HID foglight install:wrong turn maybe
 

Ok i got my hid setup awhile back and when i installed it ive come across a problem. Ok the H3 bulbs didnt come with the standard h3 tails. and our bulbs plug into the cap on our fogs. so i cut them and solder'd regular h3 tails to them. so that leaves the bulb and housing complete. now outside of that there was the connector that plug into housing. the ballast would not plug into the housing so i took the connector off the ballast and replaced it with the factory connector that plugs into the fog. no we have the fog housing plugged into the ballast. now the cars factory wiring has no end to mate to the ballast. but the kit has extra ends and i solder them to the factory wires and plug them into the ballast so now everything is complete and and upon testing everything worked. but then after turning them off one would come on then the other. then maybe if i was lucky i could get them to come on. so i was told to by HID relays so i did and still no luck. what did i do wrong????????????? someone save me LOL

right now my hid fogs use the power and ground from the factor fog connectors and it is excellent. I guess I suggest triple checking your wiring and make sure you have a good ground. There might be a loose wire or something.

Use an HID relay harness. Draining power from the factory wiring/bulb harnesses is a no-no. The current draw from the HID kits is not stable on factory wiring in a car that did not come with factory installed HIDs. An HID relay harness corrects the problem. Go on eBay and search for 'H3 relay'. It is about $10 shipped. Problem solved.

usually, you wouldn't need a relay if you bought the kit with a fully digital balast.

Thanks
 

Ok thanks for the input. i guess ill get the realy. But i dont have to get the HID relay do I? i should be able to get the relay that people use to convert pre foglight sc's right.

i know my wiring is correct its not that complicated really. so ill try the relay. but if anybody else wants to chime in its no problem.

Even though digital ballasts USUALLY correct the flicker/shut off issue compared to traditional analog HID kits these days, it is STILL a good idea to use an HID relay harness in order to ensure you are getting the most direct power and ground to the HID kit. It is never good to use stock wiring with "plug and play" HID kits because you are putting an incredible strain on the factory wiring. If you continue to use the factory wiring on a car that DID NOT come with factory HIDs, you could potentially fry or melt the stock wiring or bulb socket and then you are really in trouble. It is best to not be a cheap ass and just buy the right stuff and do it the right way the first time and be done with it instead of worrying about it later on down the road.

SpiderN9NE, just buy the harness like I said above. You'll be glad you did.

That's just not true. With CURRENT technology of HID kits, they actually consume less power then typical Halogen bulbs while outputing a lot more light. A standard Halogen bulb consumes about 55 Watts of Power and a standard HID kit consumes about 35 Watts during closed operation. Cars usually run from 12 Volts to 14 Volts while turned.

Since we all learned in physics that P=IV; Power = Current x Electric Potential (also known as voltage) we can deduce that using a 55 Watt Halogen bulb uses about 4 Amps of Current. Now compare this to a standard High Intensity Discharge system that consumes about 35 Watts of power. P=IV; so the current drawn is about 2.7 Amps.

This is below what a Halogen system uses. Given, a HID system does consume more power and draws more current during start up. That's why they're usually blue and get lighter and brighter as time progresses. A digital balast during start up will draw about 5-8 Amps of current, consuming more or less 80 Watts of power for a very short time and gradually decreasing that number.

A typical headlight wiring harness will use a wire size of 14 gauge or larger. This size of wire can safely hold a current of UP to 15 Amps, well below what the HID kit is using.

I'm recommending people use a digital ballast because it uses a microprocessor to control the HID lamp. These ballast can use about 75% less energy and output 40% more light while increasing life expectancy by about 100%. Not to mention they eliminate the need for a relay and don't create any flickering. This is all compared to an older Magnetic type ballast. As long as your wires are in good condition, everything is wired up properly, the grounds are good, the battery terminals are good, then you should be good.

I have been using an HID kit in my low beams through the factory wiring harness for the past 3 years and they still turn on properly every time. I've had my HID fogs for over a year and they are in excellent condition ALWAYS lighting up. Hell, I even used 100 Watt H3 bulbs for a while. And this is using the factory connectors as well. So before you start calling people "cheap asses", please do some research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast
http://www.wireityourself.com/wire_sizes.html
http://www.havis.com/web_docs/LOW-VO..._TECH_1-09.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqjSLUIkjk
(keep in mind that this is using a magnetic ballast system from a 2001 gs300 system)

I wasn't calling you any names, I was just stating a simple fact that people CAN BE cheap asses when it comes to modding cars. That is the truth with no matter any make/model automobile. You also, on the other hand, have people on forums, such as yourself, who are arrogant pricks, and that is something you will ALSO find with any make/model automobile FORUM. If you were looking for a DIRECT insult towards you, I can arrange that for you my friend. ANYWAY, what I was saying before was if you use an ANALOG HID kit, YOU NEED A RELAY HARNESS. PERIOD. Sure, if you go with a digital 35W HID kit, you will NOT need one as much or at all for that matter, (it really depends on the brand, quality of product, etc.) And also, keep in mind IF the HID kit is even REALLY digital because there is A LOT of marketing out there with companies/vendors that CLAIM their HID kits are digital, when in fact, they are not. I know that traditional analog/digital HID kits use 35W and if you use 35W HIDs, then you're an idiot because there is such thing as 55W HID kits, and they use the same amount of power as a stock halogen bulb, so why not go with 55W HID and get 2-3 times the brightness of a traditional 35W kit? Sure 35W uses less power, but using a 55W HID kit will not change your gas mileage or drain your electrical system anymore than a stock 55W halogen bulb. I've been dealing with ALL SORTS of HID kits for years, and trust me, I know what's out there and the misconceptions of it all.

Before you start acting like a child, I was refuting your statement that the stock wiring harness will fry or melt with an HID kit. I wasn't aware that there are special "hid wires" versus regular wires. A wire is a wire either way. The only difference is the size and the material its made out of. All I stated is also FACT. We all live in this physical universe and these physical laws will ALWAYS apply. Power will ALWAYS equal Current times Electric Potential. So I am basically saying that its okay to use the factory harness and the kit will NOT melt or fry the wires.

If the current draw IS too high then that's why there are fuses. The bulbs will not fire if there isn't enough current. If your wires are corroded then the fuse may not blow and the wires may fry. So this will not only be a problem with an HID kit, but is a problem with standard bulbs as well.

I agree with you that there ARE cheap asses out there that mod their car but when you said that, I was under the impression that you were calling ME a cheap ass. So I apologize if I was defending myself for being called a "cheap ass".

You can definitely go with a 55W kit, as long as your wires are healthy and you use a digital ballast.

Wtfffffffffffffffffffff
 

ok im outside hookin up the HID relay kits and im getting pissed because its still not working. i hooked up both and the lows worked and then i hooked up the h3 it was reversed at first then i switched them and they worked. then i turn them off and then they wouldnt come back on now im back where i was with flickn the switch till one or the other cuts on and then maybe if im lucky both will come on. im about to edit my first post to clearly explain how i hook them up to see if thats it. but anyone help. im tryn to get this finished before i take my car to the front bumper painted again. so i wont have to touch the bumper after its finished.

Edit
 

:cry:FIRST POST IS UPDATED:cry:

okay
 

okay would pics help i just removed the whole setup and i cant figure it out. as far as wiring i done see it as they work sometime even if its one or the other so it has to be wired right as far as polarity or whatever else. but could it be the wire guaging not enough because i used some factory h3 tails to the inside of the fog housing. then the factory connector to the end of the hid ballast. im lost and really need some help.

Yea, upload a picture. It'll help out a lot.

But if they lit up and then just shut off, sounds to me that you blew a fuse.

ok
 

well they dont shut off when they light up. they turn on, if im lucky, and then when i turn them of i cant get them back on or one will light up and not the other or vice versa. im taking them apart now to check wiring, waiting for solderin gun to light up. but while im thinking about it. whats the positive and negaitve colors for the fogs wiring.

white w/black stripe and black w/red stripe which is which.

here ya go
 

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/t...dGVybmFs-8.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/t...dGVybmFs-7.jpg

then the car plugs into the ballast with a clean connector that i soldered to the cars wiring. And i also tried it with the HID relay kit and ended up with the same problems.