Low beam HID's not working properly

Knobz · Apr 23, 2012

So I'll try and give the short version of my problem I'm having with my headlights (2003 Denali with aftermarket headlights((LMC Truck)) low-beams are projectors w/HID's 55watt kit, High's are just standard w/HID's 55watt kit) and need help troubleshooting what is wrong.

PROBLEM: My HID low beams work intermittently, sometimes they work, sometimes neither work, sometimes only one side works. (Keep in mind I have HID's @ Highs & Fogs also and those work fine).

SOLUTIONS I HAVE TRIED:
I replaced the low beam relay in the fuse box. Seemed like that worked for a little bit and then the problem came back. So the next thing I've tried is changing the ballasts of the low-beams with ballasts that I know are good working (stole from fogs, that were working fine). Switching the ballasts did not fix the problem.

SOLUTIONS THAT I HAVEN'T TRIED YET, THAT ARE THE NEXT POSSIBLES:
-put just regular halogen bulbs back in and see what happens but I don't have the stock bulbs so I dont wanna have to buy new halogen bulbs just to do a test unless I have to
-running some sort of relay or power booster to the ballasts to give them more power at start-up cause that could be a possible problem? But about the relay and more power that doesn't make sense is they worked fine in the truck for like 1 1/2years and now are acting up.

I'm very confused and hoping I can get some ideas or opinions or suggestions to help me try to fix this problem.

ianb · Apr 23, 2012

The auto-headlight function can make HIDs trip out and not turn on when the vehicle starts. When the vehicle starts up it doesn't give the HIDs the constant power they need to turn on. The flicker can cause ballasts and bulbs to go bad. Relay is your best bet to fix the problem other than putting your parking brake on every time you start your car to disable auto headlights.

Gzes · Apr 23, 2012

So Lemmi get those straight you just have it hooked up to the normal headlights wires? You know that you need a relay to make the hids work properly since they take up more power and since they are 55wt then they take even more power. Why don't you just have 35wt hids? Do you blind the hell out of oncoming drivers?

ianb · Apr 23, 2012

Gzes said:
So Lemmi get those straight you just have it hooked up to the normal headlights wires? You know that you need a relay to make the hids work properly since they take up more power and since they are 55wt then they take even more power. Why don't you just have 35wt hids? Do you blind the hell out of oncoming drivers?

HIDs actually take less power than halogen bulbs...

Gzes · Apr 23, 2012

O really i have to say no they the ballast takes more power so you need a relay from the battery to the hid ballast.... Do u even have them lol?

chitown906 · Apr 23, 2012

I have 55watts HID's in my 99 and dont have a single issue with them.. Not even an issue with the DRL's .

Chi_Town

electro · Apr 24, 2012

Initially your HID ballast will use draw more current. Thats just when they fire for the first time. While they are running they use a small amount of current.

When you start your truck, the stock halogens draw x amount of current from the starting circuit (something like that) but its lower then the HID ballasts draw upon start up. So the halogens obviously work fine but when you wired the HIDs in you did not do anything to change the amount of current the starting circuit sends to your lows.

Most likely your HIDs are still fine they are just not getting enough juice when they start. When they start its like a camera flash, the capacitor needs lots of "juice" to charge then it releases the juice and bang the HID ignites. Thats why you get the initial flash when they turn on.

The starting circuit came programmed to provide enough current for the lighting system it was designed to run.

You altered the draw of that cct. By adding a time-delay relay in series with the head light wires you will delay the HIDs from firing for whatever amount of time the relay is good for. The delay will be long enough to allow the truck to start and the alternator to start running etc, providing lots of current for all accessories.

Or you can adjust the amount of current that is provided to that circuit. No idea how to do that, it would be fun to learn I'm sure. Would require expensive scan tool ilke programmer if it can be done.

Using your parking brake works.

You can also turn the truck on and then click your high beams on and then off right away. This will turn the lows off and on again. However now that the truck is running the HIDS will fire as normal because of all that extra JUICE! or current. amps baby. This is good enough for me right now, I will be adding a relay in a month or so when I find time for my truck.

On my 2002 Suburban, I also use the button that controls the cabin lights. Its beside the selector switch...ON my truck. Anyway, pressing that four times does a little magic actions for your head lights. Then press it again four times and see what happens. yay fun, i really liked that when I learned about it. I thought man what else do random buttons do when pressed multiple times. Not much. I pressed a lot of buttons a lot of times.

Or maybe its the Auto-head lights screwing things up as ianb said. I concluded most of the above on my own. (The stuff about the starting cct.)

So I don't know if any of this is accurate. Its close though.

He did say he has PROJECTORS...Thats better lighting then a lot of us with plug and plays.

Knobz · Apr 24, 2012

ianb said:
The auto-headlight function can make HIDs trip out and not turn on when the vehicle starts. When the vehicle starts up it doesn't give the HIDs the constant power they need to turn on. The flicker can cause ballasts and bulbs to go bad. Relay is your best bet to fix the problem other than putting your parking brake on every time you start your car to disable auto headlights.

Yea for sure. I figured I wasn't getting enough juice to them. So the next question is, how do I wire in a relay to give my ballasts more juice? What do I hook it up to on the ballast?

@ Ryan, about flicking the highs on and off to make the lows turn on and off doesn't work when you have the 4 hi mod done.

---------- Post added at 09:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------

ryan.m. said:
Initially your HID ballast will use draw more current. Thats just when they fire for the first time. While they are running they use a small amount of current.

When you start your truck, the stock halogens draw x amount of current from the starting circuit (something like that) but its lower then the HID ballasts draw upon start up. So the halogens obviously work fine but when you wired the HIDs in you did not do anything to change the amount of current the starting circuit sends to your lows.

Most likely your HIDs are still fine they are just not getting enough juice when they start. When they start its like a camera flash, the capacitor needs lots of "juice" to charge then it releases the juice and bang the HID ignites. Thats why you get the initial flash when they turn on.

The starting circuit came programmed to provide enough current for the lighting system it was designed to run.

You altered the draw of that cct. By adding a time-delay relay in series with the head light wires you will delay the HIDs from firing for whatever amount of time the relay is good for. The delay will be long enough to allow the truck to start and the alternator to start running etc, providing lots of current for all accessories.

Or you can adjust the amount of current that is provided to that circuit. No idea how to do that, it would be fun to learn I'm sure. Would require expensive scan tool ilke programmer if it can be done.

Using your parking brake works.

You can also turn the truck on and then click your high beams on and then off right away. This will turn the lows off and on again. However now that the truck is running the HIDS will fire as normal because of all that extra JUICE! or current. amps baby. This is good enough for me right now, I will be adding a relay in a month or so when I find time for my truck.

On my 2002 Suburban, I also use the button that controls the cabin lights. Its beside the selector switch...ON my truck. Anyway, pressing that four times does a little magic actions for your head lights. Then press it again four times and see what happens. yay fun, i really liked that when I learned about it. I thought man what else do random buttons do when pressed multiple times. Not much. I pressed a lot of buttons a lot of times.

Or maybe its the Auto-head lights screwing things up as ianb said. I concluded most of the above on my own. (The stuff about the starting cct.)

So I don't know if any of this is accurate. Its close though.

He did say he has PROJECTORS...Thats better lighting then a lot of us with plug and plays.

I totally am on the same page as you about the starting circuit of the HID's goes. It just confuses me that I've had the HID's in for over a year, zero problems and now they're acting up. Thats what I can't figure out. And I mentioned I have Projectors cause I didn't know if that would change things. My headlights, on the projector bulb socket it says " do not use High Intensity Discharge bulbs" but I am anyways haha I don't think it would matter though what kinda bulb is used in a projector.

DenaliAK · Apr 24, 2012

HID uses more power (amps) on initial startup; once powered and ignited, they use way less power than a halogen. So the answer is kind of both.

I agree, you probably need a relay to get the constant power needed to fire them up.

Knobz · Apr 24, 2012

Does someone know how I would wire in a relay to give my ballasts more juice? What do I hook it up to on the ballast?

Low beam HID's not working properly

Knobz

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ianb

TYF Newbie

Gzes

the drifting 2dr

ianb

TYF Newbie

Gzes

the drifting 2dr

chitown906

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electro

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Knobz

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DenaliAK

Colder than you

Knobz

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