HID Zenon bulb replacement - 993
Discussion
Hello all
I recently went down to a single dipped headlight and toyed with replacing with LEDs, much to the dismay of one of this forum's finest contributors (you know who you are!). Anyway looking under the bonnet in more detail it turns out I have an HID system, which I think is an aftermarket one, which I assume means I can't just do a direct swap to LEDs even if I wanted to as the leads will be coming from an HID specific power source (the ballasts?) meaning LEDs won't work from this.
In light of this (see what I did there) I thought I would first swap the bulb from the working side to the other just to make sure that it's the bulb that has failed not the ballast or some other part of the HID setup. So having taken both headlamp units out and disconnected everything to access the place where the HID bulb wires connect, I have then taken the working bulb and swapped it over to the other side and switched on the lights and.... NOTHING. Swapped it back over.... STILL NOTHING. So it appears I now have no headlights at all.
Has anyone had any similar experiences to this or know anything more than me, which is not a lot at all, and/or can shed any light (sorry) on where my problems might lie?
For clarity, when I tried the lights after swapping the bulbs, I tried the lights without putting the bulbs back into the headlamp units given that I would be replacing again once I had identified the problem. Is there any reason why they wouldn't work outside of the units themselves?
Thanks as always.
I recently went down to a single dipped headlight and toyed with replacing with LEDs, much to the dismay of one of this forum's finest contributors (you know who you are!). Anyway looking under the bonnet in more detail it turns out I have an HID system, which I think is an aftermarket one, which I assume means I can't just do a direct swap to LEDs even if I wanted to as the leads will be coming from an HID specific power source (the ballasts?) meaning LEDs won't work from this.
In light of this (see what I did there) I thought I would first swap the bulb from the working side to the other just to make sure that it's the bulb that has failed not the ballast or some other part of the HID setup. So having taken both headlamp units out and disconnected everything to access the place where the HID bulb wires connect, I have then taken the working bulb and swapped it over to the other side and switched on the lights and.... NOTHING. Swapped it back over.... STILL NOTHING. So it appears I now have no headlights at all.
Has anyone had any similar experiences to this or know anything more than me, which is not a lot at all, and/or can shed any light (sorry) on where my problems might lie?
For clarity, when I tried the lights after swapping the bulbs, I tried the lights without putting the bulbs back into the headlamp units given that I would be replacing again once I had identified the problem. Is there any reason why they wouldn't work outside of the units themselves?
Thanks as always.
Ocho said:
Hello all
I recently went down to a single dipped headlight and toyed with replacing with LEDs, much to the dismay of one of this forum's finest contributors (you know who you are!). Anyway looking under the bonnet in more detail it turns out I have an HID system, which I think is an aftermarket one, which I assume means I can't just do a direct swap to LEDs even if I wanted to as the leads will be coming from an HID specific power source (the ballasts?) meaning LEDs won't work from this.
In light of this (see what I did there) I thought I would first swap the bulb from the working side to the other just to make sure that it's the bulb that has failed not the ballast or some other part of the HID setup. So having taken both headlamp units out and disconnected everything to access the place where the HID bulb wires connect, I have then taken the working bulb and swapped it over to the other side and switched on the lights and.... NOTHING. Swapped it back over.... STILL NOTHING. So it appears I now have no headlights at all.
Has anyone had any similar experiences to this or know anything more than me, which is not a lot at all, and/or can shed any light (sorry) on where my problems might lie?
For clarity, when I tried the lights after swapping the bulbs, I tried the lights without putting the bulbs back into the headlamp units given that I would be replacing again once I had identified the problem. Is there any reason why they wouldn't work outside of the units themselves?
Thanks as always.
I love that! You must have thought “what are all these people whingeing about, halogens are great!” ;-DI recently went down to a single dipped headlight and toyed with replacing with LEDs, much to the dismay of one of this forum's finest contributors (you know who you are!). Anyway looking under the bonnet in more detail it turns out I have an HID system, which I think is an aftermarket one, which I assume means I can't just do a direct swap to LEDs even if I wanted to as the leads will be coming from an HID specific power source (the ballasts?) meaning LEDs won't work from this.
In light of this (see what I did there) I thought I would first swap the bulb from the working side to the other just to make sure that it's the bulb that has failed not the ballast or some other part of the HID setup. So having taken both headlamp units out and disconnected everything to access the place where the HID bulb wires connect, I have then taken the working bulb and swapped it over to the other side and switched on the lights and.... NOTHING. Swapped it back over.... STILL NOTHING. So it appears I now have no headlights at all.
Has anyone had any similar experiences to this or know anything more than me, which is not a lot at all, and/or can shed any light (sorry) on where my problems might lie?
For clarity, when I tried the lights after swapping the bulbs, I tried the lights without putting the bulbs back into the headlamp units given that I would be replacing again once I had identified the problem. Is there any reason why they wouldn't work outside of the units themselves?
Thanks as always.
Can you identify which HID system, is it marked? Is it Tore’s T-Light? You could ask him directly.
Not yet. It turns out not all HID bulbs are made the same…
I have slightly different connections on my system to the majority of bulbs that are sold online. They come with two leads with a male and female connector (one on each obviously) that seem to be standard. Then there are also two other leads that come with the majority of bulbs which I think are for the earthing, but my setup has these already built into the wiring of the headlight unit itself so I don’t need these.
They all come supplied as fed through the rubber grommet that goes in the back of the lamp, which again seems to be standard fit which is good, but I’ll have to pull the unneeded earth cables out and try and get mine fed through (with quite large fittings on the end that’s easier said than done.
The other hurdle is that the glass part (tube?) of the HID bulb itself seems to be manufactured to different tolerances as the last set I tried didn’t fit through the slot in the back of the headlamp - must have been a few micrometers too wide.
A new set arrived yesterday so I’ll have another go with them.
Whilst ordering these I also bought some LED (sorry OJ!) bulbs for my reverse lights as I have to reverse into my driveway through a dark unlit, narrow gateway - hoping these will shine the way a bit better.
I have slightly different connections on my system to the majority of bulbs that are sold online. They come with two leads with a male and female connector (one on each obviously) that seem to be standard. Then there are also two other leads that come with the majority of bulbs which I think are for the earthing, but my setup has these already built into the wiring of the headlight unit itself so I don’t need these.
They all come supplied as fed through the rubber grommet that goes in the back of the lamp, which again seems to be standard fit which is good, but I’ll have to pull the unneeded earth cables out and try and get mine fed through (with quite large fittings on the end that’s easier said than done.
The other hurdle is that the glass part (tube?) of the HID bulb itself seems to be manufactured to different tolerances as the last set I tried didn’t fit through the slot in the back of the headlamp - must have been a few micrometers too wide.
A new set arrived yesterday so I’ll have another go with them.
Whilst ordering these I also bought some LED (sorry OJ!) bulbs for my reverse lights as I have to reverse into my driveway through a dark unlit, narrow gateway - hoping these will shine the way a bit better.
So with the right bulbs and removing the unwanted wires fitting was a doddle and I have 2 working headlights again.
I then went to the other end for the reversing lights…
First found that the reflector in there was filthy after thirty years and no attention so that will probably make a food difference for starters.
However I also dried off some condensation on the inside of the light and then when moving the reflector unit noticed it had about an inch of water sloshing around in there, so my little clean of the condensation was a waste of time.
I’ve taken the whole thing off, drained Nd dried it and put it on a towel on the radiator. The plan was to put some clear silicone sealant all round the edge to stop further Ingres but I’ve also noticed there’s a hairline crack in the lens so not sure if it’s the seal gone or water coming through the crack. Any thoughts?
I then went to the other end for the reversing lights…
First found that the reflector in there was filthy after thirty years and no attention so that will probably make a food difference for starters.
However I also dried off some condensation on the inside of the light and then when moving the reflector unit noticed it had about an inch of water sloshing around in there, so my little clean of the condensation was a waste of time.
I’ve taken the whole thing off, drained Nd dried it and put it on a towel on the radiator. The plan was to put some clear silicone sealant all round the edge to stop further Ingres but I’ve also noticed there’s a hairline crack in the lens so not sure if it’s the seal gone or water coming through the crack. Any thoughts?
Way back, I noticed that my reversing light reflectors were showing rust!, so in 2016 I took it all apart, which is impossible, cleaned and repainted the reflectors in silver, put it all back together, and resealed everything.
But I wasn't happy with the result, and I noticed there was a tiny chip in the housing-edge, that you couldn't see when fitted.... it was all too much, the shame and all, so I bought a new one.
Compared side to side, the old one was a bit dull, so the new one certainly looks and functions better in every way.
And the (new) reversing lights with just halogens are MORE than enough to light up parts of Surrey as required. I live in Sussex.
It might be worth a call to your local OPC, just for a giggle?
But I wasn't happy with the result, and I noticed there was a tiny chip in the housing-edge, that you couldn't see when fitted.... it was all too much, the shame and all, so I bought a new one.
Compared side to side, the old one was a bit dull, so the new one certainly looks and functions better in every way.
And the (new) reversing lights with just halogens are MORE than enough to light up parts of Surrey as required. I live in Sussex.
It might be worth a call to your local OPC, just for a giggle?
Edited by Orangecurry on Tuesday 26th November 09:07
Ocho said:
So with the right bulbs and removing the unwanted wires fitting was a doddle and I have 2 working headlights again.
I then went to the other end for the reversing lights…
First found that the reflector in there was filthy after thirty years and no attention so that will probably make a food difference for starters.
However I also dried off some condensation on the inside of the light and then when moving the reflector unit noticed it had about an inch of water sloshing around in there, so my little clean of the condensation was a waste of time.
I’ve taken the whole thing off, drained Nd dried it and put it on a towel on the radiator. The plan was to put some clear silicone sealant all round the edge to stop further Ingres but I’ve also noticed there’s a hairline crack in the lens so not sure if it’s the seal gone or water coming through the crack. Any thoughts?
Is it kept outside, Ocho? Can you take a pic of the crack?I then went to the other end for the reversing lights…
First found that the reflector in there was filthy after thirty years and no attention so that will probably make a food difference for starters.
However I also dried off some condensation on the inside of the light and then when moving the reflector unit noticed it had about an inch of water sloshing around in there, so my little clean of the condensation was a waste of time.
I’ve taken the whole thing off, drained Nd dried it and put it on a towel on the radiator. The plan was to put some clear silicone sealant all round the edge to stop further Ingres but I’ve also noticed there’s a hairline crack in the lens so not sure if it’s the seal gone or water coming through the crack. Any thoughts?
Orangecurry said:
Way back, I noticed that my reversing light reflectors were showing rust!, so in 2016 I took it all apart, which is impossible, cleaned and repainted the reflectors in silver, put it all back together, and resealed everything.
But I wasn't happy with the result, and I noticed there was a tiny chip in the housing-edge, that you couldn't see when fitted.... it was all too much, the shame and all, so I bought a new one.
Compared side to side, the old one was a bit dull, so the new one certainly looks and functions better in every way.
And the (new) reversing lights with just halogens are MORE than enough to light up parts of Surrey as required. I live in Sussex.
It might be worth a call to your local OPC, just for a giggle?
Ahhh but why just light up parts of Surrey when you can do the whole of the South East...But I wasn't happy with the result, and I noticed there was a tiny chip in the housing-edge, that you couldn't see when fitted.... it was all too much, the shame and all, so I bought a new one.
Compared side to side, the old one was a bit dull, so the new one certainly looks and functions better in every way.
And the (new) reversing lights with just halogens are MORE than enough to light up parts of Surrey as required. I live in Sussex.
It might be worth a call to your local OPC, just for a giggle?
Edited by Orangecurry on Tuesday 26th November 09:07
@ Chris - It's garaged, but I use a jetwash when cleaning and that would force water in any cracks pretty easily I guess. I'll be careful around there for a while and see if it resolves - I'd rather not replace the whole unit as they're quite pricey I think.
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