HID Headlight Bulbs / HID Projector Retrofit

[TightLines612]

Just wrapped up installation of Morimoto 35W 4300K lights in a Sierra SLT and thought I'd pass along a few things:

 

1) Color matches LED DRL's very well. I was skeptical about this but it was certainly the right choice. Thanks MotoMedic

 

2) I did NOT have to flip the terminals coming out of the stock input (that is, I wired red to red, and black to black)

 

3) I ordered the kit with the Can-bus and it is working just fine. TRS suggests the Mopar Elite Low Beam kit but I'm not sure why. YMMV

 

4) I ordered the 9006 style bulbs. This required taking a dremel to one of the three ceramic tabs on the bulb to get it to line up correctly. It was a minimal amount of work (less than 30 seconds) but to do over again, I'd order the 9012 and skip the dremeling.

 

Now a question, when switching from low beam to high beam, something near the lights (likely ballasts) make a solid shuttering sound audible in the cabin at idle. High beams operate as expected. I've never retrofitted HID's, is this normal?

[TJay74]

Yes because the Sierra has a shutter that flips up/open when you hit the high beams to allow more of the light to pass thru.

[draino]

Yes because the Sierra has a shutter that flips up/open when you hit the high beams to allow more of the light to pass thru.

 

Exactly right it's the shutter moving.

 

 

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[bass mechanic]

I also did this mod, and removed it hours later as you will see putting HID's into a incandescent projector beam yields a very crappy beam pattern. mine made it look like the lights were headed off to the left of the path of travel and had hot spots along the ground.

totally unacceptable.

if your only look for the look and not for function, they will look nice and match the LED's if your actually trying to see the road I think the stock bulbs have better fill across the road.

I am hopeful that the new Denali will have a OEM HID light, and I will attempt to swap the lights out.

[Payton34]

So everyone that has added HID do you have the interference in your radio reception with lights on. I had this issue while back when I tried HID in my 2005. I have a 2014 on the way and my 1st mod is HID.

[TightLines612]

So everyone that has added HID do you have the interference in your radio reception with lights on. I had this issue while back when I tried HID in my 2005. I have a 2014 on the way and my 1st mod is HID.

 

I only have limited experience with mine so far but no interference to speak of.

[TightLines612]

I also did this mod, and removed it hours later as you will see putting HID's into a incandescent projector beam yields a very crappy beam pattern. mine made it look like the lights were headed off to the left of the path of travel and had hot spots along the ground.

totally unacceptable.

if your only look for the look and not for function, they will look nice and match the LED's if your actually trying to see the road I think the stock bulbs have better fill across the road.

I am hopeful that the new Denali will have a OEM HID light, and I will attempt to swap the lights out.

 

While I don't have a completely uniform beam pattern at close distances (say on a garage door) my lights do not have the problems (at least to the extent you describe). Did you ensure the tabs on the bulbs were fully twisted in when installing? Perhaps they were out of alignment.

[bass mechanic]

Yes I tried many different positions, but the fact is I've had many cars with hid and retrofitted several others, once you've experienced a real clean hid system anything else is just amateur by comparison.

I drive a lot at night and I like a good set of headlights projecting the light as you would expect from a 50k vehicle

 

 

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[Mike1220]

Hey y'all, I got some important info for y'all and a big question at the same time.

 

So the night I installed my HIDs, about a month ago, I installed everything, capacitors, harness, and bulbs and ballasts of course. Well that night I had 2 capacitors short circuit and form a decent bump on one side and shoot out some brown burnt looking liquid. Okay so I figured they got wet and retained water right? Well now I'm questioning that!

I tried once again tonight to put in the capacitors (I did this ONLY to keep from ever having my headlights flicker. The vehicle recognizes that there are lights functioning so no bulb out warnings have appeared. Also they do not flicker often. Probably 2-3 times since I installed them and all I have to do is turn them off for 5-10 seconds then turn them back on and they are good.

Well I'm glad I tested it before putting the hood down, cause one of the SOBs blew! Legitimately blew out!! I turned on the bulbs. All was good for a few seconds, but after about 10-15 seconds of them being on, I heard a loud pop! Like you would hear from a small pull pop firework thing (the little plastic confetti things you pull a string and they go pop) or like you would hear if you filled a plastic grocery bag with air and then smashed it between your hands to make it pop.

I quickly turned off the lights and went to check out what in the world just blew in my engine compartment and what do you know, those pesky little capacitors have gremlins in them!

 

Here's what I found

 

 

There was what seemed like cardboard and thin aluminum (or whatever they used in the resistor inside of the capacitor) all around the front of the truck!

 

If anyone has a similar experience or any advice it would be appreciated if you could help me out! And yes the capacitors were in the right place and everything wired properly

 

 

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[MotoMedic]

If anyone has a similar experience or any advice it would be appreciated if you could help me out! And yes the capacitors were in the right place and everything wired properly

 

That's crazy! PM sent

[ChrisNJ]

Unlike Bass Mechanic, I'm leaving mine in. Yes, they have some spots, but mine are only two less than perfect darker spots pointing down and out, so not a big deal to me. On lows, the light output is much better than stock, maybe 2-3x better. On highs same, however, the main beam pointing to the sky at 10-20degrees is troubling, but they still offer better light downrange than the stockers. I just have to try hard to ignore the beams lighting up the trees bobbing up and down, hard to do. This high aim was apparent with the stockers too, they were just so dim it wasn't distracting.

I will be calling my dealer soon to discuss and tell him I'm calling GM to complain. I have to do this because I'm sure they will ask if I went to the dealer first.

I'm sure there are fixes if I give these to reputable light fixers, but I have no one local, and would have to ship them, and I see no logical way to keep my truck down for 7-10days without lights.

I also asked TRS if they would come out with a kit to fix the whole projector and they said they don't have any complete headlights to figure it out, so I sent them pictures, and they replied that while they don't have any kits for just these lights, that their EvoX-R, G37 Sedan kit would be the closest, however I am in no position to cut and past them in myself.

So I wait for GM to hopefully fix which I doubt (please complain to GM directly and/or through dealer), or wait for aftermarket, even if I have to buy the whole dam thing. Or the 15's+ will fix these and hopefully be bolt in.

I will probably put 100w daylighters on the front soon to take care of the high problem, and the lows with HID's are currently OK (for me).

[Mike1220]

Unlike Bass Mechanic, I'm leaving mine in. Yes, they have some spots, but mine are only two less than perfect darker spots pointing down and out, so not a big deal to me. On lows, the light output is much better than stock, maybe 2-3x better. On highs same, however, the main beam pointing to the sky at 10-20degrees is troubling, but they still offer better light downrange than the stockers. I just have to try hard to ignore the beams lighting up the trees bobbing up and down, hard to do. This high aim was apparent with the stockers too, they were just so dim it wasn't distracting.

I will be calling my dealer soon to discuss and tell him I'm calling GM to complain. I have to do this because I'm sure they will ask if I went to the dealer first.

I'm sure there are fixes if I give these to reputable light fixers, but I have no one local, and would have to ship them, and I see no logical way to keep my truck down for 7-10days without lights.

I also asked TRS if they would come out with a kit to fix the whole projector and they said they don't have any complete headlights to figure it out, so I sent them pictures, and they replied that while they don't have any kits for just these lights, that their EvoX-R, G37 Sedan kit would be the closest, however I am in no position to cut and past them in myself.

So I wait for GM to hopefully fix which I doubt (please complain to GM directly and/or through dealer), or wait for aftermarket, even if I have to buy the whole dam thing. Or the 15's+ will fix these and hopefully be bolt in.

I will probably put 100w daylighters on the front soon to take care of the high problem, and the lows with HID's are currently OK (for me).

If the beams are shining too high for your liking, you could always adjust the beam and make it shine lower. Of course then you wouldn't see quite as far

 

 

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[Mike1220]

That's crazy! PM sent

Yes it is! I'm getting tired of dealing with these things! Now I have to email DDM and see if they will replace or If I will have to buy new ones. Which, if the later is what they tell me, then I'll just be without capacitors

 

 

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[ChrisNJ]

If the beams are shining too high for your liking, you could always adjust the beam and make it shine lower. Of course then you wouldn't see quite as far

 

 

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Mike, how do you adjust the angle? I don't see how as the low and high output are only controlled by a shutter, and correct me if I'm wrong but the only adjustment is for the shutter height while on low beam.

The projector angle itself appears to be non adjustable. Thanks

[Btreyu09]

One of my caps started pouring smoke also. It didn't explode like that one and a brown liquid poured out.