5th Gen 4Runner LED Low Beam Headlight Install

CougarMotors All-In-One Low Beam H11 LED Conversion Kit – Affordable Amazon LED Headlight Option

These CougarMotors LED Headlight All-In-One low beam H11 conversion kits are a fantastic option for your 5th Gen 4Runner.

These LED low beams offer an easy install process, don’t require any drilling of the dust caps, and have cooling fans that fit nicely in the headlight module behind the dust caps.

These low beams have a 6000k bright cool white output and shine much brighter than the stock bulbs. They are 60w a piece each with a 10,000 RPM cooling fan to ensure a long life. 

LED and HID both offer unique options and I decided to go with LED for a couple of reasons. First, one of the major reasons was that I didn’t want to drill the weather caps.

Affordable Option: 

• Low Beams (H11): Check Price
• Fog Lights (H16): Check Price 

Higher Quality Option (Xenon Depot):

• High Beam (9005)
• Low Beam (H11)
• Yellow Fog Light Bulb Front (H16/H11)

CougarMotors LED Headlight All-In-One low beam H11

These protect the headlight assemblies from moisture and dirt, which is extremely common where I live in New England, as well as off-roading. The second reason I chose the LED headlights was that they don’t require a large ballast to be mounted on the inside of my engine bay.

Finally, these headlights are plug-and-play and are compatible with the vehicle  I’ve heard horror stories of the ballast falling loosely into the motor and causing damage to a 4Runner.

Mounted properly, HID is a great option, however, for a quick install and significant difference, I thought LED was the way to go! If you are looking to go with the LED fog lights as well, check out the fog light install and the BajaDesigns Squadron-R Pros as well. 

Here are some of the other options:

• Xenon Depot Xtreme: $124.99 (5500k at 1750 lumens)
• Diode Dynamic SL1 LEDs: $150.00
• LightWerkz XTE-2: $70.00
• See more options here

Note: I recommend completing the installation on the passenger side in full before moving on to the driver side. The passenger side has more room to work and will help you understand more about the process of installation.

STEP #1: REMOVE DUST/WEATHER CAP

The low beams in the 5th Gen are protected by a gray weather/dust cap to ensure the headlight assembly is not exposed to dust or moisture/water. Use your hand to remove the OEM dust/weather cap on the passenger side.

Rotate the gray cap counterclockwise and pull it forward to expose the low-beam headlight. These OEM caps are somewhat tight from the factory, so it might take a little elbow grease to remove them. Once you’ve removed the OEM dust cap on the passenger side, I recommend placing it on a towel or rag on the inside of the passenger side floor or seat so you don’t lose it.

DRIVER-SIDE HEADLIGHT CAP

The removal on the driver’s side is a little bit more difficult due to the battery, which limits the amount of space you have to move your hand. The OEM cap is removed the same as the passenger side, by using your hand to twist counterclockwise and pull the dust cap off. Store it on a towel inside the vehicle for safekeeping.

STEP #2: REMOVE OEM LOW BEAM BULB

After the OEM dust/weather caps are removed, it will expose the OEM low beam bulb. To remove the OEM low beam bulb use your hand to turn the bulb, loosening it from it’s secure spot in the headlight, and pull the bulb out. Try not to bump the original bulb on anything to prevent scratching.

After the bulb is out, use your other hand to disconnect the power cable connected to the bulb. These are secured with a clip and are easily removable. After you remove the original bulbs, place them on a towel in the vehicle.

If your vehicle is still under warranty like mine, I recommend using gloves and saving the original bulbs just in case you need to have warranty work completed on another part of the headlight in the future.

After removing the OEM low beam bulbs and disconnecting the power cable, you are ready to install the new bulbs.

STEP #3: INSTALL NEW LED BULB

The new LED conversion kit assembly has your bulb with a cooling fan as well as a driver attached to it. On the end, you have the connector where the OEM headlight power cable will plug in.

The bulbs are not specific to the passenger or driver side of the car, so simply choose one bulb to start your installation. When installing the new LED bulb, carefully place the bulb inside the assembly. Line up the 3 notches with the assembly and ensure that the bottom of the LED (where the cable comes out) is in the same position as the original headlight bulbs.

After lining up the notches, press the bulb in and twist it toward the center of the vehicle to lock the bulb in place. Don’t worry about space for the drive yet, as we’ll cover that in the next step. Simply ensure that the bulbs are secured properly in the assembly. After securing the bulbs, connect the LED bulb connector to the vehicle’s headlight power cable.

Make sure you test each side after installing to ensure that the bulb illuminates brightly and there are no connectivity issues. This will prevent any additional backtracking and work if the bulbs don’t illuminate. If the bulb does not illuminate, check your connections to ensure the power cable is securely clipped into the new LED connector. Also, ensure that the driver is connected securely to the LED bulb.

STEP #4: CABLE MANAGEMENT

Cable management is important to ensure that everything fits behind the OEM dust caps properly. Zip tie the wires together neatly and tuck them down behind headlight. Try to ensure the wires are not directly against the LED bulb/fan or the headlight assembly to prevent any unexpected melting.

STEP #5: REPLACE OEM DUST CAPS

The final step in the installation is replacing the OEM dust/weather caps. Press the cap with the tab horizontally to the center of the vehicle then turn it clockwise to securely lock it in place. Enjoy a brightly lit world as you go explore with your new LED low-beam headlights!