JDM HiD questions
 

Make: Acura
Model: Integra GS-R
Year: 96
Engine/Modifications in relation to the issue: B18C w/JDM Type R front end conversion (Done by a previous owner)
Issues/Questions: My passenger side ballast went out about 3 months ago. I found one online and replaced it just last weekend. The headlight worked perfectly for a couple of days but then i noticed it would come on about a second or two after the other one. Now it will only come on sporadically. (When it's on, it does stay on though)
Failed solutions until now: When i changed the ballast, i had to mount the ballast under the headlight behind the bumper, so i had to add to the wires. But without thinking, i just used the same wires the previous person had used. I can hear it buzzing when i try to turn them on, so i'm thinking it's a loose connection. I'm going to try to rewire it. I'm really just looking for advice on what gauge wire to use and whether or not crimping the connections is okay to do, or should i buy a soldering gun and connect them that way? Whatever advice i can get would be great.

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

I would say take the HIV's out and put the stock headlights in. Less problems with an already broken car. They don't make you look cool and they blind other drivers.

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You're probably using a really cheap HID kit, which is where most of the problems will come from.

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i'm pretty sure the HiD isn't cheap, it's the jdm oem set-up that comes with those front ends. the ballasts are the big black boxes that are supposed to mount to the back of the headlight assembly. But because of the size of the ballasts is why i had to remotely mount that one behind the bumper. (The ABS unit takes up too much room in that corner of the engine compartment.) I'm just looking for some advice on the wiring because i can do what needs to be done, i'm just new to the whole HiD thing and i don't want to fry anything. this stuff is pricey and i am not livin' like that, if you know what i mean.

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

Sure

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That's usually a good indicator that the ballast isn't the OEM one.

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No, that's the ballast that comes on the headlight. It is the JDM OEM headlight and ballast for the Type R HiD conversion.

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So you just admitted its not the right one for your car. There's your problem

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jdm hids... seems legit

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The best thing to do is to contact a company that does oem hid retrofits and talk to them.

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I know exactly what He's talking about.

On the HID version of the JDM integra headlights, there is a giant black box mounted to the housing that contains the HID ballast. They are a factory OEM honda part, not some cheap ass retrofit. See the attachements I uploaded.

OP, I believe I have a passenger side HID headlight housing with ballast still attached. If you want it, I'll let it go for cheap since I dont have my ITR anymore.

Solder the connections. Crimping them still allows moisture and over time the wiring expands and contracts with ehat, stretching the connection out and making it loose.

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

@DonkeyPunch: THANK YOU!! Finally, someone who understands what i'm talking about and knows what i have. I was beginning to think i wasn't going to find much in the way of help on this matter.

I appreciate the offer of the headlight, and i may keep it in mind if anything goes wrong, but i do have an extra. It took me almost 3 months, but i did find someone selling just the passenger side. That is the ballast that i currently have hooked up.

Thanks also for the recommendation of soldering the wires. That was my first thought when it started acting up again was that i had a loose connection. Is there a specific kind and/or gauge of wire that you recommend that i use? i just want to make sure that i don't have anymore problems anytime soon. The last ballast has lasted at least the last 2 years i've owned the car and the 4 years before that that my cousin owned it (and it wasn't even securely mounted anywhere in that time)

Thanks again for your help.

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

Oops. i should clarify, i have an extra passenger side headlight. I took the ballast from it to replace the old one that i believe went bad. So technically, i have a headlight assembly with a bad ballast, not really "extra".

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

16-14 AWG will work

taken from here a write up on how to wire up the headlights.
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2195061

Re: JDM HiD questions
 

Maybe I missed it, all your grounds are definitely good, secured etc.

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Im still a bit confused on your application. Are you remotely mounting the ballast because you do not have enough room due to the ABS module?

If thats the case, maybe your wiring is the issue. Did you test the ballast by installing it normally (attached to the light) but not installed on the front end, so its free and the abs doesnt get in the way?

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P.m if you want help before you catch the car on fire due to improper wiring.

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Definatley think I missed something now. When did he mention anything about moving the massive ballasts?

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@Screecho: Hey, thanks for the link. it will definitely come in handy.

As far as the grounds go, i am going to re-check that and all of the connections that i made last time when i changed it out before i do anything else.

And yes, i did have to move the ballast. To my knowledge, the ballast has never been mounted on the headlight like it's supposed to be. (i've had the car 2 years and my cousin had it for about 4 or 5 before that. he said it was like that when he bought it). It's been laying next to the ABS unit on top of the brake lines all this time. Long story short, i got a used ballast and went to a shop about getting it fixed properly (mounted on the headlight) They said they'd either have to relocate the ABS unit meaning new lines=lots of money, or i could just remotely mount it where it would be secure and safe from too much water. so we decided under the headlight behind the bumper on the crossmembers there.

As far as the wiring goes, all i did was just rewire it the exact way that it was before. i even re-used the same wires.

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@Mirrorimg: That is a great idea, after i check all of the connections and grounds, i will do that. in fact i probably should have done that in the first place. i still have the old ballast, maybe i could check it while i'm at it. Thanks again.

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@PicovAndropov: Thanks. I may have to take you up on the offer if i get into a bind.

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The balast itself must be grounded to the car frame. Hook a ground wire to the balast casing and and then to your frame. That was my problem, exactly like the one you are describing.

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Thanks for the heads up, i didn't know i needed one. Would the bumper crossmember be good enough, or would it be best to go back into the engine compartment with it?

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You can ground it to the tabs the headlights mount on via the core support. If you look at the back of the housing with the ballast attached, you'll see that one of the screws goes through a hoop on the housing and into the core support through a tab. that screw has to be in or it wont ground properly.

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Sweet. Thanks for the heads up buddy.

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Also, i'd like to thank all of you who posted info and advice that was helpful to my problem. I am fairly new at working on import cars and when you throw in things like performance gear or JDM conversions and such, it really throws me for a loop. But i am trying to learn. So again, i thank you all. If there ever comes a time that i can offer a piece of helpful advice, i won't hesitate.

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I'm pretty sure those are the stock Jdm hids. I got the same thing but mines fit perfectly in my engine bay. Maybe it's because I deleted my abs.

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Hey everyone, i'm back, with another question. So i re-did all of my splices and wiring that i'd done the first time i did the work. I soldered every splice and sealed them with heat shrink. i used new 14 gauge wire everywhere that i could. i replaced a few of the connections that looked a little sketchy. i ran a ground wire from the ballast casing to up where the fender and the core support meet. i am pretty confident that i've done everything correctly, yet i am still having issues with this light. Here it is: it is not consistent. i can go outside right now and it will either turn right on, turn on about a second or two AFTER the driver's side or not come on at all. (when it does that i have to turn the lights off for 15-20 seconds then try again, most times that works, but sometimes i have to do that 2 or 3 times.) My question is this: What could i possibly be missing? You guys gave me a lot of good advice and helpful pointers last time, so i thought i had my bases covered. i was very careful and took my time to make sure i didn't miss anything. So, sight unseen, does anyone have any helpful ideas? Please and thank you.

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Just skimmed through everything again and didnt see it mentioned, did you try swapping the DS and PS bulbs to see if the issue is actually the bulb?

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Pull the bulb out and make sure there isnt any corrosion on the base. If its not that than its probably a loose connection inside the ballast and that should be replaced

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@ Mirrorimg i have swapped the bulbs out before with a brand new set that i bought a while back and the brand new bulb behaved the same way when i did it. But that was when the first ballast started giving me problems back in the summer. i should probably do it again though, i'm not sure how old the bulbs are that are in the car. Thanks for the suggestion.

@ DonkeyPunch i will do that when i pull out the bulbs. i do hope that it's not the ballast though, i just got that one and it took me months to find it. Thanks.

Also, would it hurt to put any dielectric grease on the bulb plug? i'm just asking as a curiosity, trying to think of anything that might help.

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That will help prevent corrosion, but wont miraculously fix the issue you are having now.

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.

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Quick question...Is it true that you're not supposed to have your HID's on if the car isn't running? Someone told me that recently and said it was what he'd been told, because of the power they pull or something. Not that i do it, but there have been times that i'll turn the car off and forget to turn the lights off first or something of that nature. I would just like to know the actual reason for this and what kind of damage it could do. Thanks.

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The only thing you'll do is drain the battery, just like all headlights. Headlights that can't/shouldn't be used without the engine running aren't very useful.

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Thanks. it sounded a little sketchy to me, but i figured that it couldn't hurt to ask. i've heard stranger things that ended up being true.