Started my D2S retrofit!

Hey guys got a surprise this morning from the wife, she knew I'd been eyeing the kit from the retrofit source. Little did I know it was on order a couple weeks ago.

Ended up with the Morimoto 3Five 35w kit, 4300k, Apollo shrouds! She was pretty sneaky about it that's for sure, I had no idea. Oh and she also got me Anzo headlights with black bezel I attached a picture.

***UPDATE***

I completed the retrofit awhile back and figured I'd share some photos along with some problems and solutions I encountered. I used several how to's from tacomaworld for removal of the headlights/grill and they were very helpful. I also used a how to from TRS for the actual retrofit itself. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/pdf/trs_tech/Morimoto_Mini_D2S_Retrofit.pdf

I received new headlights so first thing was to pop them in the oven at 265F for 7 minutes and voila, literally 60 seconds of fiddling with it and it came apart. I was originally skeptical of this method and have never done anything like this before but it was very easy. Don't be afraid to try it.

Next I tested the movement in my cutoff shields using alligator clips and a 12v battery. Turned out one shield was working properly and the other was sticking. So I called TRS and they told me how to fix it.
Sometimes in the manufacturing process small burrs develop on parts and in this case would need to be removed.
Start by removing the 4 screws on your projector

Next you will be left with this, remove the screws on either side.

Now take a quick look at this to see how it operates. You'll need to take the small piece of metal bar that looks like a "V" off so you'll be left with the piece that slides on the solenoid's plunger. The places that make contact with the plunger will need to be smoothed. I was able to feel the burr with my finger.


You can add graphite lubricant if you want, I didn't and it works great now. Just reasemble in reverse order, you do remember how it came apart don't you??Lol

Alright here's one more problem I ran into while doing this retrofit. The headlight adjustment did not work, turns out that the plastic tabs inside the headlight housings are garbage. No matter which way or how many times I turned the adjustment screws the headlight would not move. I ended up bringing my housing to the local hardware store and matched a small nut to the adjustment bolt. I picked up a matching bolt for the nut and put that bolt through the plastic tab and then installed the nut to keep it true. Then I epoxied the nut to the plastic tab. If that makes any sense, a picture is worth a thousand words


The wiring in the truck is very straight forward, everything is plug and play. The only thing I did was cut off the crappy connectors they supplied and soldered/shrink wrapped better ones on. You'll see in one of the pictures the location I used for the ground right by the battery.



I ran the wiring harness underneath the rad housing and attached it with zip ties as seen in the picture

Here's a picture of how the rear dust boot sits with the ballast wire attached

And finally a picture of the cutoff, not perfect but looks pretty good.


Hope this can help someone and questions are welcome.

 

congrats.........Been awhile and I never did the minis, but.............

1. Never had/used it on FXR
2. are u running the grounds to the negative on the battery? If not, try it and see if it makes a difference...Or make sure ur ground (if elsewhere) is clean and free of any paint.

3. With the FXR a cut cuts were needed to modify.

Sorry if this isnt helping, Im sure someone will pop in shortly with better answers tho.

please please tell me u used window weld (or what TRS sent), then sealed the outside VERY WELL with GE silicone II.

thats the best sealing combo I have ever used personally, and never had any leaks on multiple setups.

 

I am running the other alligator clip to the negative post on the battery when testing the high beam shield. It only happens sometimes, but I'm reluctant to seal them up in case of more problems down the road.

I have the resealing glue that TRS sent! Will be sealing them up good I'd like to fit that grommet well because I've read that not doing it correctly will fog up your lens too.

 

I never had cutoff shield issues.....hopefullly asianants will see this and help ya.

If not, just give trs a call......they are extrememly helpful over the phone and its faster than email. I think andrew is on here too.

Good luck sir, and thank u for doing the right thing with ur HIDs

 

Give TRS a call before you seal them up regarding your solenoid issue. A few of us have had issues with them not cycling. I ended up needing a new solenoid altogether and have to tear my lights apart to replace it. They might have a preventative measure you could take to make sure they don't seize on you.

 

I don't even have the rubber bulb covers on, no fogging at all. No this is on a PreRunner with no deep crossing and light Offroad use.

 

They will fog without the rubber bulb cover. Wait until you drive in the rain or wash the truck and you'll end up with a puddle in the bottom of your headlights.

 

Yeah, it's only been two years, I've seen some rain and washes along the way with ZERO water/moisture.

 

Whoa, you're one lucky bastard!

 

The only time I've ever seen any was BEFORE I put in the minis, with 100% factory lighting.

 

There's an app for that

 

There IS an app for calling TRS, it's called pick up the phone and dial

 

I've never called another man before and asked him baking intructions.....It was Nate or Matt I think..he didn't miss a beat when I needed help with lighting and put him on the spot and said 'lights are in oven, please talk fast".

Those guys are awesome to have around

 

Lol, ok thanks guys I will give TRS a call. So I guess the only option for that large rubber grommet on the back is to trim it with a razor blade, hopefully I'll have steady hands...

 

Iirc I flipped em inside out and used the kitchen shear thingies to trim a lil at a time.......don't tell the wifey

Don't forget if u butcher 1, trs has more boots....I forgot where on the site, but if callin them then u wont need to find the page

 

I called TRS and talked to andrew, he knew exactly what I was talking about. There is a piece that attaches to the plunger from the shield with a small notch in it and there was a small burr that was causing it to stick. Working the shield with my hand I could feel it was getting caught on something while in the high position. I took the projector apart and the burr couldn't be seen but I could feel it with my fingernail. I used a small needle file and made it smooth. Works flawlessly now!

I would recommend anyone getting projectors to cycle the shield with their hand slowly and make sure it is smooth throughout the range of motion. Mine maybe only happened 1 out of 20 times I cycled it with the battery, so you COULD have a problem and not even know it.

As for the grommet on the ballast andrew said that it is for when you need to route the wire through another opening to get to the headlight housing. It is not needed in our case for 2nd gen trucks.

I will post a flurry of pictures once this is all complete, showing what I did. Hopefully by the end of today or tomorrow.

 

Dude don't rush the install, make sure to aim it before you seal it or its gonna look like this:


Learned it the hard way.

 

So would you recommend installing them on the truck prior to sealing them? Both of the projectors seem to be in the same spot with the aligning tab that TRS provides. The top tab is right in the middle with a 1/16 on both sides, I held the projector while tightening with channel locks.

 

Yeah before sealing it up, test it to see if its straight. If you can't move the projector around, you'd have to ground the small tooth inside the metal ring hold it in.

 

Ok, so I took the reflectors out of the housings and did the following:

1. Clamp reflector to level table
2. Leveled reflector on table
3. Adjusted beam until it was level on the wall and taped it
4. Repeated for other reflector

So I'm working with all level surfaces and now the projectors are in the exact same spot in each of the reflectors. (they were a little off to begin with, only slightly though)

Now the only thing I haven't taken into consideration is if the housings themselves sit level in the truck. I should be pretty close now though right?