So i have leaks in both my headlights. I bought an hid kit with bulbs from hid extra, thinking it was sealed, boy was i wrong. So my right headlight went out eventually. Then i noticed that when i turn them on sometimes the right one actually turns on. When i turn em off it then stays off. Over time i had more condensation so i figured the bulb was really out. Now today out of work, both of my lights are on! So i dont understand. At the gas station i turn the car back on, and the right went out. I tried again, and the left went out while the right stayed on. Then i try again, they both stay out. Then i do so again and they both turn on. I need some guidance on this.

 

You have Aftermarket Ballasts? If so then condensation should not be a problem to the ballasts or the bulbs. Your problem is electrical.


Condensation doesn't kill HID Bulbs, It kills the OEM Ballast.

 

Yea i have aftermarket ballast and bulbs from hidextra.com .and just as i thought... thing is i already changed all my negative battery cable grounds under the hood. Still havent done the positives. My terminals are clean n spotless. What do u recommend u check?

 

Well that's a blanket statement. Water + electrical = NO GO. You think water goes and only attacks OEM products?

Most aftermarket ballasts are poorly designed and they may be affected by the condensation. Try to stick with quality products like those from The Retrofit Source Inc. Your best bet is to replace them and see if that resolves the problem. Also get rid of that moisture in your headlights ya dodo!

 

If moisture ruined the ballast and/or bulb, wouldnt that mean that they wouldnt start up at all? and trust me, im sealing all that right away. especially since im retrofitting some tsx projectors

 

I have literally +15 ballasts in my garage and they all died from bad electrical components specially the capacitors. If you have opened a regular aftermarket ballast you will know they are completely sealed and they are virtually waterproof in and out, all the electrical components are sink into a 1 inch of sealing making reparations unlikely.

The OEM ballast isn't even water resistant from the opening inside the headlight housing thus the condensation inside the housing make its way into that opening frying the ballast. Aftermarket ballast don't die from that since it almost impossible for water to get into the electrical side In the ballast.

 

From your explanation is more likely that the ballast igniters are bad.. Check your voltages from the line in (fog light cables) then if they are correct the best way to diagnose a ballast is to connect it right into the battery! If they go out is the ballast that needs replacement. In +10 years I have seen only 2 bulbs dying in me (flickering) but 2 in the same kit? Nope....

 

its weird though as i said, the bulbs arent completely dead per say, they turn on whenever they please. dont really wanna buy a whole other hid kit if its something that can be fixed, like and electrical problem. its annoying to have that ratchet one eyed look. to my knowledge, if my bulbs still turn on then its a short somewhere or a false contact somewhere. something somewhere is crimped or something. Ballast are basically new and they still have power because the bulbs work, just not consistently. im really frustrated right now. -_-

 

swap the ballast and see if problem follows one
based on change of one side not working,, I would suspect the hid kit, BUT it may be in the turn signal/headlight switch on the steering column

on the kit, especially an older one (hidextra has changed ballast supplied with the kit a few times with improvements) its not all water tight!
the ballast is well sealed inside- (epoxy looking material encasing the parts inside),, BUT
the inline ballast to the igniter wire to bulb wire connectors can get wet if positioned in a certain way, so can the connector to ballast depending on mounting location/position

One ziner recently found space in the fender well when light housing is removed!
pretty slick- protected and the ballast connectors point UP so the waterproof shroud on them protects the actual electrical part

repeated turning on and off of the HID low beams is really hard on them- stop doing that!

was it your car with the converted fog light issue too?
do we have a basic electrical problem with grounds, or simple need for new pos cable to battery?

What about your headlight relays? swap them left and right- same color is same relay
Trying to think outside the box for you!!
Reading your post again I am leaning towards igniter- they will work sometimes and swap sides,, just like OE failure mode

How about this- remove the connector off back of bulb and inspect for corrosion damage
water in the housing can get moisture = RUST in connections easy!
bad connects = not proper operation due to voltage fluctuations
HID is very picky about resistance and voltage

with your projector project, do you install a new low beam kit with them?
My logic has always been- for hidextras price,, if it last a few years I got a good deal!
If side to side ballast swaps don't cure it, time for all new parts for 60 bucks.
newfb is the current 10% off code there at hidextra.com

 

if its been less than 12 months since purchase= all your parts are warranty

Have you tried CALLING the 800 number for hidextra? they are on the west cost
Get excellent tech advice from real users of their own products
That would be my next step. there may have been a batch of weak ballast or other part...would not be the first time it happened, as they sell a lot of these kits
Even a new replacement can fail
Think how many recall parts installed on other cars failed again~ like airbag parts and ignition switches...

 

THANKS! i gotta see when i have time to look into that. been getting swamped with work and bills and income tax -_-""" as for my car, no i have not done a fog light mod, at least not yet. and the hid ballast i have were mounted right behind the headlight assemblies. not sure if thats a retarded place for them. imma have to read over what u just said while looking at the car so i can follow along properly. As for the retrofit project with tsx projectors, will i need anything else besides my headlights, hid kit and projectors? im getting them done at a shop so i can take that hassle of not properly sealing them myself off my shoulders. Lastly, as for the battery cables, i already replaced all negative grounds. still need to do the positives. terminals are clean and were sealed with the chemical sealer. im beginning to think our cars have a shitty electrical problem. i still havent done any of my belt since i bought the car used so idk if any of the accessory belt or serpentine belt or w.e may play a role in faulty electrical things when the car is running. such as dash and footwell led shuttering, rarely but it still happens. My battery is charging well, reads 14.32 while on

 

this came to mind: the problem we have with bad soldering under the main relay box
That's worth looking at- as you have multiple voltage/power issues

 

thats right! i almost forgot about our shitty main relay! lol so that could be the solution to all my electrical short comings? if so, where exactly is it located so i can look at it asap.

 

it would be the box under hood, the one with all the relays in it~

ck our diy, might be a thread there on solder repair needed, iirc its under the board

 

the fuse box or elsewhere?

 

the relays are those approx. 1 inch square things- of various colors/ratings
a bunch of them in 1 box,,one for each low beam is in there, main fuel pump /FPR etc

how many plastic boxes for electrical stuff is under your hood?

 

wanted to make sure it was the relays inside the fusebox that u were talking about lol. and this will sound dumb, but i can never seem to take my relays out. any specific way on how to take them out without breaking them?

 

the square things are relays- pull straight up to remove
they are marked as to function

 

so today i went to dremel my bulbs to fit a projector i was gonna retrofit today when i notice my igniter was burnt and part of the bulb looks just as black. guess it was a miscontact. luckily i had a spare bulb and ignitor and voila! its work fine now, but still no retrofit