AJ's Dad - how are your sockets?

[ceferino]

Are those heavy-duty 9007 sockets holding up so far? I melted another one last week. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] If yours are working well, I'd like to try them.

Where did you get them?

[AJ'sDad]

So far no problem with the "bakelite" sockets.

My left light went dim last week though. I took it apart and saw that there was corrosion on the high beam lead and the ground lead.

This was my fault, I installed the new harness and bulbs dry. I scraped off the corrosion and filled the socket pins with dielectric silicone grease. (GM part #12345579 I also use it on my weather stripping)

After fixing the left light, I checked the right one. It also was dry but had no corrosion at all. I went ahead and greased it too. They have been trouble-free ever since.

The harness was from www.suvlights.com for $35. It is a snap to install. Dave Bey was nice enough to give me some wire loom to put it in for some extra heat protection where I laid the harness across the top of the radiator. With the harness wrapped in the black loom, it looks stock under the hood.

When I received it with the odd "bakelite" sockets I called the owner and he sent me the original plastic ones too. (I just keep them in the center console)

The "bakelite" sockets don't snap in place like the OEM sockets do, but that hasn't been a problem at all. If it ever becomes a problem, I'll rig up some kind of safety wire. (I doubt that will ever be needed though)

[ceferino]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AJ'sDad:
I scraped off the corrosion and filled the socket pins with dielectric silicone grease. (GM part #12345579 <hr></blockquote>

Dielectric? I'd think that you'd want conductive grease instead, to reduce resistance between the bulb's lugs and the socket receptors.

I found suvlights.com last night via a search. $35 seems very high for two sockets. Do you have to buy all the other wiring with them?

[AJ'sDad]

$35 was for the entire harness. I didn't try to buy the sockets by themselves. They just came with the harness.

Someone told me once to use dielectric grease. I never thought why. My guess is that it keeps things from arcing since the current can't pass through it. There is plenty of surface area on the new pins to touch the conducting surfaces on the bulb. The grease was also reccomended for use on the contacts inside a distributor cap.

If the grease was conductive and got smeared, you might run the risk of a short.

That's all I know.

[ceferino]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AJ'sDad:
If the grease was conductive and got smeared, you might run the risk of a short.<hr></blockquote>

Entirely true. You must apply it with caution. It would help, though, the tenuous connection possible with those skinny lugs on the 9007 bulb.

The tiny connector lugs are the root cause of the overheating and subsequent socket damage.

[AJ'sDad]

Turns out that overheating the connection wasn't the problem. The wires weren't tight enough in the sockets and that was causing a bad ground in the left bulb. This has happened a couple of times. All I have to do is open the hood and wiggle the wires and the problem goes away.

I'm going to email suvlights.com and ask them for one new socket, I don't trust using OEM style plastic sockets.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[ceferino]

BTDT. Having to wiggle the socket is just a step towards the day when wiggling it won't make the light bright anymore. Then you'll be able to back the socket out a little and get brighter light for another month or so. Then nothing will work anymore and your socket's ground connection will be toast.

BTDT. I'm on socket number 7 now.

[AJ'sDad]

I emailed suvlights.com and he is sending me a new bakelite socket and new terminals to wire it.

This can be fixed permanently, the passenger side is flawless. I'll let you know how it goes once I get the new parts.

[ceferino]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AJ'sDad:
I emailed suvlights.com and he is sending me a new bakelite socket ...<hr></blockquote>

Now that makes sense. I wonder if he'd sell them separately? I don't need all the other wiring etc. I have relays and wires galore in my parts drawers.