Drove 1200 miles today, lamp was working in the dark of the morning, but was out once the sun went down. I did a quick peek, but since I'm not driving tomorrow in the dark I didn't dive in + I have no tools. Aside from checking the connections, which I don't know if I can even do without removing the grill, pulling lamp out etc, what else should I do? I will be able to take it to a dealer tomorrow afternoon but don't want to drop a gob of cash. I haven't noticed any discoloration of the lamp/beam so I don't think the bulb went bad? Here's to hoping the connection just got knocked loose. I guess I'm just looking for guidance/advice. Thanks.
For the 04 to check any connections you will need to remove the grill vent that goes to the intake box on passenger side and on driver side you would have to remove the battery. Your ballast is probably bad. The simplest way to trouble shoot is to swap bulbs from side to side.
Just noticed something - hopefully this is a big hint for those who know more than I do! - When initially turning the lights on, the light in question flicks on for a brief millisecond before going out. The color appears normal for that quarter of a second. What does that tell you guys, if anything?
OK, finally got a 10mm and took it out. Noticed 2 things: 1) socket/connection that goes to ballas has 6 different colored wires going into it. One of them on the car side of the connection is stripped a bit, exposing raw wire for a tiny bit. What can I do about this? 2) Took the bulb out, it looks shot. Is there anyway I can test the ballast to make sure it isn't busted and wont fry any replacement bulb?
A couple of things. As that's an HID capsule, you aren't going to be able to tell if it's shot by looking at it (no filament to look at for a break). Swap capsules with the other side and see if the problem follows the capsule or stays on the same side. If it's the capsule, there are a lot of sources for new ones. It's a D2R. Amazon ($40 single bulb, but brand name)- http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Xenon...J4KA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315943514&sr=8-1 DDM Tuning ($15/pair, Chinese no-names)- http://ddmtuning.com/Products/HID-Bulb-Replacements-Pair (I have had mostly very good luck with DDM's stuff, of five sets one had a significant issue that was more igniter related than bulb) If it's not the capsule it could be the ballast or wiring issues. Again, swapping the ballasts would give you some idea. I honestly don't know how well it would work to use an aftermarket ballast or if you'd have to go OEM. If the insulation is worn on the side of the ballast running from the wiring harness, just make sure it's intact and wrap it with some electrical tape to insure it isn't grounding out. If the insulation is worn on the wire running from the ballast to the light, that's more of a concern, as those wires carry high voltages when the capsule is ignited. You could look for a high-dielectric electrical tape (Radio Shack sells some) , or better yet a high-dielectric self-fusing silicone electrical tape (e.g. Scotch 70) to really seal moisture out of the break.
Not really. That area is filled with Xenon and a variety of other stuff (metal halides). The blackening may be a sign of failure, or it may just be a sign of age from the bulb operating. Anyhow, you could just go ahead and replace it, it's pretty cheap these days (HID bulbs used to cost hundreds), but a swap would be a fairly quick way to verify.
I work at an Infiniti dealership, and the xenon bulbs STILL cost hundreds. but its "OE".... IMO just paying for the brand name
Swapped the bulbs and the lamp was working fine. So I replaced it, hopefully it isn't a component that's shorting out the bulb and was really just a bad bulb.
