Need Help with HIDs!!
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 374
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From: Ontario
Need Help with HIDs!!
Hey guys,
Santa was great to me this christmas bringing me RECON projector headlights with RTX HID heads and fogs. Installed them myself and let me tell you what a PITA!! lol between all the wiring and trying to find a place to mount the freakin ballasts its not fun...I am very happy with the headlights not the HIDs however they are WAY to finiky....
Anyways i had a bunch of minor issues, most seemed to work themselves out, except one...When i turn ignition on or start the truck, the headlights intermitantly flash...sometimes one, sometimes both. Once they flash for about 10 seconds or so they will stop, however only 1 side headlight will be on (not one particular side they switch back and forth). In order to get both on I have to screw around with headlight switch from park lights to brights to highbeams back and forth...finally they come on.
I just want it so anyone is able to fire up the truck and have both lights come on no dickin around...
HID guru's what do you think?!?!
Thanks
Santa was great to me this christmas bringing me RECON projector headlights with RTX HID heads and fogs. Installed them myself and let me tell you what a PITA!! lol between all the wiring and trying to find a place to mount the freakin ballasts its not fun...I am very happy with the headlights not the HIDs however they are WAY to finiky....
Anyways i had a bunch of minor issues, most seemed to work themselves out, except one...When i turn ignition on or start the truck, the headlights intermitantly flash...sometimes one, sometimes both. Once they flash for about 10 seconds or so they will stop, however only 1 side headlight will be on (not one particular side they switch back and forth). In order to get both on I have to screw around with headlight switch from park lights to brights to highbeams back and forth...finally they come on.
I just want it so anyone is able to fire up the truck and have both lights come on no dickin around...
HID guru's what do you think?!?!
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 620
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From: Canyon Country
sounds like a bad ballast to me...or bad ground if you have a hi/lo hid kit with the wiring harness and controller.
I had a set that would light up for a few seconds then one would go out, but once I turned them off and back on they were fine...a new hid set up and I don't have any problems now.
I had a set that would light up for a few seconds then one would go out, but once I turned them off and back on they were fine...a new hid set up and I don't have any problems now.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sounds like excessive voltage drop is stopping the ignitors from working properly. +1 for bad ground if it's common to both. If you want to be sure, use the existing wiring to trigger a relay that gets power directly from the battery. Good luck, HID kit quality is hit and miss.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Ontario
Thanks for the replys, if i know understand what you're talking about i dont believe i have a high low kit, just the main bulb is HID the highbeams are regular. I did not have to install any kind of aftermarket ground, just tap into the factory wiring...
I do agree it seems like low voltage but i dont see how that could be, maybe a bad ballast who knows?
I do agree it seems like low voltage but i dont see how that could be, maybe a bad ballast who knows?
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,112
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From: South Shore, MA
Sounds like excessive voltage drop is stopping the ignitors from working properly. +1 for bad ground if it's common to both. If you want to be sure, use the existing wiring to trigger a relay that gets power directly from the battery. Good luck, HID kit quality is hit and miss.
As far as the "hit and miss" - I totally agree. some are great, most are not.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 620
Likes: 0
From: Canyon Country
could be voltage drop, try letting the truck run for a min before you turn on the headlights and see if that helps. since you have a diesel the glow plugs draw a lot of power while starting and for 30 secs to a min after you have started the truck. I think that was part of the problem I had on my old set of HID's. the ballasts you have might just be picky on how much power they need to ignite the bulbs. I have watched on a volt meter while starting my truck the voltage will drop to 11-11.3v for the first 30sec to a min then jump up to 13.8v after the glow plugs were done...just a thought
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Ontario
could be voltage drop, try letting the truck run for a min before you turn on the headlights and see if that helps. since you have a diesel the glow plugs draw a lot of power while starting and for 30 secs to a min after you have started the truck. I think that was part of the problem I had on my old set of HID's. the ballasts you have might just be picky on how much power they need to ignite the bulbs. I have watched on a volt meter while starting my truck the voltage will drop to 11-11.3v for the first 30sec to a min then jump up to 13.8v after the glow plugs were done...just a thought
Now that i think about it the HID grounds/ black wire connectors didn't seem to fit very tight in one of the connectors so i guess that could be the problem??
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Elder User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 620
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From: Canyon Country
connector could be the issue, I snipped my connectors off and soldered all my connections...I run my power from the battery, just took the low beam wire from one head light and ran that to a relay which is wired straight to the battery then to each ballast. I grounded straight to the frame where the ballast is mounted (about 6" wire) made my own wire harness out of 12g wire and soldered everything.
No problems after I did that with a new VVME HID kit, fog lights are done the same way...
No problems after I did that with a new VVME HID kit, fog lights are done the same way...
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 176
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From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The inrush current is so high on these that even a very small resistance is enough to drop the voltage and result in a no-start. Initially it's an inductive load like an uncompensated motor (sorry I apologize for getting technical). Do that enough times and the ignitor is toast. Regular light bulbs live with this every day and don't have a problem, as they can live with what they get. You'll only notice if the connection gets really bad and the steady state current is reduced as a result. Somewhere on the site a vendor sells headlight harnesses with relays to improve lighting, this would almost be a given for HID's on an older truck, unless you do as others have and solder all connections, maybe even increase the wire gauge. One of the issues with retrofitting new ideas on older stuff.
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