Big Mark Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I've now had this happen 4-5 times over the last 2 months where one of the HID headlights doesn't work, but if I turn them off and back on again it will work again. Mostly been the nearside but offside has done it to. Is this a sign of the ballasts being on the way out? I did swap the HIS bulbs a couple of months back, is it worth me swapping these back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdavies Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Its a voltage thing i would say, possible battery related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heckler Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Sounds like the ballast to me... the aftermarket one are never as good as OEM one (yes, I know, the supra was never fitted with them). I ended up putting all my aftermarket HID setup in the bin and went back to bulbs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Standard bulbs don't compare to the performance of HIDs though. Pretty important if your car is a daily, especially at this time of year. I suspect there's a very good reason why Ring charge of £300 for some of their kits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 My battery is only months old so hoping it's not that. I love how bright the HID's are. I really have no desire to go back to normal bulbs. I might put the old HID bulbs back on it for now and if that fails get new ballasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2 MSW Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Seems a fairly common thing this. My old set did it, and the ones I have now have done the same from brand new. Ive just accepted have to turn them on twice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdavies Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Seems a fairly common thing this. My old set did it, and the ones I have now have done the same from brand new. Ive just accepted have to turn them on twice This is exactly what I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 My passenger side one totally died yesterday, wouldn't come on at all, yet was working perfectly the day before and again this morning. But I replaced the ballasts this morning with new ones so hopefully problem gone for good now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 My passenger side one totally died yesterday, wouldn't come on at all, yet was working perfectly the day before and again this morning. But I replaced the ballasts this morning with new ones so hopefully problem gone for good now. Old wiring and connectors can cause problems with HID lights, the ballasts need a certain voltage to fire up the bulbs, if the voltage is low it can cause the bulbs to flicker or not light at all. I had the same problem with mine so got the ballasts wired directly to the battery via a relay, if you do a search on eBay or Amazon for 'HID relay harness' you'll find plug and play harnesses available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaz2010 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Mine does this a few times each time I use the car, I have to turn off then turn back on. Starting to get on my nerves the past few months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonR24 Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I did exactly the same. Haven't looked back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I did exactly the same. Haven't looked back What exactly did you do, replace ballasts or wire directly to battery via relay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonR24 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 What exactly did you do, replace ballasts or wire directly to battery via relay? Lucky for me it was a plug and play kit so I just took them out and plugged the bulbs right in. Looks like there's been some chopping though am going to have to take a look and make sure I can wire the side lights etc back in. Definitely something to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binfieldx Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 100% the ballasts issue, had the exact same problem with mine. replace ballasts and have been fine ever since Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 To test if the ballast is working connect it directly to the battery with the engine running. If it is working but you still have problems when it's connected to the wiring loom then a relay harness should cure the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 To test if the ballast is working connect it directly to the battery with the engine running. If it is working but you still have problems when it's connected to the wiring loom then a relay harness should cure the problem. That wouldn't of worked as mine works fine sometime and not at other times for no reason at all. Now that I've replaced them I'll see how they are and if I still have problems I'll get the relay harness kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 No idea why, but changing the ballasts have shifted the colour output of my lights. So now have a blue tinge and are less bright. Why is nothing ever simple............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitbox Junkie Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 The wiring is probably very old and not allowing enough current/voltage, when it happens take readings with a Multi-meter of the voltage and the current (remember to put this in the circuit correctly though ) and then do the same when its working as you think they should. To me this is what i would do as working then not then working sounds like a intermittent fault and could only be the wiring, the ballasts, or the HIDs them self. Its worth a try if you have a Multi-meter as its free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rider Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I find if you leave turning the lights on for a few second after starting the car I don't have the failure to ignite problem whereas, it can occur if the lights are switched on right after starting. So, I'm assuming it takes the Ballast a second or two to hit charge after a big hit on the battery starting. Just try delaying the switch on after car ignition to see if that helps. Edited December 22, 2015 by rider (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mark Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I find if you leave turning the lights on for a few second after starting the car I don't have the failure to ignite problem whereas, it can occur if the lights are switched on right after starting. So, I'm assuming it takes the Ballast a second or two to hit charge after a big hit on the battery starting. Just try delaying the switch on after car ignition to see if that helps. Nope. The old ballast totally died, wouldn't come at all for a whole day. Every time I stopped in stationary traffic I was turning the lights off and on to see if it would work but didn't. Hence why I changed the ballasts at the weekend. Edited December 22, 2015 by Big Mark (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) HID's need 12 volts to function, which dictates that turning on the lights before starting the engine results with the voltage drop at start-up damaging the older and larger magnetic ballast. The later smaller electronic ballast may stand up to more of this abuse. Edited December 22, 2015 by David P (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inazone Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Mark I had the same issues. My old ballasts lasted about 3 years. I believe the earlier ballasts put out a DC current. The modern one's which are a lot slimmer put out an AC current, which is better for the bulbs, as even wear takes place at each end of the bulbs which also helps in starting the arc. I paid about 13 quid for a replacement slim ballast. Since changing to the AC ballasts I have noticed that I don't get any flickering in the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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