Right Side HID Keeps Shorting Out

[skyxliner]

I've had my HID installed for about 4 years now with relay harness and everything.

Just recently, my right HID would suddenly short out on it's own.

Scenario 1: Cold start, 2-3min of driving, it'll suddenly short out.
Scenario 2: I'd be driving and i'd hit a pothole or a heavy jolt and the right light goes out.

To resolve it usually, I just turn it off and then on again and it works perfectly fine. After the car's been on for awhile, it doesn't seem to short out anymore.


Question 1: is the issue a bad ballast or hid? or what parts do you guys suspect is the issue? I've checked it and nothing looks bad.

Question 2: i've always thought my light output wasn't as strong as some other people's HID, can a good versus a bad ballast produce a stronger light output?

[exclusive]

With HIDs it's difficult to pin point the problem without doing some tests. Try to swap ballasts around and see if the problem happens again on the right or happens now on the left. You could narrow it down to ballast or bulb this way.

[aznlunatic206]

double check your connections, other than that im guessing your ballast is taking a dump. what brand is it anyways?

[sxe-10]

Originally Posted by skyxliner

I've had my HID installed for about 4 years now with relay harness and everything.

Just recently, my right HID would suddenly short out on it's own.

Scenario 1: Cold start, 2-3min of driving, it'll suddenly short out.
Scenario 2: I'd be driving and i'd hit a pothole or a heavy jolt and the right light goes out.

To resolve it usually, I just turn it off and then on again and it works perfectly fine. After the car's been on for awhile, it doesn't seem to short out anymore.


Question 1: is the issue a bad ballast or hid? or what parts do you guys suspect is the issue? I've checked it and nothing looks bad.

Question 2: i've always thought my light output wasn't as strong as some other people's HID, can a good versus a bad ballast produce a stronger light output?

im having the exact symptoms as you are, to the T actually, this problem happens more frequent when its cold too. I've tried disconnecting the ballast and harness to re-do everything, but it makes no difference, so I kno its not the connections, I've had my ballast for 3.5yrs now on my car, so im guessing its time for a new ballast

[gdanaher]

You're saying it is shorting, but do you mean the circuit is opening? How many fuses have you been through if it shorts constantly. Lucky not to have burned up the car.

[workaholic]

Originally Posted by exclusive

With HIDs it's difficult to pin point the problem without doing some tests. Try to swap ballasts around and see if the problem happens again on the right or happens now on the left. You could narrow it down to ballast or bulb this way.

+1. try swapping your ballasts around, then go from there.

[bandit]

It may be the ballast. I had a similar problem but it was both HIDs. I found out it was the ground wire on my relay harness. The wire tubing for the ground wire was facing up and somehow, water got in and rusted/corroded the wire thus shorting out. When I took off the wire, water was flowing out. Ended up getting a new relay harness.

Take the ballast on the right side and swap it with the left. If the left side does it but the right doesnt, then you know its the ballast. No one will know the definite reason just by what you describe. You'll have to figure it out yourself with trial and error to try and pin point what is causing the problem.