High Side Wiring or Low Side Wiring?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: CT/AL
High Side Wiring or Low Side Wiring? Hey Guys,
I'm having someone build me a custom wiring harness so I can convert install an HID Retrofit setup. They need to know if the headlight wiring is "high side" or "low side."
As I understand it, high side means that both wires ground, until the headlight is needed. Then one becomes hot, and the loop is complete. Low side means that both are hot normally, then when the headlight is switched on, one becomes ground to complete the circuit.
I could test this, except I'm hundreds of miles away from my car. Anyone know what our headlight wiring is? Thanks in advance!
http://store.yahoo.com/bcssales/grounlowsids.html
I'm having someone build me a custom wiring harness so I can convert install an HID Retrofit setup. They need to know if the headlight wiring is "high side" or "low side."
As I understand it, high side means that both wires ground, until the headlight is needed. Then one becomes hot, and the loop is complete. Low side means that both are hot normally, then when the headlight is switched on, one becomes ground to complete the circuit.
I could test this, except I'm hundreds of miles away from my car. Anyone know what our headlight wiring is? Thanks in advance!
http://store.yahoo.com/bcssales/grounlowsids.html
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,330
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
The headlights have no power until the switch is on then power is applied to the yellow wire (Firebird) or tan wire (Camaro) for low beam or the light green wire (both types) for high beam. However, these wires do not connect to ground when not in use - they terminate at the headlight switch (low beam) or the dimmer switch (high beam) without any completed circuit to anything. There is a black wire on each side that is wired directly to ground from the headlights.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
