HID problem: pass. side flickers, turns off
03-04-2008, 09:45 PM
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HID problem: pass. side flickers, turns off posted this in the electronics forum, figured i'd try it out here also.
I installed a set of HID's a year and a half ago, and have had no problems up until now. Whenever it got cold in January, my passenger side headlight will randomly turn off. When it does this, I can temporarily fix it by turning the headlights off while the lights are still popped up, and then turning them on again. Sometimes this will fix the problem for the rest of the night, and sometimes it will happen again. The problem is intermittent, but has gotten worse. Tonight while driving home (2 miles from campus) it happened 3 times.
Any HID/Electronic experts know what my problem could be?
I installed a set of HID's a year and a half ago, and have had no problems up until now. Whenever it got cold in January, my passenger side headlight will randomly turn off. When it does this, I can temporarily fix it by turning the headlights off while the lights are still popped up, and then turning them on again. Sometimes this will fix the problem for the rest of the night, and sometimes it will happen again. The problem is intermittent, but has gotten worse. Tonight while driving home (2 miles from campus) it happened 3 times.
Any HID/Electronic experts know what my problem could be?
03-04-2008, 10:21 PM
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You need to wire a relay harness.
When you first turn on your HIDs, the ballasts require near double the power for the first 5 seconds or so, to ignite the igniter. In some cases, cars do exactly what you are explaining and can only power one headlight at startup. A relay will act as an on/off switch to power your HIDs and to also be a safety precaution for not overloading your HIDs.
When you first turn on your HIDs, the ballasts require near double the power for the first 5 seconds or so, to ignite the igniter. In some cases, cars do exactly what you are explaining and can only power one headlight at startup. A relay will act as an on/off switch to power your HIDs and to also be a safety precaution for not overloading your HIDs.
03-05-2008, 09:23 AM
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I guess i'll try switching the bulbs between the two sides to see if it is a bulb or not. It seems like a bad ballast though, because they start up and work fine, but then randomly that one side will turn off and all i have to do is turn the headlamps off then back on and they are fine. thanks for all the help so far though.
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03-05-2008, 12:51 PM
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I guess i'll try switching the bulbs between the two sides to see if it is a bulb or not. It seems like a bad ballast though, because they start up and work fine, but then randomly that one side will turn off and all i have to do is turn the headlamps off then back on and they are fine. thanks for all the help so far though.
03-05-2008, 12:59 PM
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yeah my buddies would come back on if you refired it but it had this slight buzzing sound and then it would kick it off again, try switching the bulbs and if thats not it brians right a relay should fix you right up
03-05-2008, 01:09 PM
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So it might not be a problem with the ballast at all? I wouldn't mind it being the bulbs because then i could change from 8k to 6k. I like the 6k look with a white car.
03-05-2008, 01:18 PM
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The problem you are describing is very typical, even with cars that come factory with HIDs. A simple relay powered directly to the battery solves the trick. The buzzing you are hearing is the ballasts warming up, this is fine. But first, you need to just switch the bulbs. Put the passenger on the driver side and driver side to passenger. If the problem persists, you either a) have a bad ballast (unlikely) or b) need a relay to act as an on/off switch (likely)
03-19-2008, 11:46 AM
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Well I narrowed the problem down this past week over spring break. I found that that if I have the lights on when the car is off, then turn ignition on, the bad light went out. I switched the bulbs to try to narrow it down even more. Whenever I did the check that I stated above, the DS light went out instead of the PS, so it must be the bulb. I guess now I have to decide if I want to stay with 8k or go to 6k or 10k.
03-19-2008, 12:47 PM
#14
Well I narrowed the problem down this past week over spring break. I found that that if I have the lights on when the car is off, then turn ignition on, the bad light went out. I switched the bulbs to try to narrow it down even more. Whenever I did the check that I stated above, the DS light went out instead of the PS, so it must be the bulb. I guess now I have to decide if I want to stay with 8k or go to 6k or 10k.
03-19-2008, 06:15 PM
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This is exactly why i purchased my 6K HID's from Brian..!
The problem you are describing is very typical, even with cars that come factory with HIDs. A simple relay powered directly to the battery solves the trick. The buzzing you are hearing is the ballasts warming up, this is fine. But first, you need to just switch the bulbs. Put the passenger on the driver side and driver side to passenger. If the problem persists, you either a) have a bad ballast (unlikely) or b) need a relay to act as an on/off switch (likely)
03-23-2008, 07:26 PM
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I think I will go with 6k, I bet it will look sharp with a white car.
03-23-2008, 10:25 PM
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No I didn't try the relay yet, I just checked to see if it was ballast or bulb initially because it wouldn't cost anything and was very easy. Now that I have narrowed it down to a bad bulb I don't see any reason to try a relay.
I think I will go with 6k, I bet it will look sharp with a white car.
I think I will go with 6k, I bet it will look sharp with a white car.
03-23-2008, 11:04 PM
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But I think my system already has a relay with it. It has a line that goes to the battery, is that the relay or just the main power wire? If it isn't then let me know how to do a relay so I can get the most out of these next bulbs!
04-08-2008, 04:07 PM
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Looking at the website that I bought them from, I noticed that there is a relay included in the set. So it must 100% be the bulb. Ordering new 6k bulbs today! should be badass with a white car.
