How to Install Strobe Lights in Headlights
Strobe lights produce regular flashes of light and are most often used in law enforcement and emergency vehicles. Installing strobe lights in your headlights is not very difficult. It requires a few tools that you can purchase at your hardware store. However, this project requires a high level of understanding of car electronics. If you are inexperienced with wiring car electronic circuits, for safety reasons and the well-being of your car, it's probably better to leave have a professional do the installation.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Socket wrench
- Hole saw
- Strobe light
- Thermal disc
- 3-conductor power cable
- 3-socket connector housing
- 3-pin connector housing
- Electrical tape
- Wire cutters
Instructions
-
-
1
Disconnect your car battery.
-
2
Mark the location where you would like to install your strobe lights. You must install strobe lights at or below the horizontal center line of your reflector. Furthermore, you must leave at least 1 inch of space between the strobe light and the lens, and you must not install the strobe light above the manufacturer-installed light.
-
-
3
Remove the reflector assembly from your headlights. Use the socket wrench to remove the retaining bolts and then lift the reflector assembly from the mounting bracket.
-
4
Use a hole saw to cut a 1-inch hole in the headlight housing.
-
5
Attach the thermal disc that came with your strobe lights to the strobe light bulbs. Do this by aligning the disc holes with the lamp ears and snapping them into place.
-
6
Insert the disc/strobe light assembly into the hole in your headlight housing. Use the hardware provided by the manufacturer to secure the strobe lights to your headlight housing.
-
7
Connect the strobe light assembly to the 3-socket connector housing. Connect the 3-socket connector housing to a 3-conductor power cable, with red, black, and white wires corresponding to negative, positive and ground charge respectively. Insert the red wire into the first socket of the 3-socket connector, labeled "1," the black wire into the second socket, labeled "2," and the white wire into the third socket, labeled "3." You will also notice "shield wire" on each side of your 3-conductor power cable. The shield wire prevents electromagnetic interference (interference from radio or communication sources). Use wire cutters to cut the shield wire, so that it is flush with the cable jacket.
-
8
Connect the 3-conductor power cable to the 3-pin power housing that runs to the car battery. Connect the red pin into the first connection of the 3-pin power housing, the black pin into the second connection, and the white pin into the third connection. If you are in an area where radio interference is a problem then you will need to ground to the chassis the shield wire located on the side of the power cable adjacent to the power housing. You can attach it to the chassis using electrical tape.
-
9
Connect the power housing to the terminals of your car battery.
-
10
Replace the reflector covering over your strobe lights. You are now ready to operate your strobe lights.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Do not try to install strobe lights into sealed headlights. You will only break the headlights if you attempt to remove them.
