Rx330 OEM conversion for Full OEM HID's Write-up

[MiniStiGuy]

Sounds like you'll have a fun project for the holidays.

 

1. If you have a H7 Kit currently save some money and just buy the D2S adapters so that you can use the ballast you already have. You have to get D2S bulbs though still and I recommend the Phillips 85122+ bulbs.

 

2. High temp is what you are looking for and as far as color goes it is 100% up to you what you like/want to go with.

 

3. Nissan makes a very nice (if not the best) adhesive that you can buy but if this is the first time your lights apart then the stock adhesive will be good enough for resealing them. To reseal them I recommend putting them in the oven for about 5 minutes to warm up the adhesive then put them together and put them back in for another 8 minutes (both at 280degrees just like when you take them apart.) After you get them out if you have some clamps use those to clamp around the edges and let them cool off for about 30 minutes before putting them back on the car.

 

-Garrett

[Myevodream]

Thanks Garrett, Currently I do not have an H7 kit, So I will need to buy an H7 conversion kit and then the d2s adapters and bulbs is that correct?

 

Thanks in response to the questions, the other 2 answers look good, and yes it'll be the first time the lights are apart as they'll be new and wont be going on the car for at least a day, so drying time is fine.

[rkl303]

id just but a d2s kit

[MiniStiGuy]

If you don't have a "kit" already then you don't want to buy an h7 you would want a D2S so that way your not buying 2 sets of bulbs. The OEM phillips bulbs are nicer than any kits bulbs but the kit bulbs should work just fine as well.

[Myevodream]

any recommendations on kits/and where to buy them from? For my Evo I replaced my factory hid bulbs with 6500k bulbs from autodoodad and am still very pleased with them..

[Myevodream]

sorry, stupid double post, slow wireless connection Edited December 12, 2010 by Myevodream

[grmorrow04]

theretrofitsource.com

[MiniStiGuy]

Most kits are made in China and most use the same components as another but are just re-labeled so it's really up to you. The biggest thing to look out for which would concern me would be the warranty.

 

If you DO NOT have a kit already then you'll need to get a D2S kit.

 

If you DO have a kit already then you have a few other options:

1. Buy OEM bulbs (Phillips, Osram etc..) in D2S and the adapters for a HID kit that go to D2S.

2. Buy kit D2S bulbs.

[Underdog]

Just picked up this kit:

 

(2) RX330 non-AFS projectors

(2) H7 - D2S Ballast adapter pigtails

(1) H7 low beam relay harness

(2) Philips 85122+ HID D2S bulbs

(1) package of Nissan headlight sealant

 

http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr274/tobey457/com002JPG.jpg

 

 

Obviously I need some ballasts to make this work. With the adapter pigtails I can use an H7 ballast, but I wonder is it worth it? Why not just get a D2S ballast and use it direct? Is this for someone who bought a HID kit to work with stock projectors but then decided to upgrade and reuse ballasts? Just seems like if I can 1) eliminate an extra connection, and 2) go with a Denso Slim Ballast (http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=161) then I will be better off.

 

Will the H7 relay harness still work in that application? I'm assuming the relay harness simply allows the OEM head light control to activate a relay-controlled direct feed to the ballasts.

 

My plan is to use the Legacy lens and holder with the RX330 bowls. I'm not looking to color mod, I just want a sharp cutoff and a nice true white.

[MiniStiGuy]

Yeah if you are going to go with the Denso's that is great and I wouldn't worry about using the D2S adapters that are meant to go with a kit. The Denso's use a different input plug than your standard HID kit does. It looks like from the pictures though that they have the mini harness adapters with those ballast but I would confirm with them that they in fact come with those adapters.

 

Image of the harness adapters

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/images/products/hid-ballasts/Denso%20Ballast%203l.jpg

[Underdog]

The H7 relay harness has two "9006" output connectors... Are you supposing the black pigtail in the pic is an adapter from the 9006 outputs on the harness to the input plug on the ballast?

 

Sorry, I'm pretty new to the retro stuff.

 

*EDIT* Link to pigtail: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=231

 

"Adapts the Denso ballasts for direct compatibility with any relay wire harness

 

Missing the inputs for your Denso slim Ballasts? Look no further.

These inputs are designed specifically for your ballasts, are brand new

Sold in pairs (2 inputs, with red/black wiring) for $15

Free (and included) with purchase of our Denso ballasts of course."

[Myevodream]

Hey underdog, I have pretty much the same list as you and actually also placing most of it through TRS. I may be wrong, but werent you local (ie in Mass?) If so I'd love to get together with you when you tackle this and either give you a hand or get some pointers....

[Underdog]

Garrett, what do you use for weatherproofing ballasts like the Densos? I'm drawn to the Morimoto ballasts for their packaging although I know the Densos are the "gold standard".

 

Do you pot the internals or seal them in an enclosure? Are they good enough on their own?

 

Myevodream: Maybe when it comes time to do your swap I can give you a hand. My project is going to be more R&D and I prefer to work alone on that kind of stuff.

[Myevodream]

Cool, I'll let you know. This project will probably take a few weeks as I am doing it on a spare set of headlights to get it exactly the way I want it. But will let you know for sure

[underpowerd]

Nice gathering, UD -- what shields are you planning to use?

[Underdog]

I'm going to try and "keep it simple" and use the Legacy shield w/ filled-in squirrel finders. I thought about trying a custom shield, but it is more than I want to try with my first retro.

 

Still undecided on lenses. The Legacy lens/holder is probably sufficient for my needs though and will save me some $$.

[Underdog]

TRS has a nice little vid about their ballasts: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDQMHEDpx4w]YouTube - Ballast Comparison from TheRetrofitSource.com - Morimoto Greddy Matsushita Denso[/ame]

 

The Morimoto is looking even more appealing, especially at $110 vs $165 for the Densos.

[NSFW]

I'm in the middle of a swap using D2S bulbs and Morimoto ballasts. I didn't like the idea of cutting a big hole through the cap behind the headlight so I ran the wires forward into the housing, then soldered them to the OEM wires that run through the grommet to power the headlight. Then soldered the ballast in-line with the OEM wires that go into the grommet.

 

Unfortunately my headlight doesn't light. I think I screwed up a joint somewhere but I'm not sure how... It did light up before I started cutting wires - I just hacked up a way to get power from the OEM headlight housing connector into the ballast and that worked fine.

[MiniStiGuy]

NSFW you might just be dropping voltage from poor solder's so I would put a meter on it and see what you are reading power wise going to the ballast. (Do not meter the bulb side as it will probably destroy your meter).

 

UnderDog:

I love the denso slims but didn't want to buy them this time to save some money. I run a DDM 55w ballast connected to a harness and have had it running strong for 2 years now. Most new ballast are water proof from the factory so it isn't something I worry about at all. I have a 2nd set of ballast on my car that are 35w kit ballast that are for the fogs that I never installed the bulbs on but the ballast are still mounted up...

[underpowerd]

^ +1 for the ddm 55s; the philips don't seem to mind the boost one bit, and the output is glorious.

[NSFW]

NSFW you might just be dropping voltage from poor solder's so I would put a meter on it and see what you are reading power wise going to the ballast. (Do not meter the bulb side as it will probably destroy your meter).

 

It turns out that the problem wasn't the solder joints themselves, it was the inadequate insulation between them. I used heat-shrink tubing for each wire, then wrapped them together with electrical tape. Fail.

 

Tonight I re-flowed the solder, then re-wrapped them with just a bit of tape, went back to the car to test, and was greeted with a light show from the wrong side of the headlight housing.

 

Last time I noted a very brief faint buzz when hooking up the power, and I'm pretty sure that was just a muffled version of tonight's zap.

 

The good news is, the Morimoto ballasts are robust enough to defend themselves from my mistakes, so with adequate insulation the headlight still works just like it should.

 

A quick search turned this up... http://members.misty.com/don/d2.html

 

The D2 types require a starting pulse. 7 kilovolts may on an average spark through these bulbs, but for reliability you need more, maybe 10 or possibly 12 kilovolts. Automotive use requires ability to restart a hot bulb with the mercury vapor pressure high, and this requires even more voltage - 12 to 15 kilovolts and maybe even more for good reliability. The usual ballasts supposedly produce starting pulse voltages like 18 kilovolts minimum, 20 kilovolts typical. [...]

 

 

Starting pulses must be repeated frequently until the arc is established.

 

The ballast must supply an open circuit output voltage - other than the starting pulses - of over 300 volts, preferably 400 or maybe preferably 450 volts - to force the arc to establish. [...]

 

 

 

Once the arc is established, the ballast must supply limited current or else the arc will draw extreme current and this will be bad for the bulb and/or other parts. The voltage across the lamp is normally around 80-90 volts when it is warmed up, but will be less during warmup.

...and two layers of heat-shrink isn't quite sufficient when there's 12-20 kilovolts going on.

[MiniStiGuy]

 

Yeah you don't want to be on the other end of that when those are switched on..

[Myevodream]

So was just informed that my supplier for the RX Projectors sent me new Acura MDX D2S projectors instead, since the RX ones he had looked a bit torn up. He said the reflector bowls and front halves are the same as the RX's so I should still be able to do the same swap.

 

Edit, found that others have done this swap also, instead of the RX projectors. So I should have the Acura MDX D2S projectors with TSX-R clear lens coming by the end of the week!

Edited December 16, 2010 by Myevodream

[MiniStiGuy]

yeah MDX projectors should work. I believe its the 07 MDX that has the same as the non-afs RX, RX8 projectors.

[NSFW]

I was going to use JB Weld to block the off the "squirrel finder" slits tonight, but apparently I no longer have any (or can't find it...) it so if anyone has suggestions for a better approach, I'm all ears. Or I'll just go buy another tube of JB.

 

How important is it to close off those slits, anyway?