Southern Africa 4×4 – Off-road Trips & Vehicle Mods

I recently installed a set of Hella Comet 550 driving lamps. The Toyota Hilux previously had IPF spotlights, so all the wiring was already in place. Install took about 2 hours.

Tools required:

• Star Screwdriver
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Pliers
• Electrical tape or heat shrink

Hella Comet 550 driving lamps Installation Instructions:

Hella Comet 550 driving lamps/spotlights wiring diagram:

They work extremely well hooked up to the bright headlights, illuminating the road at least 100 meters ahead. Some test and photos to follow…

All 4×4’s and offroad vehicles should have a differential or diff. A diff transfers the power from the drive-train to the vehicles wheels. As the differential gets hot with use, it needs to breathe or equalise the pressure build up with the outside air pressure. To achieve this a differential breather is uses. It consists of a one way valve that lets air out but prevents water, dust and anything else from entering the differential. However when a hot differential is cooled suddenly as when a 4×4 drives through water, the difference in temperature causes the air pressure in the diff to drop sharply. As the diff breather is a one-way valve, this causes whatever is surrounding the diff to be sucked in through the oil seals. With the case of a water crossing, water is sucked into the diff where it mixes with the oil and causes all sorts of problems.

Extend 4×4 Differential Breathers

To overcome this you would need to extend your breathers to a point where they can breathe pure air.

Step 1 – Parts Needed For 4×4 Differential Breather Extension

I bought these two fittings from a local store for R10 each. 1/8 inch thread to 6mm. This should fit most Toyota Hilux’s.

Toyota Hilux Diff Breather

To mount my Maglite just next to the gear levers I used some ordinary clips you can pick up at any hardware store. Drilled the holes and used normal interior vehicle screws to mount the Maglite mount clips the right distance apart. Maglite 2D cell clips right into its DIY Maglite holder/mount with absolutely no rattling around.