HIDS flickering when sidelight on (tuscan style lights)

[plumAJP]

i wired up the hids and lamps on friday, side lights worked and full beam worked, dipped beam worked too. but when i switched to side lights the HIDS were flickering like strobes.

any ideas what i have wired wrongly? i think only one was flickering but im not sure it could have been both.

the way i wired it up was:

removed the wires from the plug on the old tvr headlight, 1 live for dipped beam, 1 live for full beam, 1 earth was being used for both of these so i tapped on to the earth to make 2 earth wires for each bulb and stretched it to reach the other lamp.( so in short im sharing the earth)

[FarmyardPants]

When sidelights are on, 7v is sent to dipped beam. To stop this, locate the light control box in the boot and snip the red & black wire (pretty certain that's the one)

[alinton]

You might also want to modify the control box so the dip lights stay on when the mains are on.

Otherwise when you switch from main to dip, the HIDs will take a few seconds to reach full brightness and you'll be left in darkness!

There was a recent thread about this in which I reposted the instructions and picture.

Andy.

[plumAJP]

yeah i did read the thread a post on it re getting the main and dipped beams on together. but i didnt understand how to do it.

do resistors or capacitors have to soldered in or can a loop wire be, put in easily with no soldering?

[alinton]

You just need to solder in two diodes. The pic in the thread shows quite clearly where they go.

A diode passes current one way, so the diodes are needed so the mains also apply voltage to the dips, but not the other way around.

Andy.

[plumAJP]

would it pass the mot with this mod done? (having dipped and full beam on together when selcting full beam)

but as a temp fix i can snip the red and black wire on the light switch box to stop current being passed to the dipped headlights when i want side lights only. (will my dipped work then though?)

[FarmyardPants]

plumAJP said:

would it pass the mot with this mod done? (having dipped and full beam on together when selcting full beam)

it should, mine has always been like that (as far as I know)

plumAJP said:

but as a temp fix i can snip the red and black wire on the light switch box to stop current being passed to the dipped headlights when i want side lights only. (will my dipped work then though?)

should do.

[alinton]

It will pass, some cars have this as standard.

And your dips will work with that wire snipped.

Without the diode mod tho you'd be better off not using the main beams at night! You don't want 2-3 secs of darkness when you switch from main to dip!

A.

[plumAJP]

ok brill thanks guys, im just no good at soldering wires let alone PCB and diodes. so i think the diode mod will have to be when the car is off the road for this winter.

[ro_butler]

alinton said:

It will pass, some cars have this as standard.

Ditto. Both my cerbs worked like this. (one was a '98 and current is a 2000)

[alinton]

plumAJP said:

ok brill thanks guys, im just no good at soldering wires let alone PCB and diodes. so i think the diode mod will have to be when the car is off the road for this winter.

You're quite welcome to post the box to me, I'll turn it around the same day.

But as I'm in Ireland you'll be without it for a week or so I'd guess, postal services permitting.

A.

[plumAJP]

I have a guy living near by who owns a tv repair shop, hes done a few jobs for me on car bits and key fobs etc, so i will take the box to him to see if he wants to do it (same day turn around)

Thanks for the offer Allinton, if my TV guy doenst or cant do it, I will take you up on the offer. Cheers

[plumAJP]

guys help quick before mot time.


hids flickering when on sidelights.

i have no black with red stripe wire on either of my light switching boxes in the boot.

i do have one black and one red wire on one of the boxes.

[plumAJP]

sorted brake lights its just the flickering sides now/

[FarmyardPants]

plumAJP said:

i do have one black and one red wire on one of the boxes.

sounds like the one, knew it was black & red but wasn't sure about black with red stripe or red with black stripe or red and black with black and red stripes, just cut the f***er

edit: oops, just read what you said again. let me pop out and have a look...

Edited by FarmyardPants on Thursday 13th August 22:29

[FarmyardPants]

Ok it's the dim/dip switching unit box, rhs of the boot.

if you pull the box out a bit (plug facing the front of the car), there are 3 wires on the top row of the connector and four on the bottom row.

It's the left hand one on the top row, which is mostly red with a black stripe (on mine at least). There's a vacant socket to the right of it.

[plumAJP]

thats not matching up with my boxes at all.

one of the boxes has thicker wires going into it compared to the other box.

but definetley no red and black wire would it be the green (next to the green/brown stripe wire) in box 2 in the left top row, 3rd in with the vacant socket to the right of it????

box 1 is the one with thicker wires.

top of box1


bottom of box 1


top of box 2


bottom of box 2

Edited by plumAJP on Thursday 13th August 23:51

Edited by plumAJP on Thursday 13th August 23:53

Edited by plumAJP on Thursday 13th August 23:55

Edited by plumAJP on Thursday 13th August 23:57

[FarmyardPants]

Sorry Shayne that looks nothing like mine (a 2000/W with twin lights as standard)

[plumAJP]

this is a after marker install so i need to know for the oldstyle headlight wiring with those that have done the tuscan conversion.

[plumAJP]

right the car got an mot luckily,

but these headlights have a mind of their own, they flicker when only side lights on and the hids and main beam flashed on wierdly whilst being revved for emmisions.


however i have more work to do as the output seal from the box is leaking and i had gearbox oil dripping on to the exhaust leaving a trail of blue smoke behind me on the way there and home..


some please help me with these lights, they driving me wild. would sharing the earth with the side lights cause them to flicker?

if not can a spark look at the wiring diagrams and tell me which wire to cut as i am crap at translating them.

please help must get this car working properly and to a standard i am happy with before the sun goes away for another few months.