Bad ballast?

[phravaldad70]

Hey all. I've got a '96 GS-R with a JDM HID front end conversion. (It was on the car when i got it, so i can't take credit for it) This is my first vehicle with this kind of stuff, so i don't know very much about it. Anyway, within the last week, my passenger side headlight has been working only sporadically. Usually it only just flashes on when the headlights are first turned on and it goes out immediately. Could that be the ballast going bad? Is there any way to test it to figure it out? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NemesisCBR]

Definite possibility. To start testing swap the bulbs and if it does the same thing then its likely the ballast or igniter. From there you could buy another ballast and/or igniter to swap and test. Another member here had a similar problem and we thought it was the ballast but he swapped the igniter for trial and that was it.


Cars lookin good. Who cares if you bought it that way.

 

[phravaldad70]

Thanks, i will give that a try.

 

[phravaldad70]

So i did the lightbulb switch this weekend and it didn't do anything different, quick flash when turned on, then nothing. i did find a couple of wires that were loose that i tried hooking back up. one went to the battery and had an in-line fuse and the other came out of a plug on the bottom of the headlight housing. when i made contact with that one when plugging it back in, the headlight would flash but never fully illuminate.

 

[NemesisCBR]

So the bulb worked without a problem when you put it on the other side? If so id make sure wiring is all proper just in case and then try a different ballast or igniter.

 

[DerekLS]

Had that issue recently and ended up getting a hid relay kit, got rid of the flickering & "one-side-lit" issue

 

[phravaldad70]

thanks for the help and suggestions. will work on it again this weekend.

 

[phravaldad70]

Yup, the ballast is bad. Based on what i was told, when the front end conversion was done, the ballast was "mounted" incorrectly and therefore may have gotten moisture in it or may have just burned up from flopping around in the engine compartment. Anyway, now i have to buy a set of JDM HiD headlights AND get them installed properly which means having to have some cosmetic stuff done under the hood. More than i was looking to spend, but better to get it fixed properly than to drive around with some half-assed crap under the hood. Thank you guys for your help.

 

[NemesisCBR]

If ballast is bad you could just replace it and mount the ballast where you want. You have the jdm hid headlamps but aftermarket ballast setup?

 

[phravaldad70]

no, i have the jdm headlights and i was told that the ballast MUST mount to the back of the headlight assembly (my driver's side one is mounted like that) lest moisture or dirt or whatever get in there and mess stuff up. Besides, i've been searching all over the place online and can't find a ballast that matches mine, unless they are sold with the headlight housing.

 

[NemesisCBR]

So you have the oem ballast but it wasnt mounted with the bracket that the otherside has? Anyway you can mount a ballast anywhere but some locations are more ideal than others. If concerned with liquid getting in you can get a potted ballast so its resistant to water. A lot of people mount ballasts underneath the headlights and some manufacturers do this as well. Depends on where there is room. You can replace it with any ballast.

 

[phravaldad70]

it's the jdm front end (type r, i was told). the guy at the shop told me that the ballast should be mounted on the headlight. I'm not trying to say everything he said is the gospel or anything, just telling you what he told me. i uploaded pictures that i took of the headlights i have currently and how they were installed. Here is the link:

 

[NemesisCBR]

Oh i know what it looks like. Ive seen a few set ups. Im just letting you know a ballast can technically be mounted anywhere. Whatever is more ideal and when moisture is a concern you can get potted ballasts. Although i cant see how that one could be mounted underneath but i dont know how much room there is. Did you have to get the jdm power steering line or whatever that is on the driver side near the ballast? I was told the usdm one is in the way of the ballast.

 

[phravaldad70]

to be honest, i'm not sure. all i know is the guy at the shop said that to do it right, my ABS module would need to be moved and remounted somewhere on the firewall and most likely i will lose my AC (really sucks!). i would hope that he's not just trying to run one up in me since i'm pretty new to this arena of automotive performance and styling and don't know a lot about it. But i'm trying to learn as i go, so i really do appreciate your help.

 

[NemesisCBR]

I cant confirm but i think newer gen 3's had a smaller abs unit on the passenger side than older gen 3's. How would you lose ac if you currently have it and the only problem is that the passenger side ballast isnt mounted on the headlight?