HID Headlight Conversion Kit
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Bellevue Wa
HID Headlight Conversion Kit
I just bought a HID headlight converstion kit. It includes new ballasts and bulbs.
When I originally installed them only one light worked, the passenger side. The vendor was great and sent overnight replacement ballasts. With the new ballasts still only one light worked. the passenger side again. I switched the ballast and lights, they both work, but only on the passenger side.
When I re-installed the factory bulbs they work fine, on both sides. I don't think it's the ballasts or bulbs because they both work on the passenge side, just not on the driver's side. Is it my car? if so, why would the original bulbs work just fine on both sides?
I'm stumped, any ideas? I'm hoping my fellow Forum members are smarter than I am.
When I originally installed them only one light worked, the passenger side. The vendor was great and sent overnight replacement ballasts. With the new ballasts still only one light worked. the passenger side again. I switched the ballast and lights, they both work, but only on the passenger side.
When I re-installed the factory bulbs they work fine, on both sides. I don't think it's the ballasts or bulbs because they both work on the passenge side, just not on the driver's side. Is it my car? if so, why would the original bulbs work just fine on both sides?
I'm stumped, any ideas? I'm hoping my fellow Forum members are smarter than I am.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 10,924
Likes: 78
From: Forney Texas
I am wondering if you changed everything to the other side including the harness. If not, you could have a pin pushed back in the clip or something. You could have opened the female pin up by accident. What you need is a test light or even better a good Volt / Ohm meter. You need to measure the voltage across the wires going to the ballast as close to the ballast as you can on the problem side. I expect you'll find that you're missing voltage somewhere. If you are, chase the wires back and find where your open circuit is. Keep your probe on the positive wire and use the chassis ground. If your voltage appears, then you have an open ground circuit. Make sure you probe both wires because if you have an open ground circuit to your ballast and you're using chassis or any alternate ground, you will not discover your problem. Most problems such as intermittent opening and closing and bulb start failures will be cured if you use a relay to power them. I would recommend using a fuse link at the alternator to get the highest voltage to the ballasts.
Former Vendor
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,479
Likes: 416
From: Devil's Island CA
Well as mentioned try changing the wires. We have some HID's on our Z06 and didn't have any issues, but I have a couple friends with Mustangs that only 1 light will come on when the car is off, to get both to come on they need to start the car, you might try that.
99TorchRed..How do you like your HID's?
99TorchRed..How do you like your HID's?
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,747
Likes: 224
From: Hillsboro Oregon
I have been telling everyone that posts about HIDs to use a dedicated battery based relay wiring harness......resolved all my issues. You can buy such a harness on the bay for $20-30 shipped
Every quality aftermarket lighting system comes with such a wiring harness.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1942184
Every quality aftermarket lighting system comes with such a wiring harness.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1942184
Former Vendor
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,479
Likes: 416
From: Devil's Island CA
I have been telling everyone that posts about HIDs to use a dedicated battery based relay wiring harness......resolved all my issues. You can buy such a harness on the bay for $20-30 shipped
Every quality aftermarket lighting system comes with such a wiring harness.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1942184
Every quality aftermarket lighting system comes with such a wiring harness.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1942184
Ive installed 4 total so far and havent had any of the issues you had but i'll kep this in mind.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
From: Huntington NY
Had the exact same problem when I did mine. Make sure you have both of them plugged into the wiring harness the same way. I only had one working and it turned out the one that didn't work was backwards. Also, you probably need to upgrade the headlight fuse and the one to the right of it to 20A from 10A (in the underhood fuse panel.)
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Many of the kits have been wired with ground and +'ve reversed...
Just turn the connector around to test it.... It wn't lock, but if it works you can take the time to disassemble the connector and reassemble correctly.
Just turn the connector around to test it.... It wn't lock, but if it works you can take the time to disassemble the connector and reassemble correctly.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Bellevue Wa
They work !!!
You guys are great. I mistakenly did what rsw.1 did, I put the connectors together so they would click together, bad idea, the wires ended up being crossed. Dumb mistake.
Thanks again
Art
Thanks again
Art
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,383
Likes: 6
From: hagerstown md
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Glad you got it worked out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,747
Likes: 224
From: Hillsboro Oregon
I've done a few of these kits from different vendors and only one set of the ballasts had the male socket on the ballast marked + and - which has led to many folks having failures during install.
