Need help with HID lights
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 81
From: Bel Air MD
Need help with HID lights
I installed the HID projtor lights from JW Motoring about 2 years ago. The car is only driven about 1500 miles per year. The lights have had very little usage. One light will not light. However, the high beam in that lens will light. Do you think it is simply a burned out bulb? Or could it be something with the ballast? I suppose it could also be a loose connection somewhere, but I have not been able to check it out yet as I just noticed this today and I was attending the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix all day and for the next 2 days. Thanks.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,597
Likes: 1,353
From: Home of the VOLS ! Knoxville, TN. Tennessee
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15, '16-'17-'18-'19
Is the car running when you fire the low beams ?
the ballasts require quite a bit of load to fire, usually they will not fire unless the engine is running.
the ballasts require quite a bit of load to fire, usually they will not fire unless the engine is running.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,197
Likes: 190
From: ALL governments are legalized mobsters, so doesn't matter where I live :(
Try taking out the good bulb and placing it in socket that's not working properly and check the results. If the light comes on, and both high/low beam work then you need a new bulb. I doubt it's a connection issue or ballast, regardless inspect the bulb and filaments.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,093
Likes: 267
From: Oklahoma City
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'19,'22
First check the wiring to be sure nothing came loose.
Then I would swap ballasts. They tend to go before bulbs do. That will tell you if the bulb or ballast is out.
Then I would swap ballasts. They tend to go before bulbs do. That will tell you if the bulb or ballast is out.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 393
Likes: 0
same problem here.
no wires pinched or any loose connections. my car only gets driven a couple times a month. if I had to estimate it only has a total of 8 hours night driving on it since the HID install and my left light will not light up.
-I also have the JWMotoring kit.
no wires pinched or any loose connections. my car only gets driven a couple times a month. if I had to estimate it only has a total of 8 hours night driving on it since the HID install and my left light will not light up.
-I also have the JWMotoring kit.
Last edited by stol3n; Sep 5, 2011 at 12:16 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 81
From: Bel Air MD
Finally had a chance to look for the problem. The entire HID bulb came out of the socket and was dangling down behind the light. Good news is that it still lights. However, I can't see how to put it back into the socket and make it stay in. Is this bulb supposed to have some tabs like a normal bulb that fit into an opening and then gets twisted to lock it in? I can't see where there are any tabs or ears sticking out around the bulb that would lock in under the housing when twisted. Maybe they some how broke off and that is why the bulb came out, but it doesn't look like anything broke off of the bulb housing. Any ideas?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 81
From: Bel Air MD
I thought of that, but it is a real PITA to do that. You have to take off the headlight cover and then remove the bolts in the headlight bracket so that the assembly will tilt forward on order for you to access the rear where the bulb installs.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,162
Likes: 81
From: Bel Air MD
Talked with Johnathan. There should be tabs on the bulb socket that lock it in place just like a regular bulb. Apparently they broke off somehow. He is going to replace the bulb at no cost. That is the kind of vendor that you want to do business with! 
