Hid issues

Lownslowlsc

Lownslowlsc

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To those who have converted to aftermarket hids, what are some of the problems you've encountered since switching over?

For me it has to be that the drivers side light will occasionally fail to ignite on startup while in auto or switching it manually. I'll sometimes have to turn them on/off multiple times for the d. side to turn on, seems to be more common in wet/cold conditions (Could just be when I notice it most). I forget the name of the kit but it wasn't THAT cheap, iirc it was 60-70ish 4 years ago. I had to extend the wires due to my ballast location and everything was soldered. I'm almost certain that I switched ballasts and had the same problem on that one side.

So, what kit do you use and did you encounter any issues rather it be one side not always firing up, check headlamp message, the need to use a relay kit ect ect.
 
Lownslowlsc said:
To those who have converted to aftermarket hids, what are some of the problems you've encountered since switching over?

For me it has to be that the drivers side light will sometimes fail to ignite on startup while in auto or switching it manually. I will sometimes have to turn them on/off multiple times for the d. side to turn on, seems to be more common in wet/cold conditions (Could just be when I notice it most). I forget the kit but it wasn't THAT cheap, iirc it was 60-70ish 4 years ago. I had to extent the wires due to my ballast location and everything was soldered. I'm almost certain that I switch ballasts and had the same problem on that one side.

So, what kit do you use and did you encounter any issues rather it be one side not always firing up, check headlamp message, use of a relay kit ect ect.
Click to expand...

Relay or no relay? I use the VVME HID kit (35w 4300k) with no relay and they have always worked fine. However I know alot of people recommend a relay to get equal power to both sides which I could see being a problem with yours if you dont have a relay. On a side note, my HID kit trips the "check headlamps" message on the message center..just never dove in the glovebox to snip the wire though.
 
do you have them wired to a relay? That eliminated my problems with having them ignite.
 
Lownslowlsc said:
To those who have converted to aftermarket hids, what are some of the problems you've encountered since switching over?
Click to expand...

relay in the 93, no problems.
no relays in the 96, no problems.

i've had maybe one failure to ignite in like 4 years now.
 
I do not use the relay kit and only get the check headlamp message when the drivers side fails to ignite upon startup. Mine isn't quite a problem as it is a slight inconvenience due to the fact that it doesn't happen all the time and will always turn on if played with a little. Would love to not worry about it though, if a relay kit or a new set of ballasts would fix the issue i'm willing to give it a shot.
 
I used DDMtuning for over 4 years with absolutely no issues. Fired 100% of the time, and never gave any headlight warnings.
 
I use Xentec, no relays, no issues, no messages, always fire
 
I used a 35w kit, no relay, and I cannot use auto lamp. Also if I sit for awhile listening to the radio and have a reading light on (sitting waiting for my daughter after school for 30-45 minutes) and start the car and turn on the headlights quickly, it kills everything related to the SCIL, and I have to pull the battery cable and reset it. I am sure my 6 year old battery is the main issue there.

I have the parts to do a relay kit and large resistors to stop the check headlamp message, but am in limbo now as the car got hit. I figure they will total it because they can't source the parts, then when I have the bumper and header panel off I will do the relay/resistor kit.
 
HID LED 95.jpgI got a kit from HIDGEEKS about 2-3 years ago. 8000K--75 watt, about $65, no relay wire snipped. Never had any problems.

HID LED 95.jpg
 
Thanks everyone for your replies.

Question, when hooking up the relay to the oem wires, do you connect the kit to both or just one (pair) of them? If I decide to go that route I'd like to avoid a CHL message if at all possible.
 
When I had a HID bulb fail to ignite on the first shot every time it ended up being what I would guess a 'weak bulb'. Got a new bulb and plugged it in and it was fine after that.

I figured it was the bulb after I moved the drivers side bulb to the passenger side and the other way around and the problem followed the bulb.
 
A 97 or 98 shouldn't have a need for a relay setup. They were designed from the factory to have HID's and should have a substantial enough electrical circuit to handle it, unlike the Gen 1's.

Here's one of the kits I've put together in the past. It's not immediately obvious in the picture, but you can see the OEM Ford plugs soldered onto the aftermarket HID harness that comes with the kit, towards the bottom of the picture.

HID kit.jpg

HID kit.jpg
 
I agree, a Gen II should be able to survive cranking, and it is likely my very old battery that causes one/both to not start or knocking out the SCIL. I am not sure I can say that turning on autolamp is what killed my OEM bulb, but it wasn't long after doing that, and the lights being on most of the time when cranking, did one of mine die. Obviously on an already 16 year old component it is hard to say that is what killed it.

I like auto lamp, but not all my cars have it, and I also go on the air force base in the evenings, so I have to dim my headlights, so I am getting more used to turning them on and off. Previously I would basically forget how to do that because I always used autolamp on all my other cars.

But will be doing a relay kit and resistors to deal with the CHL when/if I can tear into it after I figure out what is going to happen with the insurance.
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
A 97 or 98 shouldn't have a need for a relay setup. They were designed from the factory to have HID's and should have a substantial enough electrical circuit to handle it, unlike the Gen 1's.
Click to expand...

well, the Gen 1s were designed to support a 60 watt halogen bulb from the factory (vs the 35 watt HID ballast), except they kind of couldn't, and there are plenty of cases where the headlight switch would melt to the point of internal shorting and catch fire.
so grain of salt and all. the bean counters wanted everything as cheap as possible...
 
chris2523 said:
only one side. then the relay powers both sides.



you'll need to cut/unhook the CHL trigger wire when using a relay kit.
Click to expand...

Good to know.

Figures. I'll have to troubleshoot that side some more with the spare kit before I dive into that. Want to avoid it if I can.

98lincmk7lsc said:
A 97 or 98 shouldn't have a need for a relay setup. They were designed from the factory to have HID's and should have a substantial enough electrical circuit to handle it, unlike the Gen 1's.

Here's one of the kits I've put together in the past. It's not immediately obvious in the picture, but you can see the OEM Ford plugs soldered onto the aftermarket HID harness that comes with the kit, towards the bottom of the picture.

View attachment 828465902
Click to expand...


That's one thing I regret not doing the first time. Makes for a much cleaner install.
 
Bangster said:
I agree, a Gen II should be able to survive cranking, and it is likely my very old battery that causes one/both to not start or knocking out the SCIL.
Click to expand...

Considering the summer time temps here - I'm only good for 3-4 years at most on a battery. 90% of the time mine dies during the 100% warranty.
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
Is there anything preventing you from doing that now? Do you still have the OEM feeder plugs in front of the radiator?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I don't. Everything is already soldered up and I don't think there's enough wire left in front of the radiator to even incorporate them back into the mix. I cut them a weee to short the first time.
 
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