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eBay Projector Swap

10K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  mdxgily38 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a step by step guide for swapping out the projectors from eBay which look like this:



...with proper Morimoto Mini H1 bi-xenons. If you are using xenons in the halogen projectors your dispersion can effectively go from...

This:



To This:









The two on the wall look sideways because I'm sitting sideways on a hill. I couldn't find a better wall to photograph the cutoff on...

Also I'm sorry that I didn't take as many photos of the process as I should have but hopefully I can detail the steps enough...



1. First things first, take the headlights out and remove all the bulbs from the housings. You will need to bake the headlights to open them up and reach the internals. There are plenty of guides on how to do this but basically just preheat the oven to 230 degrees and once it's all hot, pop the headlight in the oven on top of a piece of cardboard. (Make sure it’s not touching the sides of the oven)



Bake the headlight for about 10 minutes and then take it out with some oven mitts and bring it to a work table.

2. At this point the sealant between the headlight housing should be softened and you can pry them apart. First take off the metal clips with a flathead screwdriver. Some people said they used a flathead screwdriver to pry at the seams but I found if I just grabbed the two sides and pulled, they would peel slowly apart.



With the headlight open you should now have access to the projector lens which can simply be unscrewed from the housing which takes forever because the threads are so long. The little white plastic part up top just pops off with some force.



3. Once you have the projector out, it's time to fit the new Mini H1 projector into the old projector bowl so that it can mount back up again properly to the mounting screws. I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to do this but I saw this video on YouTube and sort of followed it.

http://youtu.be/tqaF7vhAww4

4. First unscrew the four screws on the back of the old projector and remove the lens and cutoff shield.



5. Next you will need to widen the back of the old bowl to make room for the Mini H1. First draw out a circle for where to cut the bowl. It doesn't really have to be precise; it just needs to be big enough for the Mini H1 to sit all the way down into it.



6. If you have a proper dremel bit for cutting the bowl then proceed to do so and if you don't like me then you can use this crazy method... First drill a bunch of holes around the line with a drill bit...



Then you can go through with a grinder bit on the dremel and make your way through all the holes until the circle is all cut out.

7. This is the part where I am kicking myself for not taking proper photos. Check out the video in step 3 to see basically what I did. I actually used 4 zip ties in all four corners of the bowl to attach the new projector and tighten it down to the old bowl. (Make sure the solenoid is on the bottom.) Before you put any real tightness on the zip ties, throw the H1 bulb in the slot and put the flat part of the bottom of the projector on a flat surface to calibrate the rotation leveling of the projector. Rotate the projector in the bowl and tighten the zip ties on the four sides in such a way that when 100% tight on all four sides, the light is horizontally level. This is important because if it isn't perfect there is no way to adjust it once the housing is back together.

8. Once you're sure everything it tight and level, it's time to pop the projector back on the leveling screws. Make sure the solenoid wires are coming out the back of the bowl where the bulb goes in so you can wire it up later. Start screwing the leveling screws back in until the retainer thing up top is close (about mid-way through the threads) and snap the white plastic thing back in.

9. Now you need to level the lights vertically which might take a while but just be patient. Pop the projectors back in the car without putting back on the rest of the housing and turn the screws on the back to level them up and down as well as left and right.

10. Once you have everything level, you can pop the headlights back in the oven real quick to soften the sealant again or use a heat gun/hair dryer. Squeeze the housings back together with some pliers and put the metal retaining clips back on.

11. Next you will need to wire the solenoid to the voltage going to the high beams. (This is an optional step but it's not too difficult and it's a pretty awesome result) Take the red solenoid wire and splice it into the red wire going to the high beam bulb and do the same with the two black wires. Try flipping the high beams a few times and make sure the solenoid flips down as it should.

12. Now you can put everything back how it was and tighten up the bolts on the housings and the project is done! Take the car for a spin and make sure everything is adjusted right and if not you can use the leveling screws to make fine adjustments.

Good luck and I hope this helps someone looking for a cheap DIY xenon option with the eBay lights!

Post any questions you have for me!
 
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