I just got my HID kit in today and I'm trying to figure out the source of my problems with install. I managed to get everything loose etc. and I stuck in the bulb/ballast setup and turned the lights on to test them out. For some reason the headlights kept flickering instead of holding a steady beam. Has anyone else had this problem? I tried doing searches and I've seen people having the same issues with other various brand kits on different makes and models but I can't seem to find a definitive answer of what the problem is.

 

sounds to me like a common problem with the mustangs.....the easiest thing to do is run a standard buld across the input wires to the ballast. they do make a kit for this but simple fix is a standard 194 bulb under the hood and tape it up. I can get into more specifics if you want.

 

LOL do the specifics come in english, I'm not a big electrical person. Engine upgrades I understand- basic wiring and electrical work- outside of plug the black wire in the black spot and plug the red wire in the red spot, I know nothing.

 

ok let me see if I can explain easily why this happens: okay so your BCM basically is monitoring the lighting. it measures the resistance in the filament. when the filment goes (bad bulb ) the resistance is down to lets say zero. NOW. when the BCM recognizes this it basically shuts down that output in theory. just floow me on this one. anyway. when you drop a xenon ballast inline the BCM starts to freak out. it doesn't know what to do with the resistence it is seeing. soooooo the easiest thing to do is let the BCM "see" a standard resistence. hence why you wire a 194 bulb across the lines. gives the BCM something to read. make more sense??? and im sure one of the techs will give you the real in depth reason. I try to explain it so you will understand the fix for it.

 

I think I understand what you're saying. I'm a drug major, so in basic terms to me it sounds like giving cocaine to a kid with ADHD. Instead of calming you down, you start bouncing off the walls like Daffy Duck in a 1980's cartoon? The analogy sounds crazy I know- but I'm trying to understand it. I think a few other websites have talked about this issue on specific makes of cars (ie the Chrysler 300). They say this is an option to fix it.

http://www.stealthauto.com/Products/...__HID-CAP.aspx

Does this seem right?

 

do this. take a standard bulb. a 194 works the easiest. its only 5 watts usually too. anyway where you wired the factory lightbulb wires to the ballast, run the 194 bulb to the factory lines so it lights up when you turn the lights on. it doesn't matter which wire goes to the bulb. light works both ways. DON NOT USE AN LED 194. IT WON'T WORK. wire that into each side and then trun them on again. should be the fix you need.

 

30.00????? good lord. 194 bulbs are what?? 2 dollars each? I like my way better. it always works and does exactly what that does. except cheaper.

 

How exactly would this work? I had the HID kit with the connectors plugged directly into the space where the stock headlights were plugged into.

 

Or were you saying to do that to get them to light up and readjust the power settings so that when I plug the HID bulbs back in it will work? I'm kind of having issues following what you're saying (bear in mind right now I just finished a pharmacology exam on 5 or 6 different neurological disorders- my brain can't really process anything other than drugs right now).

 

03 i had the same problem on my car all you need are 2 40amp automotive relays from radioshack which cost 7bucks each and some extra wiring,but i would just listen to phd12volt since he is a electronic whiz and i dont really know electronics lol

 

Jason,
your tip with 194 for the flickering issue, will that also solve an issue of a fail to ignite headlight? Some times through the crank cycle (with headlights set to auto on/off) the headlight fails to light.

I retro fitted factory headlight assemblies/components to a 2000 S-type with reg. halogen lights. I used 2 40amp relays to give clean 12 volts from battery and the headlight wire to energize the relay. Again, this is not an aftermarket setup, but all factory components.

I was think about incorporating a time delay relay before the main relays to allow full 12 volts after the crank cycle has completed.

Your thoughts?

 

all the 194 bulb does, is fool the Body Control Module (BCM) to think there is a standard filament working in the vehicle. Relays and such DO NOT CURE the flickering issue, all it does is send direct battery current to the ballasts. Can you do me a favor and wire the 194 bulb in, to the FACTORY HEADLIGHT WIRES ONLY. And then try them out again???? all it is is a lightbulb!!!!

Sometimes the easiest solution, is made more difficult by the questions after it.

wire a small 5 watt bulb across the headlight factory wires to cure the problem. Simple, effective, and cheap. What more could you want in a solution?

 

in theory yes, you will have to do it between the relay coils marked 85 and 86 though. Delay the turn on for like 3 seconds, yet have it immediatly shut down. Dei used to have a pulse timer relay which did this internally.

just search for pulse timer relay from directed electronics

 

What he is suggesting is correct. Just splice into each wire before it goes into the connector.

Basically, the computer needs to see that work is being performed, the way that computers do that is by the resistance being used in the circuit. The computer doesn't know WHAT is creating the resistance, all it knows is that it sees it. The ballast creates a fluxuating resistance, therefore, it messes up the computers signal.

If you like analogies, think of it this way: You are a dad, your kid goes to school. You are the computer in the circuit and your kid is the load in the circuit. You can't just go down to his school and check to see if he is working, so you depend on the report card to prove to you that he is working. The report card is the resistance signal. Now, by wiring a bulb into the circuit, you are tricking the computer. SO, it would be like your kid having someone else do his work, all you know is that work is being done. There you go, that is your circuit!

Here's a picture for reference:

 

Hey Jason,
Thanks for the info. I do have that DEI pulsed timer, just been way cold here and well, been putting it off.

Hey rianbechtold,
Love the diagram!

thanks guys.

 

MEP,
Where did you get the headlights for your setup? I purchased my HID kit as a simple replacement for the stock bulbs, but I have plans to order the headlights for the projectors later. As far as the relay setup you did, I'm assuming this was done to avoid the flicker on STARTUP, not the issue of the actual flashing I'm getting? Why doesn't the time delay work if its already got it built in and you're wiring into the factory locations?

Rianbetchtold and phd12volt,
Pictures are worth a thousand words!!!! I get it now!! I suppose the only other question is, where should I leave the 5 watt to hang out at? I guess what I'm trying to ask is is there any way for me to do this and have this setup and still keep a clean look. Also- will this setup help to prevent the startup flicker or will I still have to look into the 40 amp + relay to fix that as well?

 

Yes, you can clean it up. What you can wire in instead is a resistor. However, this will have to be soldered in. That $30 box that someone posted a link to is simply that, a 20 cent resistor, instead of a bulb. If you have access to a soldering iron and know how to, you can simply solder the leads into each wire, just like the bulb, and then just seal it up.

As to the start up flicker. That is typically caused by the high voltage required by the lights to get the amperage to jump the filament gap. You see, hid's are essentially like your spark plugs and coil. The ballast is a step up transformer and changes low voltage/low amperage to extremely high voltage/extremely low amperage. The flicker that is noticed upon start-up is caused by the resistance inbetween the filament, much like how there is more resistance for a spark plug when the engine is off then when the engine is running.

SO, basically, the only way to reduce/eliminate the filcker at start-up is to: A. Install a relay so that when the lights are turned on, the transformer/ballast can pull all the power it needs from the battery. Or B. Get a more expensive and higher quality tansformer/ballast. That is the major problem with the ebay kits, they come with cheap ballasts that do not step-up the voltage fast enough to overcome the resistance encountered with initial turn on.

 

I bought the set from ebay. Guy I got 'em from works for Jaguar and they came from a 2007 S-Type. He said some lady hit something with the front of her car and when they were repairing it, she demanded new everything. So, the headlights were pretty much new with around 7k on 'em. The relay setup was to provide an unadulterated 12+ volts to the ballasts. Prior to the factory retro, I did have my fair share of kits which I did encounter flickering and all. Very frustrating to say the least. The delay (auto on/off from the switch) does work. The problem is that when in the crank cycle, the starter is commanding all the voltage from the battery and the ballasts need a lot of voltage to ignite the bulb. With that, only 1 light would ignite. I would then have to turn the lights off then back on to get them both working. That's were the DEI delay would come into play, delaying the headlights from coming on while the crank cycle is engaged.

 

I remember when I was researching to put in an aftermarket HID kit that a few ppl on this site had to put in a relay harness to stop the flickering. I got lucky and my kit didn't flicker without the harness.

Here's one of the many examples you can get off eBAY.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HID-F...spagenameZWDVW

Hopefully that solves ur problem.

 

all the relay does is up the voltage to direcr battery voltage. if the bcm is looking for resistance this may not work.