Has anyone tried LED headlight conversion in 940?

There's a bunch of offerings on ebay and the web for LED headlights
claiming to fit 940's. I'd feel more confident if I heard back from another Brickie.

Thanks, Bill

I've been using LED headlight bulbs for years. The intention was to counteract badly deteriorated reflector in the headlight case. Name brands like Osram and Philips do offer LED H4/9004 bulbs for off-road use. They're plug n play. They tried to mimic the single point of light like those halogen bulbs. Although these bulbs are not for normal road use (reasons that they may blind incoming cars) I aimed the beams to be slightly below normal height. Shines 2-3x brighter than halogen. Better visibility in rain too.

Amarin.

It may vary between countries how strictly the ECE regulations are adhered to.

In my country, if the light pattern is good enough to pass the annual test, you could use LED retrofit lights. However, despite being legal to be sold, non E-coded lamps are not allowed to be used on public roads, regardless if they pass the light pattern test.

In a country like the UK, a recent change in the MoT rules (the annual test) means that the tester must visually confirm the presence of the correct lights. Any other light than what the unit was designed for - in our case H4 - means a failure.

Germany is more strict, even the sale of non E-coded lights (and that includes ALL retrofit LED lights except the few that Osram has now homologated for use in Germany) is prohibited.

There is a debate going on in ECE world on homologating retrofit LED bulbs for replacement of incandescent bulbs. There's even a taskforce, but it may take a while before we will see legal LED retrofits over here in units designed for incandescents.

Hi __?__,

I see that there's various regulations for headlights in different countries.
Probably with the introduction of HID lighting everyone started to get blinded at night with mal-adjusted super bright headlights being the problem. Here in
the Boston,Mass, USA area I've been using LED conversions for 11 years with no problem with state inspections or with local law enforcement. My headlights are adjusted carefully to avoid blinding oncoming cars at night.

I'm underwhelmed with standard halogen 940 headlights, UGH!

It's too bad that government regulations here are driven by industrial lobbyists, and not for the benefit of the public.

Cheers, Bill

Hi Amarin,

Did you jumper the Bulb out sensor for the headlights?
Which package works the best for you?
Are there any packages that don't fit right?
What do you do with the extra wiring items?
Is there a metal baffle/reflector in the headlight assembly that surrounds the standard 9004/9005?

I removed the baffles in my old 850 and switched to E-code lenses and it worked
fine, and like you I was careful to keep the beams low. Very rarely would I
get flashed by oncoming cars, and no problem with Mass state inspection.

Thanks, Bill

Hi,

I use this:



To answer your questions:

Did you jumper the Bulb out sensor for the headlights?
--> No.


Which package works the best for you? Are there any packages that don't fit right?
--> Not sure what you meant by "package"? The Osram box I have only contains 2 LED bulbs. They have short wires with plug termination like halogen.


What do you do with the extra wiring items?
--> There's no extra wiring items provided in the box. Just 2 LED bulbs. These LEDs don't use ballast boxes with extra wiring like Xenon bulbs. Yes I've installed Xenon bulbs before but the extra wiring interferes with the back bulb cover of headlight assembly and I had to leave it open. Not a pretty sight. As a side note the Xenons are much brighter than any LEDs. Bright enough to catch attention of local authorities when your headlights shines above the rest.


Is there a metal baffle/reflector in the headlight assembly that surrounds the standard 9004/9005?
My headlight uses H4 bulbs. Yes there is a "metal cage" surrounding the bulb on the reflector side. Not accessible by hand unless you dismantle the headlight's front glass first. I just let it be.

Amarin

Hi Amarin,

How does that lamp mount into your e-code headlight housing.
Does the lamp dissemble to install the locking ring?

Thanks, Bill

The original halogen H4 bulb has 3 locator feet to position itself into the lamp housing. Then you install the locking ring to secure the bulb. While the LED bulb has the same 3 locator feet, its detachable from the bulb. You install the locator feet first into lamp housing (put on the locking ring next) then screw in the bulb later. Next you'll do minor adjustments (halogens can't) by twisting the LED bulb a few degrees clockwise or anticlockwise while looking at the beam pattern on your garage wall.

Amarin.

Hi Amarin

Is your headlight assembly like this H4 unit at ebay?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363004075591?fits=Model%3A940%7CMake%3AVolvo&hash=item5484ba9e47:g:URkAAOSwyw1ezCcy

Is the LED completely enclosed in the housing, making it a challenge to
fit some H4 LEDs with the bulky harness components?

I've run into trouble finding LEDs for HB1/9004 They claim to be plug and play
but only one beam works with two I've tried
The 881 Fog light LED conversion works OK, but the DOT reflector, plastic lens and adjusters are rubbish.

Options are slim for converting to Euro H4 lights here.

Bill

Hi Bill,

Q - Is your headlight assembly like this H4 unit at ebay?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/363004075591?fits=Model%3A940%7CMake%3AVolvo&hash=item5484ba9e47:g:URkAAOSwyw1ezCcy
A - Yes, exactly. These are high quality parts which closely imitates Volvo OE H4 headlights.


Q - Is the LED completely enclosed in the housing, making it a challenge to
fit some H4 LEDs with the bulky harness components?
A - That depends on the bulb. I choose Osram because the bulb's overall length was short enough so that I could close the back cover. Not everything was dandy in the beginning. When I started to use LED bulbs long time ago I bought bulbs with internal rear fan. This made the bulb longer so I had to leave the back cover off. Within the next two years advancement in LED technology has produced shorter bulb, thats when I bought the Osrams. It has no internal fan, only heatsinks (now I could close the back cover). With careful bulb selection you could make this work.


S - Options are slim for converting to Euro H4 lights here.
O - It depends on what you're trying to achieve. These choices may be expensive too. In my case I was first trying to balance out the deteriorating reflector in my old headlight. Then things start to turn more interesting. The LEDs not only improved night driving, they updated the car's looks into something more modern. I have installed LED brake lights too, as bright as modern cars. Long gone the days where drivers would honk me in the rear asking to move aside. The car now has more updated look with performance to match (I installed IPD's VX camshaft long long time ago).

Q-question, A-answers, S-statement, O-opinion.


Amarin.

Hi Amarin,

Now I tried shopping at ebay for an H4 LED, and the first thing that happens is the fitment charts says NO. Then again the fitment chart doesn't do a good job
for HB1/9003 here either. The LED vendors are crazy with some of their claims.
Here's an offering with LED's on 4 sides claiming revolutionary performance.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124819952279?hash=item1d0fd95297:g:IwMAAOSwKqVg9~f~

Would this fit in your car, assuming that you can find 178Amp fuses for each lamp
rated at 2500 watts. I'm guessing that you may may need to install a 500 amp alternator and 200 amp wires with a set of these lamps. :-) Your gas mileage might suffer a bit with the 5KW lights on.
Shopping for LED car lamps is an adventure for sure.

Bill

Hi Amarin,

The standard headlight in the USA 1993 940 is HB1/9004 45/65 watt
Are you in Myanmar? Your H4 connector looks different than the USA HB1.

I looked at Osram info today band I don't know if there is a plug and play package
for the HB4 socket?

Thanks, Bill

Hi,

I'm in Malaysia. The 940s here follows Euro specs so the car has E-code headlights thus using H4 bulbs for the main low/high beams and H3 bulbs for aux high beam/spotlight. I've searched the web for HB1/9004 offering from Osram, Philips, Narva, PIAA, Sylvania and Hella, but unfortunately none was found. So I have put simple guidance of what to look for ie.the best in LED bulbs.


Avoid these 1st-3rd generation broad-base LED bulbs. They might flicker even after 6 months of use. Rarely they last up to a year:




Choose these 4th-5th generation LEDs instead. The narrow-base LEDs usually uses Philips Lumileds type bulb with longer lasting lifetime. They mimic the halogen setup more closely:



Hopefully you might be able to find a similar bulb configuration in the US market (another option: install E-code headlights). Almost all LEDs are China made (couldn't avoid this, even those from Osram & Philips) so your best bet is to choose the latest generation type with longer lifetime. My Osram LEDs are almost 3 years now and still going strong. I ordered my Osram from a UK eBay seller to be shipped here half-way across the world. At that time our Malaysian online stores (Shopee, Lazada etc) were still setting up their shops.

Regards,
Amarin.

Hi Amarin,

Today I received the 881 LEDs for the fog lights, they are plug and play with no fans. The vendor is crazy with his specs of 6000 lumens output for each lamp.
Also the fog light lenses look terrible they are in need of rehab or replacement with glass lenses. UGH! I can't find info about the adjusters being useless too..

The cheap 6000 Lumen HB1/9004 set arrived today. The vendor said it would not fit the 940 and was right. I made it mount OK and it plugged into a compatible socket OK but the internal wiring of the LED seems to have a common Hot and a switched ground, so I can only get the high or low beam working. I had to reverse the red and white pins of the passenger side lamp socket to get two low beams active.

The adjuster screws don't do anything? Are E-code lenses plastic or glass?
Do you have separate high and low beams? and Fog lights? I'd like more details,
I put E-code lenses in my 850 and they were superior to DOT.

Are there any after market mods for 940 headlight assemblies better than the dodgy plastic and disfunctional headlight adjusters that I see?

Thanks, Bill

Hi again,

No. You don't need to bypass the bulb-out sensor. Leave them be.

You don't need to install extra set of wiring/relay for the LEDs. They are low wattage. Existing wiring is good enough. If light output not as you expected then replace with brighter LEDs or replace headlamp enclosure.

E-code lenses are glass.

You need to turn the adjusters more than a few times for the aim to take effect. If not, they might be broken inside. You may need to dismantle the headlamp enclosure to repair or get new headlamps (because no one sells only the adjuster part)

Unfortunately I'm not going to use email. Not fair to others. The forum is here for everybody to see, knowledge to share.

Amarin.

Dear Amarin,

Hope you're well and stay so! As to use of e-mail, I 100% agree. There's rarely any need for person-to-person communication.

A few years ago, a member wanted to get from me a failed speedometer, in order to "post-mortem" it. As I had to rely on US Mail for delivery, e-mail was then helpful.

Otherwise, I stand with you: trading views on this platform benefits all, who share our interests.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Hi Amarin,

I'm seeing this post three days late, and probably forgot to check "notify by mail".

Thanks for the kind detailed response. It seems that the latest LED offerings
for USA HB1/9004 LEDs for USA 1993 940's are limited online. I just ordered
a set of LEDs that claim 6000 lumens for each bulb 9004/HB1 The vendor has
a fitment chart that says it DOES NOT FIT the 1993 Volvo 940. But if it has has standard HB1/9004 socket , I'm good. It's easy to bypass the bulb out sensor that behaves like an in-line fuse if there's too much current. Maybe Jumper the headlight wires to the headlight circuit and forget the flimsy solder connections of the bulb out sensor that have a bad habit of failing with too much current.
I'll also change the fog lights to 6000 lumen LED bulbs and need a wiring diagram to change the fogs to daytime running lights without all of the usual additional running lights. I want a special circuit for just bright front daytime running lights run off the ignition switch. Extra current draw from all the filament lights is just extra load on the alternator and engine for daytime
use.

I can't find the the Volvo wiring diagram TP32208/1 that I need. It must be like atomic bomb secrets, nobody has it now except Google, that purged it from the web for commercial reasons.

Are your 940 E-code lenses glass or plastic?
I switched to E-code lenses in the 850 9005/9006, and they are superior to DOT.

Please put your email address in your Brickboard profile, or email me.

All the best, Bill

Dear B.B.,

Hope you're well and stay so.

I believe Amarin hangs his/her hat in Malaysia, so is especially well-versed in all things to do with air-conditioning.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Thanks Spook,

Hope you're well. He appreciates very much!

Stay safe, fight Covid!
Amarin.

It is very hard for LEDs to replace a tiny filament producing lots of light and that is positioned very carefully in a reflector system.
That's why big name brands do not offer that conversion.

Only just recently, Osram has homologated the use of LED retrofit bulbs in some particular car models, and for now also only in Germany. Outside of Germany (at least for the other countries using the ECE regulations) they're illegal.