Installed HIDs in my truck

[SoCalChris]

For the last year, I've been wanting to install a set of HID lights in my truck, and I finally got around to it tonight. The temperature of the lights is 6500K, so they are bright white with a slight blue tint. The headlights kept their pattern really well, and the light cutoff is still really sharp.

 

Overall, it was a pretty simple thing to install, with the exception of one problem that I had.

 

I installed the ballasts on the plastic cowl that goes between the grill and the radiator. I had to drill four holes to mount the ballasts to, that was the only permanent modification that I had to do to the truck.

 

 

The only problem I had was that the power coming from the headlight harness was the reverse polarity of what the ballasts needed. I simply popped out the pins in the wiring harness of the ballast, and switched them, and it worked perfectly.

 

 

 

 

If anyone wants a set, send me a PM. I can get them in almost any temperature and bulb size for $175, shipped.

[M J]

Here is what i posted on another forum, do you think this problem is caued by your same problem, the reverse polarity?

 

FROM OTHER FORUM:

i hooked them up, pretty straightforward, and im am 99% it is righ, the setup. after hooking them up, the first time i turned them on, they turned on and started to heat up, and then flickered real fast and then went out. then nothing for the next hour. when i tried to turn them on again, they did the same thing.

 

then i was messing around again, and they just came on and went off real quick, like a camera flash. i am lost. i have two 9006 kits here (one for my brother's car) and neither one worked.

 

PLEASE any help will be better than none

 

there was not a relay system included in etiher kit....

[pwall]

Those lights look really good Chris.

I'll have to add those to my list....

[SoCalChris]

Here is what i posted on another forum, do you think this problem is caued by your same problem, the reverse polarity?

 

FROM OTHER FORUM:

i hooked them up, pretty straightforward, and im am 99% it is righ, the setup. after hooking them up, the first time i turned them on, they turned on and started to heat up, and then flickered real fast and then went out. then nothing for the next hour. when i tried to turn them on again, they did the same thing.

 

then i was messing around again, and they just came on and went off real quick, like a camera flash. i am lost. i have two 9006 kits here (one for my brother's car) and neither one worked.

 

PLEASE any help will be better than none

 

there was not a relay system included in etiher kit....

 

That doesn't sound like the reverse polarity problem that I was having. When the polarity was wrong, the lights would not even try to light up.

 

From what I've found when I was researching the lights, the problem that you're describing happens when either the ballast or the bulbs are about to go out. Personally, it sounds to me like the ballast is causing your problems. I'm not sure why both lights in both kits would be doing that though, unless you managed to get four bad components in your set.

 

Another thing to try, does your truck use the headlights as daytime running lights? I've read that some people have problems with that because the DRLs sometimes don't provide as much wattage as the regular headlights do.

 

Anyways, I would contact whoever you bought the set from, and see what they suggest. Also, have you tried hooking the other set up to your brother's truck, to make sure that it isn't a problem with yours?

 

Good luck

 

[M J]

yeah i did on his car, and they didnt work

 

thats why im sure its me, not 4 different ballast and bulbs - no DRLs

 

i think i am going to buy a relay, because people have suggested there sint enough power available to start the process of warming the HIDs up

thanks for your help chris, ill keep you guys updated

[svensk]

Are those the obnoxious headlights that look like people who have their high beams on all the time? I would like to get a pair as my stock lights are garbage (dim). However I just want to be sure I'm not blinding people with these things.

[SoCalChris]

The really obnoxious ones are usually Xenon bulbs that are a higher wattage than the stock bulbs. They're usually 85 or 105 watts, instead of the stock 55. You can buy those bulbs pretty cheap, usually around $20/pair on ebay, but they burn out quickly, and can damage your car's wiring and headlight housing due to the increased wattage that they use.

 

The HID lights are what is found on mostly high end cars & trucks. They put out a bluish white light, and if the headlights are adjusted properly, won't blind oncoming traffic.

[svensk]

The really obnoxious ones are usually Xenon bulbs that are a higher wattage than the stock bulbs. They're usually 85 or 105 watts, instead of the stock 55. You can buy those bulbs pretty cheap, usually around $20/pair on ebay, but they burn out quickly, and can damage your car's wiring and headlight housing due to the increased wattage that they use.

 

The HID lights are what is found on mostly high end cars & trucks. They put out a bluish white light, and if the headlights are adjusted properly, won't blind oncoming traffic.

I like those I might look into those down the road.

[rmreid]

Here are some color charts for the HID conversion kits which will give you an indication of the bulb colors - personally I would not go above 6000K folks who have bought the 8000K kits from me usually come back to buy the 4300K or 6000K bulbs.

 

Bulb Colors

 

Kelvin Chart

 

Hope that helps some

[pwall]

Hmm....wonder if I can retro-fit the lights from my reef tank to the truck? Those lights are 14K @ 400w each