HID problem

[Chryco Psycho]

OK so I tried to convert a Caravan to HID today , this should be simple !!
 It comes with a conversion harness with a relay , you plug the original headlight plug into the harness to trigger the relay & it sends power to the ballast , which sends power out to the headlights .
 The relay is working , there is power at the ballasts but no measurable power out of the ballast to the light , so it seems the ballasts or bulbs are both bad .
 Any thoughts ?

[Super Blue 72]

Hmmmm...if YOU can't figure it out, must be broke!   

ASSUMING the harness is good, if there is nothing coming out of the ballast, the ballast I assume is bad.  Is there a separate ground for the ballast?  Did you check continuity from end to end of the harness?  Any issues with the harness being miswired?  Might want to call the company to see if there are any known problems.  Correct ballast?

Once I was installing a new set of headers on a 1990 Integra and the collector kept hitting the steering rack.  Got another new set from the company selling them, same deal.  Called the manufacturer, turns out they packed the Integra header with the Honda Civic collector pipe. 

[Chryco Psycho]

the harness seems to be fine , power getting to the ballasts & the the relay is switching , no voltage out of the ballast , not sure what voltage they put out , maybe 120V    All new parts , no measurable resistance across the bulb either maybe that is correct 

[Super Blue 72]

Here is a digram, make sure all the relay connections are correct for your application.  This si a generic pic I got off the web.  Make sure your ballast has a good ground.  Weird, I would imagine that there is some resistance, not sure how much there should be but figure the ballast is going to push a lot of current too produce a brighter light that it has to incur some sort of resistance.  Maybe check out the resistance of a set of hallogen headlight bulbs for a baseline reading?

[Super Blue 72]

Looking at the above diagram, make sure you have good fuses in, not blown, and see what voltage you are getting from the heavy positive out on the relay going to the ballast.  The relay can make a switching noise but if the connections aren't right you won't get power to the ballast.

If there is power going to the ballast, see if there is a voltage drop from the power wire from the relay/ballast wire to the ground for the ballast.

[Super Blue 72]

Neil, weird question.  Do you have daytime running lights?  Look at the trouble shooting section of this page, about 2/3 the way down.

http://www.hidlook.com/catalog/index.php

HID Kit Troubleshooting!
Cheap HID kits may flicker because of a poorly constructed ballast. These cheap HID kits ballasts do not contain the Inverter to convert the DC power to high voltage AC power. AC power is the preferred method of powering HID bulbs correctly, givng trouble free steady light output. HID bulbs will run on DC power but this method although cheaper to produce shortens the bulb life and can cause the light to have a fluttering shimmy effect that is unpleasant. Save yourself time aggravation and extra costs and buy a quality HID kit with digital AC ballasts from HIDLOOK!

If you are experiencing issues such as; flickering HID lights, one side of your HID lights is not working or any other issues please read.
The biggest and most common issue with aftermarket HID conversion kits is VOLTAGE. If your ballast is not getting the proper voltage your lights will not work properly. Here is a list of issues that will cause low voltage:
1. Daytime running lights
2. Poor battery
3. Poor alternator
4. Automatic Headlights
5. Some vehicles computers can sense when the headlight bulbs are out and send low voltage to the headlights. We have witnessed this on new Mustangs, new Chrysler 300s and new Dodge Magnum's. This causes the hid lights to strobe or flicker.
Now for the SOLUTIONS to your HID Conversion Kit troubles!

1. Relay Harness - The relay harness will allow the ballasts to draw power directly from the vehicle battery thus eliminating most low or fluctuating voltage problems. Relay Harness

2. Sometimes you will need a capacitor on the relay harness to boost the power to the relay itself, since the relay needs 12v to operate properly also. HID Capacitor

3. Resistor Packs - The pack contains a resistor. The resistor tricks the cars computer into believing there are halogen bulbs in the system and keeping 12v going to the headlight plugs. Use this option for "bulb out indicator" or "strobe effect" flickering HID problems or both. Resistor Packs

4.High Power Capacitors - These will increase the power to the ballast, thus eliminating the HID flickering and strobe lights effect. It will also put some resistance on the headlight plugs and will eliminate the bulb out indicator on most vehicles. This option will fix 90% of the vehicles with flickering HID problems. Use this option for "strobe effect" flickering HID problem and or "bulb out indicator".HID Capacitor Pack

Note: Try the CAPACITOR PACK first then if it does not fix the problem move to the RESISTOR PACK. Dodge Hemi Products must use the RESISTOR PACK.

The only other thing that may cause your HID lights to not function properly is:
1. Faulty Ballast
2. Faulty HID bulb
3. Faulty wiring
Solutions:
Of course any faulty parts will need to be replaced. To test parts:
example: If your right HID works and your left does not, then take the ballast from the non working side and move it to the working side. If the working side then fails to light, you probably have a bad ballast. If it do light up the bulb on the working side then check the wires on the non working side. Check voltage coming out of the stock plug. Voltage should be between 11 volts and 14 volts. If it is too low you will need a wire relay harness. If it is ok then check the voltage through the wires that came with the HID kit. IF voltage is still ok. Then swap the bulb with the working sides bulb. If it do not light then your bulb is most likley defective. If it do light then there is some kind of voltage issue with the non working side and a wire relay harness should be used.

[Super Blue 72]

Here's a different relay diagram, see what works for your system.

[Super Blue 72]

Good read relating to daytime running lights if you have them and such...

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7598497_do-hid-lights-flicker.html

Daylight Running Lights
 
If your vehicle has daytime running lights, only 20 watts or so of power will be sent to the lights rather than the 35 watts required for them to operate correctly. This, too, will cause HID lights to flicker. You can solve this problem by disabling daytime running lights, which isn't difficult.

[dodj]

If you have power on the input but no output something is going on with the ballasts.  Maybe you have to connect the capacitors yourself. Not factory connected? HID will not give you aresistance across the filament like a regular bulb. High voltage gets the gas ionized and conducting. Without the high voltage no conduction.

[Chryco Psycho]

I figured the bulbs would have open reading across them as there seems to be no filament ,which is what I am getting .
The Harness is a 1 piece unit , you connect two grounds & a power to the battery or power center , mount the relay & it simply plugs in to everything so no Way I screwed the wiring up !! The ballasts seem to be getting power , they have 12.6 volts measured at the battery & across the plug into the ballast so the grounds are good but I seem to get no reading out of the ballasts , I could see 1 being bad but both???
 No daytime running lights 

[Super Blue 72]

Yeah, both bad would be weird.  Have you called the manufacturer to see if they had a shiment of bad ballasts? 

[dodj]

Hmmm. If it's all plug and play, and you have confirmed power and good ground, I would check all the connectors to make sure one wasn't bent missing or broken wire. 
I would switch the two bulbs around too. Just in case you have one bad bulb and one bad ballast. I know, not much chance, but strange things happen sometimes.

[Chryco Psycho]

I did that too , checked all the pins for bent or broken , nothing .
 So I went back to where I bought it & had them test the bulbs & ballasts everything worked fine .
 The solution to this connundrum  is the 2 pin connector to the ballast has a locking tab on it & there is a tab on the ballast for the plug to lock onto which makes sense  ......... But the plug is reversable & the plug goes on the other way around  weird but true so yes it is working now 

So the other question is how long do HID bulbs last typically ?

[Bullitt-]

So the other question is how long do HID bulbs last typically ?

May be more how much you use them, my Dad's 140K-mile '98 S500 has them, had to replace one about a year ago. I think it was the ballast rather than the bulb.

[Chryco Psycho]

I have put close to 30k miles on it since Jan , 250 miles / day on average , oil changes every 3 weeks or so