]

When i say shield problem, the light suppose to be more brighter at that hotspot, if you more the bulb up and down you will see some changes.check out hidplanet if you are not sure.

 

[ForgetYourMap]

I am very interested in pulling the trigger on the retro-quick complete kit. I am hoping that someone can help me with exactly what I should be ordering for my 2006.

When you select the kit it shows at $150. Is this only for the DS2 projector and the metal bracket with screws and such? Is this all I need?

Retro-Quik: Toyota 4Runner (06-09) - Complete Retrofit Kits

I am assuming not so then I am hoping to get some help with the rest of the options.

Ballasts: 3Five, 3Five long, or 5Five? Not much of a price difference so why would I not go for the 5Five?

Bulbs: I guess it depends on my ballasts and color preference. Although they have a number of very expensive options too. I was thinking 5000k as I have read this is the most pure white looking. Any advise here would be much appreciated?

Harness: Only one option here but I just want to confirm that this is a requirement.

Re-sealing glue: Necessary? I thought you can just back the headlight and it will re-seal with the existing glue? or is this for something else?

Anyways, I feel like a bit of a noob here but I have a feeling that I am not the only one with these questions and it looks like some of you have obviously done this before.

 

[sigepbiker]

I am very interested in pulling the trigger on the retro-quick complete kit. I am hoping that someone can help me with exactly what I should be ordering for my 2006.

When you select the kit it shows at $150. Is this only for the DS2 projector and the metal bracket with screws and such? Is this all I need?

Retro-Quik: Toyota 4Runner (06-09) - Complete Retrofit Kits

The price of $150 is only for the projectors. Add the options below and the price will increase.

Ballasts: 3Five, 3Five long, or 5Five? Not much of a price difference so why would I not go for the 5Five?

Bulbs: I guess it depends on my ballasts and color preference. Although they have a number of very expensive options too. I was thinking 5000k as I have read this is the most pure white looking. Any advise here would be much appreciated?

The bulbs and ballasts have to match:
3Five with 3Five
or
5Five with 5Five/5Five long
I would avoid mixing matching those two.

As for the difference between 3Five and 5Five, I'm uncertain, but read through this thread. There is a lot of information in there. It also has information on bulb color too. There is a lot of debate between 5000K and 4300K being pure white. The jury's still out...

I'm running 3Five 4300K and am happy with it.

Harness: Only one option here but I just want to confirm that this is a requirement.

Yes, it's required.

Re-sealing glue: Necessary? I thought you can just back the headlight and it will re-seal with the existing glue? or is this for something else?

Nope, not required. Just bake your headlight to reseal it and you'll be good to go.

As a helpful hint: Mount the projector in the assembly, then mount the headlamp in the car BEFORE you reseal it. If you have to make adjustments, it's easier with the headlamps still open.

 

[birdmann]

The 3five is a 35 watt ballast, the 5five is a 55 watt ballast. I'm running the 3five kit with their clear projector lense in my stock halogen projectors. I will be upgrading to their d2s v3.0 x this summer.

 

[ForgetYourMap]

Exactly the info I was looking for guys. Thanks [MENTION=79237]sigepbiker[/MENTION]!

[MENTION=92843]birdmann[/MENTION] - Have you looked into the DS2 3.0's? I emailed TRS about them and they said they wouldn't fit. Are you planning on doing some cutting/modding?

 

[birdmann]

Yes. The factory projectors are 2.5 inches the d2s is 3.0 inches. There will be lots of cutting. I plan on getting a brand new set of OEM headlights to cut up. I built some confidence chopping up my yellowed oe headlights. I've heard really good things about their retroquick drop in kits. I'm going for something a little more exotic. I've got a set of rigid duallys, and a set of lightforce 170's that are going into my next build.

 

[gaterose]

Ballasts: 3Five, 3Five long, or 5Five? Not much of a price difference so why would I not go for the 5Five?

...

Harness: Only one option here but I just want to confirm that this is a requirement.

As for the difference between 3Five and 5Five, I'm uncertain, but read through this thread. There is a lot of information in there. It also has information on bulb color too. There is a lot of debate between 5000K and 4300K being pure white. The jury's still out...

....

Yes, it's required.

The 5Five is 55W and the 3Five is 35W, didn't read that entire thread but I'm fairly certain that the only real difference is that 55W is a little brighter but typically less reliable and long lasting compared to a 35W setup.

I don't think the harness is necessary. As it says in the posts above, I couldn't get the harness to work right when wired following the directions so I didn't use it and haven't had any problems with the bulbs or ballasts yet.

I have had a couple issues with the bi-xenon shield sticking open during extremely cold weather. Not sure why it sticks open since I usually don't shut the truck off with highs on, but some days this winter when leaving the house I would have to flash em a couple of times to the get the shield back in place. That part is wired through stock high beam stuff though and has nothing to do with the harness they included.

I have the 35W 5000K kit and I'm still very happy with it other than the problem mentioned above, which isn't a big deal.

 

[gshadow325]

I did the FX-R upgrade. LOVE it. Worth all the time and cutting, however I have a RX projector here that if I can find a match up for it, I'll be switching them up and sell the FX-Rs

are you referring to these? i have one sitting on my desk. OEM rx350 projector is available for sale

 

[birdmann]

Those are great, but they are better with the trs clear lenses

 

[navin]

Does anyone have pictures of where they mounted their TRS relay harness/how they routed it?

I really need to get back on track and finish up installing the Quik-Retro's...

just an fyi: My lights didn't power on using the stock Toyota wiring, so hopefully it's just a matter of using the relay harness.

 

[birdmann]

Give the guys at trs a call. I'm sure they are more than happy to help.

 

[navin]

I usually work on the 4runner on random weekends -- so they are closed then. Luckily I bought some cheapo ebay headlights to use daily while I get around to swapping in the OEM headlights + Quik Retro's.

Gonna give it a shot with the relay harness in a next few weeks and hopefully everything comes on.