HID Help!

[ultimakf7]

I currently have the E39/ Hella Ballasts retro'ed into my headlight. Today, one my headlights went out.

 

What are the first things I should do to troubleshoot my car in order to figure out what my problem is?

 

 

Thanks,

-Austin

[scooby600]

Switch the ballasts. That way you will know if the bulb went out or the ballast is bad.

[rurouni_x]

yeah double check all connections too.

[ultimakf7]

Will these ballasts hold a charge even if no power is going through the circuit?

[lookslikeanevo]

^no

[ultimakf7]

So, I discovered that my ballast/bulb is bad. The area around the ballast was wet when I got to it.

 

Does anyone know where I can pick up a replacement ballast (Phillips or Hella D2S)/bulb ASAP?

 

Thanks!

[LGT Dave]

Are you sure it's both the ballast and the bulb? Did you try switching the bulb that was attached to the wet ballast to the other side to see if it would light?

[ultimakf7]

Absolutely. I opened the ballast, and sure enough, it was soaked. I took out the bulb on that side as well, and it was burnt out.

[LGT Dave]

^^^ That sucks. Unfortunately I don't have a source where you could get a new ballast and bulb quickly. If you care about the lights on both sides matching, you may want to replace both bulbs. HID's slowly change color as they are used over time so even if you buy a new bulb that's exactly the same as your old ones the color will probably not match your older bulb that is still good. The difference probably won't be a whole lot, but it's just something to think about.

[ultimakf7]

Thanks. I just bought my ballast / bulbs on ebay. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.

[VXCL]

Thanks. I just bought my ballast / bulbs on ebay. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.

 

sorry i didnt recognize your number and you never left me a message. send me the bad ballast and i'll check it out. ill try to get it working and return it for free.

 

i tried to seal the crap out of those so very curious how water got in them.

 

peace

[ultimakf7]

You had placed the ballast on top of the Wiper Fluid Tank with Velcro. When I pulled the ballast off, the velcro was wet.. it probably held moisture, and eventually, it got beneath the duct tape.

 

I cut the duct tape for the other ballast open, and it was completely dry.

 

sorry i didnt recognize your number and you never left me a message. send me the bad ballast and i'll check it out. ill try to get it working and return it for free.

 

i tried to seal the crap out of those so very curious how water got in them.

 

peace

[VXCL]

You had placed the ballast on top of the Wiper Fluid Tank with Velcro. When I pulled the ballast off, the velcro was wet.. it probably held moisture, and eventually, it got beneath the duct tape.

 

I cut the duct tape for the other ballast open, and it was completely dry.

 

that sucks. fortunately i never ran into that prob when i had them. water prob collected on top of the tank like you said. not too many places on the drivers side to hang it though. let me know what you come up with.

[lookslikeanevo]

i ran ballast that survived 5 years moist, wet, whatever...imho its premature failure...

 

look inside the vendor classifieds for xenon expert

[westy66]

the bulb might not be dead. D2S bulbs kinda look burnt as they have that little discolored blip in the round portion.

 

http://www.aerovisions.com/pic/GE-d2s.jpg

 

what kind of ballast? the Hellas are all epoxy sealed inside?? moisture shouldnt have mattered. BUT, if they have been opened this wold compromise the seal.

 

my driver ballast is sitting on the washer tank

[ultimakf7]

I looked at both bulbs.. you can see the filament going across inside the bulb, and with the bulb that failed, it was discolored like that, with a disconnected filament.

 

Switching the ballasts should have lit the bulb, if it wasnt burnt out, but it didn't light up.

 

It was a Hella Gen IV ballast.

[westy66]

theres no filament. just two electrodes on the top and bottom that create an arc in that center round portion

[ultimakf7]

Hmmm, maybe you're right. The only other thing I can think of is if the igniter is bad.

[VXCL]

Hmmm, maybe you're right. The only other thing I can think of is if the igniter is bad.

 

until you isolate the problem its hard to tell. switch bulb, ballast, and ignitor with other side one by one and see what part is actually at fault. it would be rare for more then one part to go at the same time.

[ultimakf7]

Mike, I sent out the ballast to you today.

 

Hopefully, I'll get my new ballast/bulbs in Monday

[VXCL]

Mike, I sent out the ballast to you today.

 

Hopefully, I'll get my new ballast/bulbs in Monday

 

im hoping its the only problem. then you can just have some extra parts just incase.

[ultimakf7]

Do you think this problem could occur if you park within 75-100 yards of a high voltage line?

[MiniStiGuy]

I have my ballast mounted on my front bumper support and they are fully exposed and never had any issues.

[ultimakf7]

That is odd.. I have no idea aboiut what happened.. hopefully I can solve the issue quickly.

[VXCL]

I have my ballast mounted on my front bumper support and they are fully exposed and never had any issues.

 

guys these are not sealed ballasts like hella gen 3 or kioto types. these are hella gen iv and are made to have the top section mounted inside the headlamp with only the bottom exposed. if you left them unprotected they would be fried 1st time you wash the car or it rained. def dont reccommed them for newbie retro peeps.

 

from my guide

hella gen 3

http://home.comcast.net/~vxcl/legacy/xenon_guide/hella_gen_3.jpg

 

kioto

http://home.comcast.net/~vxcl/legacy/xenon_guide/koito_d2s.JPG

 

hella gen iv

http://home.comcast.net/~vxcl/legacy/xenon_guide/hella_gen_iv.jpg

 

i got his ballast in the mail and so far it looks ok, no corrosion. i'm thinking he just blew a bulb which makes more sense, they are used and the weakest link. i'll be testing it this weekend and taking it apart if needed.

 

peace