Alright so PLEASE to all the OGs still around and anyone that can help please pitch in.

Alright so Im undergoing a projector retrofit on my 03 TL-S and am about 90% done. All left to do it final adjustment (horz and vert) while still allowing me to use oem pitch adjustment screw on the back of the housing. SO yesterday I mounting these babys up (the back of the housing with projectors, no lens) hook up my hideXtra canbus ballast with power supply relay to my lowbeams. And I hook up my hideXtra slims to my fogs (I just changed a cracked lens and blacked them out while I was at it).

I have had both Kits for about 3 months. And have work but I have had to send back like 3 ballasts already :/. such an inconvenience. But any ways, I reassmble the front end and WOW let there be light!!! I can never go back to stock housing after this. I drive to a parking lot down the street and I am adjusting the rotation and pitch so I can permanently mount the projectors into the housings. And I think I almost got it.

I take it around for a test drive and just cant beleive the amount of light. I notice my driver side cutoff is a bit to the left so I pull to my house when BAM the lights go out. First thought was DAMN KITS AGAIN! But it was too late to check it... was 12 am and 32 degrees...

But today I checked the fused first and yup it was blown. So put a new one in and turn on the lights and blows the fuse right away. Mind you my fogs wont turn on either yet the fog fuse is good.

So I disassemble the front end and test each ballast by hooking it up directly to my battery and EACH ballast powers on to full power. So hmmm NOT the ballasts. So I check the fuses in the 2 relays harnesses, NOPE those are not blow.

I have done fog light mod 2 using add-a-fuse to the accy fuse allowing me to use my fogs at any time. I used a diode in the circut and NO wiring is exposed. So I check the fuse and the fuse blew but no the fuse that its taped into...hmmm

So I take an ohm meter and figure out that it is the OE ballast harness. When I installed the relay harness I DID NOT cut off the oe harness I simply used T Taps and left the harness in place. And covered the wiring with shrink wrap. So I cut off the OE harness and the t tap and connect the bare wires to the 9006 adapter with proper insulation leading to the relay harness, install the left headlight fuse and VOLA it works. FOGS TOO!

(Note the relay harness has ONE input which is simply the on and off function, which I connect to the Driver side headlight power supply and TWO outputs,one to each ballast)

So once again I drive to get gas and on the way home my lights go out again! I check the the Driver Side fuse and yup its blown. Mind you that the Passanger side harness is not connected to anything, the relay is providing power, that is why that fuse is not blowing. But I remove the fog log mod and replace the oe fuse in the driver side door fuse box and add a new fuse to driver side headlight, turn on the lights and SNAP, Driver Light fuse blows right away.

AGHHH After 20 minutes of functioning WHY DOES IT GO OUT AGAIN!!!!!

I quickly changed the horn relay with light relay but did not seem to make a difference.

I have searched and searched and Read that my actual LIGHT SWITCH on the wheel my be bad..? I searched and searched on the harness around the driver side light for ANYYYY bad connection or exposed wiring and could NOT find any bad connections. I am going to go pick up new relays just in case for the 2 light relays in the fuse box. My alter and batt ground are upgraded 0 gauge.

I am running a 1400 watt system but I have a Kinetik Battery. I install stereo systems my particular system has never interfered with the lighting. It was actually sounding louder than normal today haha. It got late tonight so I am waiting until tomorrow ,but before I take apart the front end again do you guys have ANYYY IDEAS!?

If you do not have a clear understanding of the problem ask away and if need be I will post pics. But it worked for 20 minutes then why did it stop working?

HELP

 

oh yes all 4 ballasts are 35 Watts.

 

blowing fuses means its got a hot wire shorting to ground, or a loose ground wire

did you add the wire from a ballast to frame for extra grounding?
1 came in my kit but had to find screws to work

 

My kit grounds it self through the harness. But I will add a ground wire and see if that helps.

 

I would ONLY use the stock wiring to triggr a relay. Wire it up with relays dirrectly from the battery ( fuses of course) and use the stock wiring as the trigger for the relay. Do the same for the fog. Also double check ALL connections.

 

Or, the load (by design) is drawing more current than the circuit and/or protection is designed to carry.

If I were you I would NOT use taps for anything that draws very much current- they are NOT suitable.

 

Which could be a short or something that could result in a fire.

 

Thanks for the award-

What I'm stating, & I think you've missed, is that a short does NOT necessarily have to exist for a circuit's protection to trip, i. e., if something is added to it that exceeds the current capacity of that circuit.

 

First off THANK YOU TO ALL!

I've seen some relays have a ground wire coming from the male end that connects INTO the ballast. But I did try adding an EXTRA ground wire other than the ground wire in the OE power supply. And it didn't help. But mind you THE FUSE POPS even with the ballast DISCONNECTED!

Since I got ride of the OE ballasts I've been using Relays for both Lows and Fogs and both fuses on the relays have NEVER blown.

I very much agree. So going off what TotaledTL said I figured the same thing after this happened. So after posting this thread I went and got a new switch (the lever off the steering column). So I disassembled the front end and inspected the ballasts ONE more time and they were good. So I took apart my steering column and replaced the switch and TADA LET THERE BE LIGHT! No more popped FUSE! So I begin to reassemble the front end and steering column and RE-INSTALL my fog light mod (using a 5amp fuse and "add-a-fuse" and a diode to fog light ground switch, which has never given me an issue). Turn on my lights and POP! The LEFT side driver light fuse is blown AND the 5 amp fuse on the fog light mod.

So my thought was this DAMN fog light mod. I removed the fog light mod AND the mod allowing me to use the high and fogs at the same time and STILL blows the FUSE!

Yesterday, I went by my friend's shop and we tried plugging in different Control Units (there' one on each side behind the fuse boxes inside the car and trying a different steering column switch and STILL pops the fuse.

Today, actually right now after this post, I am taking my car in for over due 120k service and my mechanic is going to attempt to find this short or problem. Ill keep you all posted. THANK YOU!

 

I will do this for you once. Please use search please.
Such a common thread/problem.

There are two Phillip screws on the inside of the wheel well. Unscrew those first. Then there are two 10 mm bolts (one on each side) underneath the right side and left side of the bumper. They are used to hold the panels underneath the bumper in place. Then remove all the push pin tabs under neath the bumper.

Next open your hood and remove all the push tabs ( should be about 8-10 of em) holding the grill cover down. After you remove the cover remove the two push tabs holding the grill on to the body. Then youre ready to pull off the bumper. Start carefully on each side. Start by popping out each side by the wheel well. After that it should just begin to come off but pull slowly. Then you have to disconnect your fog lights to allow the bumper to come off. Then place the bumper aside.

Next there are 5 10mm bolts holding the housing in place. You'll see the two silver 10mm bolts directly on top of the housing when it bolts to the chassis. Remove those. Then under the turn signal area there will be one gold 10mm bolt. remove that. Then the last two gold 10mm bolt are located under the housing by the ballast. I recommend using an extension with socket to remove these. After the housing should be loose, disconnect the high beams turn signal and parking light and boom. Its out.

 

You forgot to quote me in your post....YEAH. And I HAVE searched. If you read my OP its NOT like other problems members have had with their Headlights.

 

I will do this for you twice. Please use search please.
Such a common thread/problem.

There are two Phillip screws on the inside of the wheel well. Unscrew those first. Then there are two 10 mm bolts (one on each side) underneath the right side and left side of the bumper. They are used to hold the panels underneath the bumper in place. Then remove all the push pin tabs under neath the bumper.

Next open your hood and remove all the push tabs ( should be about 8-10 of em) holding the grill cover down. After you remove the cover remove the two push tabs holding the grill on to the body. Then youre ready to pull off the bumper. Start carefully on each side. Start by popping out each side by the wheel well. After that it should just begin to come off but pull slowly. Then you have to disconnect your fog lights to allow the bumper to come off. Then place the bumper aside.

Next there are 5 10mm bolts holding the housing in place. You'll see the two silver 10mm bolts directly on top of the housing when it bolts to the chassis. Remove those. Then under the turn signal area there will be one gold 10mm bolt. remove that. Then the last two gold 10mm bolt are located under the housing by the ballast. I recommend using an extension with socket to remove these. After the housing should be loose, disconnect the high beams turn signal and parking light and boom. Its out.

 

Troll

 

ISSUE RESOLVED!!!
Agh! finally.

Went in for my over due 120K service and valve adjustment and had my mechanic isolate the short. At first he isolated it to the passanger side fuse box, so I replaced it and the problem persisted.

Took it back to him and located a freyed wire under the steering column. I would of NEVER found it....Jeeezz

Thank you to all.