HIDs intermittently working

I bought the Morimoto HID kit from the retrofit source through a group buy about 3 years ago. I've had no issues until the other morning neither of my bulbs would fire up. Eventually one did after I turned them off for a bit and back on. I had to repeat this several times to get them both on.

Just tested it again... sometimes the driver side turns on, sometimes the passenger, sometimes neither.

I've googled, but I can't find anything referencing the switching, it seems it would normally be one side or neither if it was a bad ballast or bulb. I checked all the connections, they're all secure/clean and I haven't changed anything under the hood in almost a year.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

Are you running a relay harness?

 

Yeah, I'm running the full wiring harness that came with the kit which has a relay

 

Try the controller. My problem that I used to have was that they wouldn't turn off at all unless you physically disconnected the connector to each bulb, but could be related to your problem too.

The gold thing



Matt

 

I see, that’s interesting then. My only other guess is possibly the relays in the harness are messed up, can you hear them clicking when you try to turn them on? Also, have you contacted theretrofitsource about your issue? They may have a solution.

 

see if you can get a replacement under warranty if it still has one

 

It's typically the ballasts that go bad. I had Retrofit Source replace one of mine under warranty.

 

I just went out again, driver side fired up every time, passenger wouldn't at all. I took the bulb out to take a picture of it, put it in and it fired.

Yeah, it clicks. They aren't open until Monday so I was hoping it was something simple I was overlooking, but I'll call them on Monday.

I checked, it is still under warranty, didn't think it was

I'm gonna give them a call on Monday when they're open to see if they can narrow it down/fix/replace whatever it is

 

Swap the ballasts and see if your symptoms occur on the other side.

 

I just swapped the bulbs as that is easier/should produce the same results... both bulbs fired after that

 

My ballast was on again off again like this before it eventually just failed. Keep track of which side is giving you troubles and if it remains the passenger side (even if it's intermittent) swap the ballasts and and see if the problem switches sides.

 

Could be bad relays too working intermittently. If you turn them on and one side isnt working check for 12v at the ballast without turning the lights back off.

 

This is a great idea.

 

I do alot of 4Runners that have the same setup with the projector and honestly I have never used one of those harnesses, I plug the ballast right into the factory bulb socket and have never had an issue. The harness is just one more thing in the chain to break IMO.

 

If/when it happens again I'll try this before I call TRS. Oddly enough, i swapped the bulbs and it hasn't happened since, on either side. It's also been about 40 degrees out whereas when it was happening it was about 5 degrees, so maybe the cold affects it. I'll know in a few days when the temp drops again

 

Can you do that? The wiring to the stock h11 plug is pretty small gauge. Don’t HIDs draw a ton on the initial start? Worried about frying something. My 2019 is getting XDs this week.

 

Do they sell individual relays? My passenger side is getting to be a real pita. Gotta open the hood and fiddle with the plug just about every time now

 

I started having the same problem the past few days. I have only had them installed for a few weeks. I contacted TRS and am waiting for their response.

It seems strange it seems to be the passenger side that is giving everyone issues. It's my passenger side that is acting up as well.

It has been cold and snowing the past few days up here in Washington state so I figured it had to do with that maybe...

Have they responded to anyone else yet?

 

You can. Most people do it just for the peace of mind. I've ran hids off the stock headlight harness without relay harnesses on my previous vehicles and my girlfriend's car without any problems for many years.

I've never seen individual relays on their site for sale, but I'm sure you can find one just like the ones they use at the auto store/ electronic store. Maybe TRS can tell you what kind of relay they use.

 

Are the relays and terminals going into them sealed and waterproof? If not could be corroded. Clean up the connectors and pack them with dielectric grease. Also make sure the grounds are solid. Make sure the fuse for the kit is sealed too. Pack the fuse terminals with dielectric grease if it’s unsealed too. Those are all common problems with these kits. If everything is sealed and you have no voltage drops, then it’s probably the ballasts. They go bad all the time as well