zeppler

ok guys, ive been having this problem day 1 since i got the car. bigboomer has seen the problem and is as clueless as i am

when i first got it, the car had stock HID's. at times, the left bulb would not turn on. later i noticed the left bulb was burnt out, different color.

bought a pair of new HIDs. installed em on.
worked. then later on. again, same problem. left bulb would not work.

thinking it could be the bulb. i switched em, left to right, right to left.

still left would not work. but then after being turned off for a while, tried again, and now the right one wont turn on. turned off, turned it on, now both bulbs wont turn on.

and thats the case. most of the time, headlights turn on. but if i turn em off and turn em on right away. nothing at all

if i set off the car alarm, ligths are supposed to flash along with the horn. except it works like a disco light.

it goes in the random pattern of, L+R on, L on, R on, both off, L on then R on while L turns off.


anyone have any clue what this is?

i just think my car hates me at times

juanclopez2786

iTrader: (3)

that definately is a crazy problem your having... did you try checking ground connections? relays? the headlights work off of ground so it might just be a bad ground or frayed wire. start with the easy stuff so you can narrow it down..

zeppler

yea im gna pull bumper apart tomorrow morning to check everything. but before i think ima record what it looks like when i set off the alarm

H2on0da3

I've seen that problem as well. It sounds like the headlights are mimicking the sequence when the alarm is tripped. The alarm may not be installed properly. Someone botched the Compustar install on mine and it did the same thing. Numerous problems were associated with the shotty alarm install.

zeppler

its not just with the alarm
im talking in general
sometimes one or both headlights just wont turn on.

H2on0da3

Yup I understand. You probably start the car and go to turn the lo-beams on and nothing. Or you get the drivers side to light but not the pass, or you get the pass to light but not the drivers. Try hitting the hi-beams, then going back to the lo-beams. Or try turning the lo's off, flash the hi's, turn the lo's back on. Basically mess with you lights untill both lo's light up. I spent many a night in a parking lot trying to get them to light before I drove off. This was related to a butchered Compustar install that messed up the lighting electrical. It sounds like your dealing with the same problem.

zeppler

that is exactly the problem im having . hahaha
thanks for the heads up
ill try and get that checked out soon

H2on0da3

yea man hope you get it straightened out I know how annoying it is.

White__Phantom

So I am having the same problem did u get it fixed, it is starting to piss me off, I know it has something to do with the ballast, can someone help me fix this problem. Please

zollirum

i guess im joining the club, i mhaving the same problem. i have a new set of bulbs, should i just sset them aside for now?

White__Phantom

Can some one help please. Same Problem I turn on the fogs, they both turn on or they both don't turn on or the left one only turns on or the right one only turns on, why are they so intermittent? I know it is not good to play with the switch because it could burn out the ballast eventually but if I play with the switch they eventually both turn on. Please help, I only want both on period.

Dave408

iTrader: (1)

Im having this same issue!!! did anyone solve this problem??? i bought a new ballast for the let side that was giving me the issue but the problem got worse and now both sides wont turn on 90% of the time!!! please PM me if you have any advice PLEASE

tlmaster1

someone please find the fix for factory hid not working at times i have one that will turn on playing with the light switch but pass. side not working at all swapped bulbs same problem someone help please cant drive at night anymore. it sucks

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

It's probably the ballast. It's located under the headlight.

aussie983

Anyone have insight into this problem. I'm having the same issues. I thought it was the ballast too, since the same headlight would go out after a random amount of time. Now the other one goes out randomly too, and sometimes BOTH go out. Turning them on and off usually re-ignites them, but sometimes only for them to turn off again within less than a minute.

I am thinking its a ground issue? Any one got more information on where to check the grounds?

Dave408

iTrader: (1)

Hey bro did you ever get the problem fixed?
what was it?

aussie983

Well I figured it was either a ballast problem or ground problem. I recently bought a used ballast off ebay, and finally put it in(the one that was giving me the problems most often). Replacing it seemed to have worked, and now both sides have been staying on so far *knocks on wood*

Dave408

iTrader: (1)

i bought pair of new bulbs and 1 new ballast but no matter what way i switch them i have the same problem. sometimes both turn on, sometime one or the other or none at all. wtf

i need help!!!!

oracion03

It just happened to my 2002 TL-S. Exact same problem: L/R wouldn't come on. Sometimes L is on and R is off and vice versa. Hi beam and fog lights work just fine. Please help!

zollirum

more than likely its the ballast, its better to upgrade to aftermarket then by OEM ballast. I mean its cheaper to buy aftermarket set up.

dannyellis2003

Did you guys just replace the ballast? Or the igniter as well? I just did a full replace of all parts last night (took about 1.5 hours, half of which was getting the damn bumper off the 6 clips :S), and everything worked well. I went with all OEM parts (ballast, igniters, bulbs) and it cost me roughly 500 dollars on ebay shipped. You could go with aftermarket if you want to find a new place to mount the ballasts, as well as drill some holes in the back of your headlight bulb enclosure, but it is the cheaper way to go.

Sj Espo

Hey guys, I am having the same issue. Can we get a list together to see how many people here, having this issue, have aftermarket alarms to narrow down the issue.
Name - Car, Alarm, issue
SJ Espo - 2004 Acura TL 5AT, Viper, right headlight intermittent
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victus1

Hooking up the HID lights to flash on/off with the car alarm is the most retarded thing an auto maker can do. This was fine with halogen and regular bulbs. HID bulbs are not meant to be turned on/off repeatedly. The bulbs get damaged and so do the ballasts. I bypassed this pernicious "feature" by simply using a relay to only turn on the lights when the ignition is on.

JOSER408

I'm having the same problem it started about a week after instaling my switch backs at first they worked fine in till I noticed my driver side actin up when I turn the lights on it the corner light woud switch amber white for a sec and then it I'll be ok but the hid wont turn on and for some reason the other day was fine I though it was fix but sure enough it whent back to acting up bought a new set of bulbs and still doing the same

01tl4tl

swap relays with one of same color, to test that first

marshd3

I'm having the same problem with the, daytime running lights, (Canadian A). They work randamly or not at all. If I it flick the headlight switch from high beam to low beam I can get both to work. Anyone have a solution to this problem?

Azi 05 tl

Can someone please help me, I have same issue.
I hate my TL....I spent well over 5000 in less than 2 years on repairs

I changed both bulbs, paid 150 bucks to mechanic in order to install them. But still same issue.

Where is the relay? Maybe I can Check that and where is ground wire located?

3.2TLc

Hey Azi 05 tl, you picked an old thread on HID's. Some other fellow 'Ziners have had better
luck replacing the stock setup with newer aftermarket kit's available @ http://www.hidextra.com

ncr7402

OK guys if you have intermittent problem with head light or in my case the DRL stays on dash.until you turn the lights on.
Most likely you have a cold solder joint on the DRL module.
It is located to the right(passenger) side under the steering column.
The housing is secure with a single bolt. With a blue connector. No label on this box. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE HOUSING. After disconnecting the blue connector. Locate the 4 tabs that slide into the housing.
You can pry the board out (be careful not to break the 4 plastic tabs)
RE-solder the board.
Problem solved.
I used to have a 95 Maxima same issue same fix.

DEYEZ137

If one of your bulbs (hid) comes on every time, but the other is only on randomly, or wont turn back on once it is warm and has been shut off, then it is the ignitor..roughly the same price (maybe a bit cheaper) than a ballast, but don't waste your money replacing bulbs and ballasts...(if it was the bulb, it would never work)...the ignitors go out in these cars often, try that first n most likely problem solved.

MDJammin

I suspect that these ballasts/ignitors are getting wet somehow and grounding out and fouling.


My mother has a 2000 TL with OEM hid's and it keeps blowing fuses in the passenger side headlight.


Some potting materials to water proof the ballast and ignitor wires might solve the issue - Anyone ever try this?

Doubletapp

Ok so does anyone want to hear about my prob? Driver's side HID doesn't always come on. I haven't spent any time troubleshooting the problem but it works about 10% of the time. I tried jiggling the wires when it was on and off… no change. Any chance it's the ballast on that side?

3.2TLc

Hey Doubletapp, best thing to do would be swap a known good working bulb into the side that's giving ya problems. Check for any signs of moisture or corrosion. If the issue persists, then ya may have an ignitor/ballast or wiring problem on that side.

A good alternative to repairing the old HID setup is to consider replacing them with new aftermarket kits which are available for less than $100.

Jimmyfive

I don't have an Acura, and I realized this after wanting to post a reply.

I have had a few aftermarket HID kits in my ex Mazda 6, of course with all of the problems. One or the other not turning on.

So here's the deal. When I bought the first kit off of eBay, there was a little paper with some info about "if one doesn't turn on blah blah" they both worked fine for enough time, so I threw all of the garbage away.

Then one stopped coming on, or the other. I would usually be able to get them both to come on by switching the headlights on and off. At different intervals(on off quick. Or with a brief wait) until they started working.

What I do remember from a quick glance over the paper is that, it mentioned how to solve the problem. It sounded like it was connected to "auto on" headlights. There is a surge of power at startup of the vehicle. The best I can remember is, to go to the dealer and get an adapter, it seemed like a sort of "voltage smoother" basically an adapter or whatever else you can use, to keep the voltage at or below a certain level to avoid a light staying off after start up. My understanding is that the surge overloads the ballast and it shuts down as a safety measure to protect itself and the bulb.

That's about all I know about this subject, and am having issues with my newest vehicle, Chevy Avalanche, at this point.

So hopefully this new bit of info can help someone, because I know I am tired of this dumb problem..

If anyone needs me, I will be outside swapping bulbs and checking grounds as my damn left headlight won't come on now..

01tl4tl

that has nothing to do with our problem, no part you run to dealer for.
What you read in those papers really said `if they don't come on after installing, swap the 2 OUT- wires at ballast and it should be good to go

not- a year later swap the wires

on your ride- it may be the igniter or ballast or both issue if you keep losing bulbs!
Are you using good bulbs? of correct wattage for the ballast?
example 35 watt ballast 35 watt bulb, not-- I upgraded to 55 watt bulbs without ballast change, or the opposite- 55 watt ballast and 35 bulbs = kablam!

aussie983

Anyone with a resolution on this problem? I've had this exact problem for years. Tried swapping bulbs from one side to another, ballasts from one side to another. Purchased used working ballast. Still randomly turning of headlights, and its always one side or the other. I don't have DRL, so its not the DRL module. I want to say it could be fault grounds, but I am not sure where to look? I tried unscrewing visible grounds that attached to the body in the engine bay, sanding them down and screwing the back on, but to no avail.

Cory Alexander

How do I do this?

Chojun

Would like to know how to do this as well.