pacificharrison

iTrader: (1)

I washed my car today, and while I was washing my car i noticed my headlights fogging up. After I'm done, I try to turn on my headlights and NEITHER of them work.

I THINK what happened was that when I resealed my headlights after the projector lens retrofit... I didn't re-seal it properly resulting in moisture getting in the headlights.

What should I do here? Are my ballasts fried? I feel bad about posting so much but every moisture thread I could find, the lights were still functioning.

Early apologies if my searching skills are just horrible and I couldn't find it. & thank you in advance!

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

You could buy a new set of bulbs on HIDextra for around 35 bucks and see if that is the issue. If the bulbs don't fire up, then chances are the moisture destroyed the OEM ballasts. You can get a new HID kit for under 50 bucks so its not unreasonable to fix. Seal those headlight housings properly first though!

thewrangler99

^+1

whoknows

replace bulbs or use a multi meter to figure out the issue

pacificharrison

iTrader: (1)

I took everything apart... and i could hear the water swooshing around in my ballast.

My plan is to let everything air dry overnight, and cross my fingers. if that doesn't work, buy a kit from HID extra, and thoroughly reseal my headlights.

If that doesn't work, could it be a fuse problem?

combat mediC

iTrader: (1)

If you hear water in the ballasts, its most likely the ballasts

pacificharrison

iTrader: (1)

yes yes
but really i was asking JUST IN CASE. I'm expecting all hell to break loose and i want to be as prepared as possible.

jimgriggs

Please don't take this in the wrong way, I need my posts dontcha know. But Just in case what exactly. You hosed the car down, there is water sloshing in the ballast, and the lights don't work.
You have identified the symptom, the problem, and the cause. You can hope its a fuse, but you might as well place your order too.

pacificharrison

iTrader: (1)

what if the water blew a fuse.... however unlikely it is, it's still possible. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared for the worst. Plus the first thing my peers and parents told me was to check fuses but i have NO IDEA what fuses to check so this is why i was asking about the fuses.

+1 for good logic.. -2 for forward thinking.

jimgriggs

I am not aware of any fuses in that area. Doesn't mean there isn't one I guess. I will say that after having just changed the Drivers side low beam, I did not see one at all.
I am not so sure it is a matter of forward thinking. Forward thinking is of value when designing the car, after it has been designed and built there is systematic logic when it comes to troubleshooting. Everything else is wishful thinking. At any rate, You asked what it could be, you identified the problem and the cause, if you want to hold on to hope that there is a blown fuse then go ahead. I will say that IF there is a fuse that is blown, it is more than likely a symptom of the problem, and not the cause of the problem. The cause is fried Ballast, which may or may not have blown a fuse on the way out, but either way it is toast-soggy toast at that.

xtremex626

iTrader: (1)

its likely, in fact.. thats what happened to my driver side headlight one time when it rained like crazy. headlight started to fog up and collected water into my ballast.. i turned my headlights on.. they lit up.. then they went off and stayed off. checked the fuse.. yes indeed it was blown. im pretty sure thats the reason why your lights dont work anymore. the fuse and the ballast.

fuse pops to prevent further damage to the electrical system. you can replace the fuse with a new one after you dried up your ballast (i opened mine up just to see if the electronics inside were fried and it wasn't so i resealed it back up with permatex sealant). popped it back in and wala.. it worked!

Boardy

I have a moisture problem with one of my headlights, not water sloshing but there was visible condensation. I pulled the bulb and noticed condensation between the bulb and igniter socket. I went and bought a bulb from Autozone for $100 (ripoff). I put the new bulb in and it lit up. The color was completely off and I figured I'd return the expensive bulb and get 2 that match for much cheaper online. I put the old bulb back in and it fired right up. It just needed to dry out.

xtremex, did you just put the permatex around the o-ring gasket?

Does anybody know of any other seals or weak spots in the headlight unit are likely to fail and allow moisture penetration?

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

I forgot to tell you to check all your fuses in the underhood fuse box. The left and right headlight have a separate fuse. The diagram is on the lid of the fuse box. Hopefully it is just a fuse issue.

sammy95

Just so you guys know DO NOT check the high voltage side of the ballast with a meter.
1. I don't think your meter is rated that high.
2. If you do do this, have an ambulance at your side.
Hid's as you know run at over 15,00 volts (like spark plug voltages).

You can check power and ground at the connector coming from the car and into the ballast but NOT the other wires that go into the igniter then into the bulb.

So
1. Check for burnt fuses, if they're related to the lights, replace the fuse then disconnect the connector at each ballast, for power and ground. If there is power and ground. Reseal then connect everything and try it.

2. If your fuse is good, and you have power to the ballast and the lights don't turn on. You have a ballast issue. Or igniter or bulbs.