LED 4x6 inch head lights H4656, H4651
 

You can now get LED replacements for 4x6 inch head lights for older vehicles. OEM part numbers are H4656, H4651, 4651, 4652.
Looks like these are commonly made using 15 CREE LEDs that consume 3 watts each.
The ones I bought use 1.1 amp on low beam and 2.8 amps on high beam.

To use them as any kind of low beam that will be aimed at on coming traffic the beam will need to be pointed at the ground, 10 to 15 feet in front of the vehicle and the top of the light partially blocked off.
I think I will just use these as the high beams.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1440484147
Its just like a big formless spot light.

I bought some 4x6 inch projector+H4 upgrade lights a few years ago but never used them because 3 years ago, the H4 LED selection was just too limited. Then I forgot about the project.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1440484147

By comparison some H4 halogen bulbs I have use 3.5 amps on low beam and 5.6 amps on high beam when powered up with just a fully charged 12 volt battery and not 14.4 volt normal battery charging voltage.

For me that would save over 5 amps on low beam (assuming the halogens draw more current with higher charging voltage).
Then save around 11 amps or more on high beam (old chevy trucks like mine use 2 head lights for low beam then all 4 head lights for high beam).
In both cases assuming the H4 LED replacement uses about 1 amp for low beam and 3 amps for high beam just as the LED 4x6 lamp used.

Also check out the wiki:
http://ecomodder.com/wiki/index.php/L.E.D_conversion

I'd definitely use them for high beams. As far as low beams are concerned, try them and have someone drive by to see if they are too bright at proper level. Then work them down and towards the passenger side until they aren't.

I need a link to where you found these. Been waiting for LEDs for my Monte for a while.

Looks like I could use these 15 LED head lights as low beam but they have to be partially blocked and pointed right at the ground, I don't even know if the head light aiming adjustment can point them that far down.

I got the 4x6 LEDs off ebay. I just searched "H4656 LED" and they came up. These ones were $99, shipped. They can be had a little cheaper but I paid a few more $ to get the "Cree" LED lights.
You can get a set of 4 for a little less than 50 a pair. I got the pair because I wasn't convinced they would make good low beams.

About 2 years ago I searched "H4656 projector" or something to that effect and got those projectors with standard halogen H4 bulb (because there were no H4565 LEDs to be had), I figured I would just get an H4 LED, but 2 years ago the H4 LED selection wasn't that good.

I will post up some pics of the head lights as is pointed at something, then I plan on putting the LED high beams in this weekend and then post some halogen low/high beam + LED high beam pics.
I am pretty sure I will have to butcher the lower light pocket a little for the 15 LED high beams and butcher the upper head light pocket a lot to make the H4 LED fit in there.

Ouch. For $60 I got 4 HID bulbs and ballasts. They are 35watts each.

but they're not LED. what is your energy consumption compared to these?

With HID I am pretty sure you use less amps than a traditional halogen, but it also doesn't make as much light as an LED.

If I can get the LEDs to behave as low beams the power draw is going to be about 14 watts per lamp.

The projector head light housings with H4 halogen bulbs were around $40 when I bought them 2 years ago, the LED H4 replacements I just picked up were $68. I didn't get the cheapest ones out there. I specifically founds ones that had a large metal heat sink and did not have a ballast resistor.

Why, because I would like to be able to do more EOC with the head lights on. It wont be long before I leave to go to work before sun up and don't leave work till after its already dark.
I have found LEDs are a good answer to solving vehicle power generation and lighting issues. When I originally switched to LED tail and running lights one of the main reasons was because the factory style 1157 bulbs are dim, other drivers couldn't see them when I was driving into the sun rise or sun set, then having to stop, slow down or turn I had herd screeching tires behind me several times. Then at night while sitting at a stop light with my foot on the brake the combination of head lights, tail/brake lights and running lights was depleting the battery. Switching to LEDs saved at least 8 amps while my foot was on the brake, with lights on. That was enough to keep the system charging voltage above 13 volts while sitting at a stop light at night.
Instead of switching to a larger alternator I installed LEDs.
Then after almost backing into my old ladys car one night I added additional LED to the reverse light housing. The traditional 1156 reverse lights were kind of dim, the white 1156 LED replacements were very directional so I added a G4 LED array to the inside of my tail light housing.
DIY: Super bright reverse light mod for any 73-91 style tail light - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

At 14.3v on 35w units my amp draw should be 2.44. If I'm calculating that correctly. 15LEDS at 3watts each is 45 watts. You would greatly refuse output to get to 15 watts per unit.

Don't get me wrong. I love LEDs and have replaced everything with them. But with HID you get 1 light source in a housing shaped for directional use. LEDs are tiny flood lights. 15 LEDs will just be a brighter flood light. It will look good but you might not be happy with the results as far as visibility goes.
But I've had older pickup trucks and the lights suck so it may be an upgrade. My power consumption may be a little more than yours but my output "where I want it" is 4 times yours. (4 is a made up number. It could be 2, it could be 6). If you could put those LEDs together behind a projector, you'd destroy my output.

I really do hope they work out for you and I want to see pictures. I may use these as fog/DRLs.

i actually responded to that thread when it was new. never did get around to putting it on the 93 but the 96 i completely rewired with led's.

The 15 LED cree lamps only turn on 6 of the 15 LEDs for low beam.
Then for high beam all 15 LEDs are turned on.
The 3 prong plug to these old H4656 bulbs has a ground, plus 2 power wires, one wire for low beam and one wire for high beam.

Why they turn on 6 and not 5 I do not know. They would make better low beams if only 1 row turned on. But I am using these 15 cell cree LED head lights as high beam only so it wont matter. Putting power on the high beam light makes all the LEDs come on.

I am pretty sure with old halogen bulbs, when you switch to high beam, it turns off power to low beam.
Then if you "flash your lights" some older vehicles are wired to apply power to both low and high at the same time if you already have your low beams on, since its only for a second or 2 it shouldn't burn them out too fast.
I have seen a mod where people combine the low and high beams for when the high beam is on, then they undo it when they start having replace head lights every few weeks.

A lot of cars come stock light that IF they are 4 bulbs. Hi/low bulbs will burn quick.

So could you have all 4 as low beam then all 4 as high beam with the LEDs?

On low beam the 9th gen suburban is wired so only the top head lights are on.
Then in high beam all 4 lights come on and go high beam.
If I could aim and terminate the LEDs like I wanted to I could run all 4 as low beam easy but with these 15 LEDs head lights I have pretty much ruled out using them as low beams. The only other problem with running all 4 low beams on is I might get pulled over for "using high beams in town", if they see all 4 lights on they are going to automatically assume "high beam".
I want to take these 15 LED lights put them in the high beam spot and level them at the horizon, aim the passenger side high beam a little off to the side so I can see deer, cows, horses on the side of the road and aim the drivers side almost strait ahead, favoring the left just a little.

Then I think I will put a post on dieselplace about them.

I pulled the halogen bulbs. Just as I suspected they are high beam only.
These LEDs units want to stick out about an 1/8 of an inch more than the original head light. Surprisingly the head light pocket needed no modification and when you tighten down the head light bracket everything goes right into place.
I did have to cut the low beam prong off, aka the redneck H4656 to H4651 conversion.

The factory halogen bulb draws 3.8 amps with just a 12 volt battery and with my little battery charger hooked up to my battery the halogen draws 4.1amps at 13.8 volts.
Which adds up to 57 watts on near charging voltage, could be right at 60 watts at 14.4 normal charging system voltage.
These should only be 50 watt head lights.
To be fair, note these are 35 watt LED versus what turned out to be nearly 60 watt halogens.

Not the huge savings I thought it was going to be, only 1.3 amp per high beam bulb.
That's 2.6 less amps to draw during EOC or with the alt disconnected.

Playing with the halogen high beam (H4651) they appear to throw a wider beam, but the LED high beams appear to be brighter over all.
The good H4651 high beam lamp is $22 at O'rielly auto parts.

I wont be able to road test it tonight, as soon as I touched the head bracket screws on the passenger's side the ancient plastic head light aimers just crumbled. As soon as I go over a bump the pass side high beam will go cross eyed.

Here is tonights test. On the drivers side we have a standard top H4546 Lo/Hi beam and lower LED high beam. On the passengers side we have OE style halogens top and bottom.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1440903893
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1440903893
I actually don't hate the way the LEDs look.

I think we have a winner...
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1440903893
Less amps, more light.
This test was only at 13 volts with my battery charger hooked up trying to power all the lights on high beam.
I could leave it like that and be happy, once the other LED is installed on the pass side.

Remember that picture of the LED light bar in the parking lot I posted that looked faked. I don't know if it was so much faked as the camera just freaked out when it picked up all that additional light. Just imagine 8 or 9 of these LED head lights on at the same time. That is what the 300 watt LED light bar puts off.

I got the H4 LED replacements in today.
Installed them per instructions and it is very apparent they would be useless as low beams, blinding other drivers and getting me ticked by the police.
This seems to be a reoccurring theme with these LEDs.
But I think with some work, adjusting how the H4 LED sits in the housing and some blocking tape they can make good head lights with reasonable street manors.

I powered them up and checked them with my fluke325 amp clamp. They show 16 watts on the low beam and 26 watts on high.

The OE style halogen H4656 low beam by comparison is 58 watts, or 4.5 amps at 13 volts, versus the LEDs 1.25 amps at 12.5 volts.
That is a 6.5 amp savings, kind of nice if you have an alt delete.

The problem with most of the less expensive LED headlights is that they don’t have any reflectors, thus the aim, cutoff, and optics of the light are limited to what can be achieved through only the output pattern of the individual LEDs, and as many have discovered that currently leaves much to be desired. There are better LED headlights out there that actually use fewer high powered leds with actual reflectors and optics, but be prepared to pay for them. Just as an example GE Nighthawk, Truck-Lite, JW Speaker, etc. LED replacement headlamps appear to have appropriate reflectors/optics to give a true low beam with an appropriate cutoff. (I have no experience with these bulbs, it just looks like it would actually work.) For those interested, there are a lot of good led headlight reviews and tests over on expedition portal, many of which have pictures of the beam patterns and show the cutoffs.

Looks like if I turn the whole light assembly up side down, back the H4 LED out about 3mm and tilt the LED its self back slightly I get a pretty cut off pattern.
LOL

I have been able to use these at night a little now and I have to say they don't have a spot lighting beam quite as good as old halogens but as a trade off they kind of just light up everything.
If there is any thing reflective on the road to include beady little eyes on or off to the road side I can see them quite well.
Now I can see road signs very clearly reflecting back at me from up to 2 miles away. I can tell what color they are and that's about it.

Now moving on to attempt LED low beams again.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1441726173

Here is the thermography to see how hot they get running high beam.
I am still adding an additional heat sink to the back.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1441726286

Looks like I am going to set the beam pattern for each one. The passenger side will be fairly easy. Back it out 3 to 4 mm, rotate the H4 about 45 degrees to the left that will put almost all of the glare off to the side of the road. Which is great, use that glare to light up beady little eyes belonging to animals that like to dart out into my way just as I get up really close to them and idiots that insist on walking on the road as opposed to the side walk and wear dark neutral colors at night.
Passenger side is practically done.

The drivers side is going to backed off, tilted and rotated. I have it worked out as to what the orientation needs to look like now just need to lock it in the housing.

More cow bell.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1441753197

is there enough room for those?

On the drivers side there is tons of room.
On the passengers side its probably not going to fit, but I will make them fit one way or another.

I got the drivers side beam issue sorted.
Backed the LED out about 4 to 5 mm, tilted the H4 base back about 15 degrees, rotated the H4 about 45 degrees to the left on my LED targeting range.

Took it out side pointed it at stuff, the beam looks great.
Most importantly put the light and battery on the hood of the suburban pointed the beam termination line at the horizon then stood in front of it, very good. Then crouched down to get at the level of one of those children driving in a lowered riced out civics, still good, defiantly tolerable.

The glare is nearly non existent. Less glare than OE halogen bulbs, and nothing compared to the crap I see people driving around with. Very pleasant to look at compared to most of the stuff on the road.

All I did to initially test and aim these luminaries was power them up with a battery, point them at my living room celling and adjust the position of the LED until I saw what I liked, then locked it into place with stainless steel wire and RTV and some little sheet metal screws plus hardware that came with the luminaries.
So if they burn out I am kind of screwed.
I may order a set of spares while I can still find them.

I am getting more light from one LED light assembly than I get from both 57 watt halogen bulbs.
Right now, if one of the OE style halogens burns out at night I am almost driving in the dark, I would only be able to see about 10 feet in front of my suburban.
So far the testing I have done with one LED headlight at a time shows me I would be able to see fine with only 1 low beam.

can these be used if you need a spare?
Super Bright 40W Car Light SUV Truck ATV 8 LED Headlight Work Fog Spot Head Lamp | eBay
or this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Bright...39f7e1&vxp=mtr
it's the same store and used the same picture for both lights so not sure to believe the accuracy of the output.

I would have to have the H4 LED assembly as a spare like in the picture of post 21.
Those ebay items look a lot like the LEDs I use for high beam only, they put off terrible glare.