HID Headlamp question/problem.

[S.E.A.N.]

Hey everyone i jus bought a 98 240SX and it has HID's on it. (10,000K) Anyways... the passenger is burning a bit dull it seems as it's more of a greenish tint to it than the driver which is a VERY bright and distinctive blue color.. Now for the issue: When i turn on the highbeams, The passenger low (Sometimes) goes out completely and the lowbeam will start flickering until i rev and hold it around 3,000 RPM for like 5 seconds (Now i know obviously that the alternator is generating power when doing that so it's obviously a power shortage SOMEWHERE.. but has anyone has a similar issue to this and could tell me a quick fix? or am i going to have to go through all the wiring and find the weak spot?

[Graves]

Cheap Chinese HID kits. Replace with normal bulbs = soultion

[S.E.A.N.]

Cheap Chinese HID kits. Replace with normal bulbs = soultion

Kit is made in USA. Got a real solution? thanks.

[Graves]

Kit is made in USA. Got a real solution? thanks.

Post where it says made in the USA. Ballast could be bad. Bulb could be bad. Wiring could be shitty. List goes on. Repalce them with a stock bulb and see if it still does it. If it doesn't, you know it's the from the ballast forward.

[S.E.A.N.]

Post where it says made in the USA.

Really man? You're asking me to go outside and take a pic of the sticker? I'm not doing that.. it's kind've stupid and pointless so i'll take what advice you gave me for the actual topic related question and check it out. Anyone else?

[Graves]

Because most- A) aren't made in the US because B) 99% aren't DOT approved for use in motor vehicles.

I gave you a perfect example of what to do to determine the problem.

Hell try swapping the ballasts and see if the problem moves.

It's a fairly simple process of elimination.

[S.E.A.N.]

right, i get that it's not a tedious job, i was jus asking around first so i could dive directly into the problem rather than i bunch of trial and error. guess i'll jus go mess with it some more, thanks graves.

[Graves]

Someone I know sells the kits that are "made in the USA", ironically his shipments come from overseas and have been stopped in customs then destroyed numerous times.. Figure that one out.

I would wager it's the ballast. I had a 6k kit in my Integra. I wasn't' a fan and removed it. They've been sitting in my new car since i go it.

[S.E.A.N.]

6k huh? what color does that burn? i love the 10k's man they look so good when they work! lol

[Graves]

bright white

[Empire]

Because most- A) aren't made in the US because B) 99% aren't DOT approved for use in motor vehicles.
I gave you a perfect example of what to do to determine the problem.
Hell try swapping the ballasts and see if the problem moves.
It's a fairly simple process of elimination.

There is no kit period that is DOT approved. Somewhere in the paperwork/fine print, there is always something that says for off road use only.

Seeing as how it is a 240, I highly doubt the previous owner took the time and money to properly retrofit real projectors and quality parts. More than likely, they bought the cheapest kit they could find. Most of the time, those kits contain some really crappy ballasts. So the first place to start when dealing with this kind of problem is to first swap the ballasts. If the problem moves, then you know it was the ballast. If it doesn't move, then it is more than likely the bulb. To help narrow it down even further, after you move the ballast and the problem doesn't move, then swap the bulbs around. If the problem then moves, then you know it was the bulb. If it still doesn't move, then you can safely say it is a problem in the wiring leading up to that point. Further inspection will be needed to find the problem and correct it.

6k huh? what color does that burn? i love the 10k's man they look so good when they work! lol

10,000k is really blue.
8,000k is noticeably blue
6,000k looks white, but you can see some of the blue when it is next to 4300K
4300K is what stock BMW headlights look like.

the higher the kelvin. the less actual light output of the bulb.

Go to HIDplanet.com they have a sticky/faq that will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about HID's.

[S.E.A.N.]

There is no kit period that is DOT approved. Somewhere in the paperwork/fine print, there is always something that says for off road use only.

Seeing as how it is a 240, I highly doubt the previous owner took the time and money to properly retrofit real projectors and quality parts. More than likely, they bought the cheapest kit they could find. Most of the time, those kits contain some really crappy ballasts. So the first place to start when dealing with this kind of problem is to first swap the ballasts. If the problem moves, then you know it was the ballast. If it doesn't move, then it is more than likely the bulb. To help narrow it down even further, after you move the ballast and the problem doesn't move, then swap the bulbs around. If the problem then moves, then you know it was the bulb. If it still doesn't move, then you can safely say it is a problem in the wiring leading up to that point. Further inspection will be needed to find the problem and correct it.


10,000k is really blue.
8,000k is noticeably blue
6,000k looks white, but you can see some of the blue when it is next to 4300K
4300K is what stock BMW headlights look like.

the higher the kelvin. the less actual light output of the bulb.

Go to HIDplanet.com they have a sticky/faq that will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about HID's.

Thanks for your information empire. Although i want to add that this is a 98 240SX (kouki) the headlights are factory projectors. aside from that i cant vouche for how great the quality of the kit is exactly BUT i can say that the guy i bought the car from cut NO corners and really didnt put anything on the car that was "Cheap" persay. Anyways if u want to see the car it's at this link:

http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/me...san-240sx.html



And here is a pic of the car as it sat this morning with the light OUT. Since this has happened i can turn the lights on and they both illuminate BUT the passenger burns a greenish color and the driver side is the 10k blue it should be..

[IMG]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1252681_n.jpg[/IMG]




When i turn the highbeams on the lowbeams will start to flicker and as i rev the engine and hold it consistently (Making the alternator charge) they both stop flickering.. but i cant tell, alone if the passenger bulb goes blue or not yet.

[S.E.A.N.]

Also here is a pic of how the car was advertised. idk how long ago this pic was taken but here is what they SHOULD look like.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4869338_n.jpg

[S.E.A.N.]

jus went outside an looked at both the lights in the dark and they looked ALMOST identical... both illuminated but the passenger jus seemed a bit off still.

[burgy240]

discolored out put is usually a sign of the bulb dying. It is also a sign of the ballast or voltage being irregular.....which leads to the bulb dying. Obvious at this point however I know... When replacing HID bulbs they must NEVER be touched by your skin. This is the MOST common reason for one bulb dying faster than the other. A voltage irregularity will do the same thing and based on the other electrical problems that seems to go along with your issues, I would guess it is in your wiring or your ballast. G/L