DarkSpeed

OK...you've noticed that after you installed HID headlights, either the driver or passenger side starts flickering then shuts off...and you've turned your headlights on and off many times and still the same problem Before you go nuts on why your HID's aren't working properly....READ THIS

Your problem is not a bad ballast, and you don't need a separate relay harness to draw power directly from the battery, and its not your fuse box either...

your problem is CORROSION IN THE CONNECTOR SOCKET that originally connected to the halogen bulb, the same one that now connects to the HID ballast...DON'T SPEND ANY MORE MONEY REPLACING YOUR BALLAST OR BUYING A SEPARATE HARNESS...HERE'S YOUR EASY FIX, ALL YOU NEED IS>>>

1) A Torx screwdriver
2) DeoxIT D5 spray (here's a pic) http://www.musicdirect.com/shared/im...ge/caig_d5.jpg

Simply unscrew your headlight casing with the torx screwdriver, and try to reach the stock headlight connector that now connects to your HID ballast (old connector now connected to HID ballast socket)...remove old connector from socket, spray inside the old connector using DeoxIT, and connect back to the HID socket...THATS IT!

Every shop I went to suggested my ballast was bad, or they had never heard of such a problem...JUST CLEAN THE CONNECTORS YOURSELF AND THATS IT, DONE AND EASY

04 commemorative

So far I have no flicker but what you say makes sense.....

Jacks02

Another reason to read CF! Thanks for your input!

SSTG

Would something like Circuit board contact cleaner work?

JropTop

Im glad that was the fix for yours! I also had the flickering issue in 3 of my vehicles with hids installed and I took the precaution of making my own relay harnesses,hooked directly to the battery,not only does it prolong the life of the bulbs and ballasts,but FIXED my flickering issue!Voltage surging issues is a common problem with hids installed,and as all of us C5 owners,we know that the electrical system in its self is a challenge to deal with when it comes to codes,bad grounds,corrosion,etc!

91LSMAN

Good to know. Just installed HID headlights.

DarkSpeed

Yes I believe that should work too, as long as its some sort of a "contact cleaner" it should work fine in cleaning up the grime

DarkSpeed

The relay harness essentially "bypasses" the stock socket and provides direct current to power the headlights, which is why I believe solves the flicker issue.

The funny thing is...a week before I installed my HID's, I'd notice my driver side headlight lit at only 25% brightness, which made me suspicious that it could not be a loose connection (otherwise the headlight would just turn off) but rather something limiting the flow of current to the headlight. This gave me the clue to look into the stock connector, and VOILA, problem found and solved!

SSTG

Thanks.

JuicedZ

Where can I buy this DeoxIT D5 spray?

jeremyttt

This was my project for today, had the flicker going for quite some time. Started first with the driver side light, then passenger side and then the darn lights wouldn't even turn on. After cleaning with some contact cleaner i had no luck with the lights staying on but i did notice quite a bit of smoke coming from my ballast. Disconnected the ballast and will pick up a new one on Monday

JuicedZ

Did you need to disconnect the battery before spraying the contacts?

Camjamsdad

Been there tried all that. What solved my problem was cleaning all the grounds. No more flicker. I've had one or the other fail to ignite but no more flicker.

JuicedZ

Is there data I can review that shows me where all the grounds are? Specifically one that would effect passenger headlight operation?

tlc0706

Here ya go:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...tion-long.html

csexton

I was getting a code for the left front wheel speed sensor and tried Deoxit on the electrical connectors. I have not had a left front wheel speed sensor code for over a year now. Deoxit is good stuff.

Chuck

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1...2&category=188

TheRadioFlyer

This is one fix. Some of the older Ballasts (or cheaper ones today) have poor quality internal circuitry. When an HID fires, the bulb is supposed to get 23Kv for about 30ms then that tapers off to 8Kv to stabilize the arc in the capsule. In poor quality circuitry, this tapering is not as smooth as it should be resulting in flickering as the arc attempts to maintain itself.

Part of this problem can be corrected by installing a Capacitor between the wires going into the ballast (as shown below)



Keep in mind this is a quick band-aid fix to a ballast that needs to be replaced.