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Mach HIDs - Passenger side issues

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GapBoyPCS

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Oddly enough, this follows behind Honda Hunter's post. Keep in mind I'm using the retrofitted method with the Ford trailer/VW harness.

For the past few days, my passenger side's HID bulb hasn't been firing up on some occassions. This evening, I gave each connector a shot of electrical contact cleaner. I resoldered every connection, including swapping out the VW connector and swapping out ballasts. Now, I get the HID working on low beam. If high beams are on, the driver's side is fine. It's the passenger side that's weird:
- Main HID beam is on
- I don't seem to hear the shield move
- City light turns off
- Turn signal light turns on

I'm running out of ideas what it could be. I'm thinking there's a short somewhere along the way, but the only thing I can think of is the Ford connector itself.:bang:
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Honda Hunter: A friend of mine commented to me on Facebook thinking maybe it's the electrical grounding.

I don't have the patience these days...I'm considering going back to non-HIDs :bang:
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Well, I took out the light again. Things seem to be off at the OEM connector where the Ford trailer harness plugs in. I might have to order a new trailer harness and (hopefully) the headlight connector.

Steve (if you're reading), is there a part number for the headlight connector?
 
#5 ·
Mine did this too....I just ran a wire from the the other headlight and put a higher rating fuse in the fuse box. haven't had a problem since, and that was 1.5+ years ago :thumbup:
 
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
SVT3658 said:
Mine did this too....I just ran a wire from the the other headlight and put a higher rating fuse in the fuse box. haven't had a problem since, and that was 1.5+ years ago :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Which wire? Ground? Low beam? High beam?

If it was the ground, I thought about even splicing into the turn signal ground as well.
 
#7 ·
It was the low beam power wire :thumbup:

Everything worked fine except the low beam...I didn't feel like tearing apart the harness from the headlight back to the fuse box to find the problem, so I took the easy way out and spliced the wire from the driver's side harness. Now both of my headlights run through the 1 fuse, so I upped the fuse 5A. If you don't swap in a higher amp fuse it will still work just fine, but if you turn the headlights on without the engine running it would pop the lower-rated fuse.
 
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Discussion starter · #8 ·
I'm thinking my issue is the high beam. I'll have to look at it in the spring or when it's warmer.
Thanks :) If anyone else has any other issues, please post them. Then I can update the OFOC HID site!
 
#9 ·
I did the retrofit, and occasionally one or the other won't fire - simply switching off and back on solves it.

However, I'm almost convinced that sometimes both shields get stuck (either open or closed). I'll pull up to a big glass window somewhere, stare at the HIDs (ouch!), and turn on the high beams. No apparent change in the HIDs. (But other times, my retinas fry when I hit the highs - demonstrating opening of the shields.)

I figure two possibilities for this latter observation: (1) yeah, the shields get stuck open (or closed); (2) the angle at which I'm facing the window is such that I don't notice the change in the HIDs when I switch to high beams?

Anyway, I'll be following your progress here, in case I run into the same issues you're having.

G'luck!
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
AllBlackSvt said:
i had a problem similar... when connecting my machs, it would turn on, then off, then on and off again. it was the #3 and 4 wire on the vw harness that were swaped to the reg. harness..... hope it helps
Click to expand...
Thing is, I've had the harness for over 7 years and the issue is arising just now. I only touched the harness now since I'm thinking it's a wiring and/or ground issue...
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Okay...I finally had a chance to tear apart the car today. Things now work, except for my city light (which may have burnt out because of the amount of jostling I have done). I had to do the following:

1. Replace the stock non-HID connector (connections were corroded and couldn't form a good seal with the trailer harness).

2. I split off ground wires 6 and 8 from the VW harness. One ground wire is now tied with the non-HID connector. The other ground wire is now tied in with the turn signal.
 
#13 ·
i took the ground for the high/low and spliced right off the factory ground straight to the chassis. i gave each headlight its own ground. no flickering anymore.
 
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#14 ·
I suggested using the seperate grounds to gapboy pcs and he added my tip to the how-to, but most modders still used the headlight ground wire, which is the thinner one. I think the extra ground from the turn signal may help this problem be almost non existant. any chance we can change the how-to gapboy?
 
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