irishboom2 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Is it 100% recommended to drill out the dust caps for cooling purposes. Looking for opinions here . Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fewxdavid Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Yes,unless you want dust and water getting into your headlights. Sent from my Note 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 are you asking if you should drill them out or leave them be? I think it depends on the model - some stick out too far to allow the OEM caps to be used, and others are really close. The Putco ones just have some braided metal (probably nickel plated copper) as heat sinks. If it fits, you can probably get away with leaving them closed. Depending on where you live, any sort of holes will result in a lot of dust in the headlight which is annoying to have to clean out. (had a small cap/ring come off of my wife's van headlight and it filled up with dust in a week or two - not related to LEDs, just the dust cap being open. I live in a pretty dry part of the country, though, so it's very dusty) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishboom2 Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Yes the cover fits no problem. Was just curious if I still had to drill it for the new led bulbs to not overheat. If it won't overheat I'll leave it alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 You should keep an eye on it - maybe feel the back of the cover to see if it's getting really hot when you have used them a lot. What is the wattage of the system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testa422 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Led drop in headlight kits have their own fans to keep them cool. Leds don't put off any heat when in use but the components are what need to be kept cool. If it fits behind the cap I say go for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fedaykin Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/forum/general-discussion/leds/64081-thoughts-on-h11-led-headlight-kit?p=1382874#post1382874 http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=42134804&postcount=5 You'd want to remove the heat as quickly as possible to keep those emitters alive. The links above highlights the OEM heatsink vs. emitter/components. Can your LED fan push air out of the housing fast enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 For the fan issue, there are aftermarket systems which are heatsink based (no moving parts) - the install specifically calls to tuck everything inside the headlight housing. That being said, I don't think I have seen many plug and play upgrades (LED or HID) which eliminate the crazy foreground lighting right in front of the car... makes it really bright right there, and even though they throw more light than a halogen bulb out in front of the car for a long way, you can't reap the benefit because it's so bright up close. The cheap LED upgrades seem focused on raw light output (there are some 6000 lumen bulbs out there now...) rather than quality, and trying to replicate a filament light better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishboom2 Posted May 15, 2016 Author Share Posted May 15, 2016 Well I ended up drilling hole saw holes in the dust caps and putting them back on. They are the opt7 fluxbeam leds and work great in my projector housings. The instructions clearly state to remove and discard them so I just drilled them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unsp0kn Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I left mine closed, don't seem to have any heat issues with them. I would think drilling holes in that cap would defeat its entire purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perscitus Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I ended up replacing the dust caps with some 76mm open ended covers. They create a seal around the edge of both the LED radiator and the housing hole for the OE dust cap while allowing the radiator and fan to sit outside of the headlight assembly like the hi-beams, fog sockets, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhiaAddict Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Where did you get the open ended covers? I believe I have the same LED as you. If not the back fan housings are very similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perscitus Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Where did you get the open ended covers? I believe I have the same LED as you. If not the back fan housings are very similar.I picked up a few different sets to test, because they are so cheap (typically $6-20/set). TRS carries a few, but the ones that worked best for our housing and dust cap size were these: 5http://m.ebay.com/itm/2x-Dust-Cover-For-Car-Motorcycle-LED-HID-HEADLIGHT-KIT-Bulbs-H1-H4-H7-H11-9005-6-/121650506739?nav=SEARCH Another that might work http://m.ebay.com/itm/One-Pair-Headlight-Dust-Cover-Cap-for-LED-HID-Xenon-Halogen-Bulbs-Kit-/182106998118?nav=SEARCH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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