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Head light current draw for 66 cj5

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by canuk, Mar 17, 2011.

  1. Mar 17, 2011
    canuk

    canuk Member

    Chandler AZ
    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
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    120
    Anybody know what the current (amps)draw should be for head lights for a 66 cj5?
    coleman
     
    canuk, Mar 17, 2011
    #1
  2. Mar 17, 2011
    callen11

    callen11 New Member

    Western Maine
    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2011
    Messages:
    9
    don't know... but if you test the resistance of the bulb and voltage coming from the battery, just divide the voltage reading by the resistance of the bulb. This will give you what your current should be mathematically and then you can compare to actual. Remember, resistance will be different between high beam and low beam.
     
    callen11, Mar 17, 2011
    #2
  3. Mar 17, 2011
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    Nov 22, 2003
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    8,126
    Depends on the lights you have but stock sealed beams are rated @ 55w @ 12volts. Thats closer to 66 watts @ 14.5 V charging voltage (although it's not a straight line relationship) so lets say 120 w@ 14.5 v = about 9 amps.

    H.
     
    Howard Eisenhauer, Mar 17, 2011
    #3
  4. Mar 17, 2011
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
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    Doesn't quite work that way- filament resistance is dependent on the filament temperature, hot resistance is way higher than cold resistance. IIRC for 60w 120v light bulbs it's something like a 20:1 ratio.

    H.
     
    Howard Eisenhauer, Mar 17, 2011
    #4
  5. Mar 17, 2011
    Eaallred

    Eaallred Member

    West Valley City, UT
    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2008
    Messages:
    188
    Wattage divided by voltage.
    55 watt headlights x 2 = 110.

    110 watts, divided by 12.5 volts = 8.8 amps for both headlights for example. At 14 volts, they're at 7.8 amps.
     
    Eaallred, Mar 17, 2011
    #5
  6. Mar 17, 2011
    canuk

    canuk Member

    Chandler AZ
    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
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    Thanks guys, that is what i thought but wanted to confirm.
    It looks my 14 ga wire will work based on the chart.

    [FONT=Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Times]
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    Last edited: Mar 17, 2011
    canuk, Mar 17, 2011
    #6
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