2000 ford excursion v10 4wd (not that it really matters).

i did an hid conversion w/ projector housings about two months ago. everything worked fine except for a blown fuse on the passenger side right after they were put in. a couple of weeks ago, the opposite side quit working. i figured it was just the other fuse giving up, but no go. when i first flip the lights on, there is a quick flicker from that housing, but then it dies. it won't actually come on and warm up. i've checked all the wiring, etc. and it's fine. i'm thinking it's probably just something screwed up in the cheap chinese ballast, and it's not worth messing with any further. i assume the bulb is fine since it flickers, but maybe not.

so... anyone knowledgable in these things know something to check/try besides swapping the ballasts around? i don't know much of anything about hid's except the basics of their function. what voltage should i be seeing on the output of the ballast?

4/14/2009 6:48:36 PM

I have a similar problem on my accord ('08 v6). The passenger side will always turn right on but more often than not the driver side will not. It will eventually turn on after I turn them on and off a few times. Im thinking that the factory wiring harness has something to do with it. I have so far been too lazy to switch around the ballasts to see if that helps...

BBR, do you have your lights wired up directly to the battery or do you just use the factory harness like I do?

4/14/2009 7:08:15 PM

Sounds like a ballast problem.
First thing to do is swap sides and see if it does the same thing on the other side.

4/14/2009 7:28:17 PM

^what he said.

in reference to hid's, i will suggest for those who are wanting to pick up a set to check out ebay user retro-solutions. i've bought two sets from him and haven't had an issue yet. i have the 35w 4300K in the wife's car (3 years ago) and 55w 5000K (8 months ago)(only because 4300K isn't available in 55w)in my truck. he gives a lifetime warranty with his products as well.

[Edited on April 14, 2009 at 7:36 PM. Reason : -]

4/14/2009 7:36:08 PM

^^^they were plug and play into the factory harness.

^word, i'll check them out if i do need a replacement and can't get this one warrantied. these came dirt cheap in a package deal with the housings i wanted, so i'm not too concerned if they don't last long.

i'm planning to swap the ballasts tomorrow if i get a chance or put a new one in. i've got an extra set new in the box that i was going to use on another vehicle.

4/14/2009 8:03:04 PM

Quote :

"they were plug and play into the factory harness"

bullfuckingshit, though it probably woulda been smoother had we been less intoxicated

4/16/2009 8:08:15 PM

http://myspecv.com/f/t170478-the-hid-lighting-tutorial.html

I figured someone might read this thread and need info. Hope this helps someone somehow.

4/16/2009 11:13:55 PM

^ they could at least edit what they copy and paste out of biased advertisements and claim as their own knowledge

Some of the benefits of HID over halogen are...

* Up to three times less wattage is used (HID = 35w, halogen = 55-100w)
* Up to four times more bright light produced (HID = 2400-3200lu, halogen = 800-1700lu)
* Up to ten times more intense light produced (HID = 202,500cd, halogen = 21,000cd)
* Up to six times longer lifespan (HID = 2500hr, halogen = 400hr)
* HID light contains less infrared and ultraviolet light, which fatigues the driver and surrounding motorists
* HID light illuminates the road with better contrast and more lifelike tones of color
* Halogen filaments naturally produce a color of 2300K to 4000K (2300K is yellowish, 4000K is whitish) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters
* HID produces a natural color of 4100K to 6000K (4100K is daylight white, and 6000K is slightly bluish white) Anything bluer requires the use of light-dimming color filters
* HID lighting produces a wider and deeper beam pattern with razor sharp cut off lines and autolevelling motors*
* HID has low lumen maintenance, meaning bulbs do not dim down as much towards the end of their lives
* HID has high flux properties, meaning light is very evenly distributed when installed properly

*Only available in factory/OEM installed HID systems excluding Acura

4/16/2009 11:31:56 PM

haha gg I skimmed over it. Wasn't info I didn't already know.

4/16/2009 11:48:54 PM

republican propaganda, all of it

4/17/2009 4:47:16 PM

need better ballasts. The bulb wouldn't even flicker if there was something wrong with it.

4/17/2009 5:59:00 PM

^^^^^^yeah, wrong choice of words... what i meant was they're wired into the stock harness, not a standalone.

4/18/2009 1:36:31 AM

just swap the ballasts, they are easy to unplug and swap sides

and thank god they use standard plugs, so you can put higher quality ballasts in there

4/18/2009 1:41:48 AM

you must have touched the bulb or something.

ballast is fine cause its firing the xenon.


ebay bulbs are 80 bucks cheaper than parts stores.

4/18/2009 2:56:38 AM

besides everything else that is wrong with your statement, the bulbs do not have any finger oil on them, and i would know since i installed them myself 4 months ago

4/18/2009 3:09:30 AM

it was the ballast.

4/22/2009 11:44:43 PM

figures, need to mount them better

4/25/2009 8:10:39 PM