dogmarley

I know everyone gets tired of HID questions but I think this is a little different...

06 LX 470 with HID kit and RELAY.

HIDs work great, but when the suspension adjusts (pump turns on) the lights flicker for a millisecond. I put regular non hid bulbs back in and I have noticed that they dim when the suspension adjusts. I thought having a relay to the battery would prevent this but it doesn't. . I'm guessing some how the voltage from the light switch in the interior is dropping and " turning the HIDs off" for a split second. Any ideas? My battery is a fancy gel battery so not that. Alternator works perfectly.

It's just annoying!

Thanks for the help

RobRed

A relay is a switch, it's not going to mitigate voltage drop. Assuming the alternator is fine and the battery is healthy It's probably a wiring issue... too small or too old or improper.

You should have the HID's wired direct to the battery and use the relay connecting to your factory switch to fire them up. If the lights are powered via the factory harness it may be your issue.

dogmarley

I agree. The kit is wired using a relay and getting power from the battery. The relay opens/closes based on power input from the factory harness and switch inside the car. There shouldnt be a voltage drop...but there is. It is barely noticable with halogen bulbs and very noticeable with HIDs (flicker for a second) I know 100% how to wire a vehicle, house, etc. so my wiring is sound. The battery I have is brand new and supplies great current for hours without the car running. The only thing I can think of is somehow there is a strain on the the Interior headlight switch causing the relay and lights to turn "off" for a very brief second...any ideas are apppreciated.

RobRed

Going with your info that the wire is appropriate gauge and configuration I would look at the relay next. Most quality automotive relay's will hold with a wide range of voltage - I think The Bosch brand ones that I use will trip at 8v and release at ~5v. If the relay you have has a bad coil in it that could cause some problems.

The OEM switch on the stalk is supplying such a small amount of current that it's not likely the problem in unto itself. The output of that switch is via several relays - Are you using the OEM bulb sockets to power the ballasts relay?

The best way to troubleshoot this is stick a multimeter on the effected systems and check for voltage and current losses.

dogmarley

I am using the drivers side factory light socket to switch the relay on and off, but power is drawn from the battery. I will take a look at the brand/quality of the relay itself. The reason I keep going back to Questioning factory wiring and switches is because my lights will dim every time the suspension adjusts when I have standard non hid bulbs in. Thanks for the input

1loudLX

How about the battery? Is it the original factory battery? A 2006 could have been built in 2005 starting right around now so, could be a 7 year old battery at this point.