Can someone verify my logic?? HID Ballast trouble-shooting
12-28-2013, 03:01 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Can someone verify my logic?? HID Ballast trouble-shooting
Hi,
For months, my passenger HID low beam has been getting ever more flaky. It will come on when you turn on the lights, but then goes off. If I turn the lights off and back on, it comes back on (usually) and then goes off again. Sometimes it goes off after 10-20 minutes, sometimes after a couple of minutes, sometimes after a few seconds. The duration has been growing ever shorter.
So, today, I swapped igniters left to right, right to left. Fired up the headlights and waited. After a few minutes, passenger light went out again. Since the problem didn't follow the igniter to the other side, I assume it is not the igniter. Next, I left the igniters where they were and swapped bulbs. Again, after a few minutes, passenger side went out again. At this point, passenger side now has the igniter and bulb that used to be on the driver's side and only the ballast remains unchanged.
Logic tells me that the only thing that is left is either intermittent wiring (unlikely, since it always comes on when first switched on) or the ballast. But, ballasts so expensive, and not returnable, that I am hesitant to buy one, even though "logically" I think I have narrowed it down to the ballast.
Am I missing anything obvious?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks, bruce
For months, my passenger HID low beam has been getting ever more flaky. It will come on when you turn on the lights, but then goes off. If I turn the lights off and back on, it comes back on (usually) and then goes off again. Sometimes it goes off after 10-20 minutes, sometimes after a couple of minutes, sometimes after a few seconds. The duration has been growing ever shorter.
So, today, I swapped igniters left to right, right to left. Fired up the headlights and waited. After a few minutes, passenger light went out again. Since the problem didn't follow the igniter to the other side, I assume it is not the igniter. Next, I left the igniters where they were and swapped bulbs. Again, after a few minutes, passenger side went out again. At this point, passenger side now has the igniter and bulb that used to be on the driver's side and only the ballast remains unchanged.
Logic tells me that the only thing that is left is either intermittent wiring (unlikely, since it always comes on when first switched on) or the ballast. But, ballasts so expensive, and not returnable, that I am hesitant to buy one, even though "logically" I think I have narrowed it down to the ballast.
Am I missing anything obvious?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks, bruce
12-29-2013, 04:53 AM
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Lost in the Garden State
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The OE ballasts are subject to water intrusion over the years, so they are likely to fail.
No need to spend big bux on the factory ballasts, however. I purchased a complete HID kit including new bulbs, igniters, and ballasts from HIDExtra.com for less than $100 USD. Make sure you ground the ballast case properly, and install a ferrite core ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_core ) on each of the igniter wires.
No need to spend big bux on the factory ballasts, however. I purchased a complete HID kit including new bulbs, igniters, and ballasts from HIDExtra.com for less than $100 USD. Make sure you ground the ballast case properly, and install a ferrite core ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_core ) on each of the igniter wires.
Last edited by Carbuff; 12-29-2013 at 05:05 AM.
08-22-2014, 03:12 PM
#3
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Tampa Bay FLORIDA
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CLEAN CONTACTS dont touch any bulbs with bare hands or they go out quick. Even if your hands are clean in hot weather the moisture oily residue on you fingers can make it seam like a wiring issue.
