Weird HID issue - strobe lights!

[KenC]

I did a preliminary install of some HIDs last night.

Install passenger side: everything works perfectly.

Install drivers side and turn lights on: I get an alternating strobe effect from each low (HID), and the highbeams (H1) glow very dimly. The high beam switch is not flipped on at this point.

If I have just one hooked up on either side, it works fine. But as soon as I have both ballasts hooked up, I get the alternating strobe from each.

[DaveSmed]

I did a preliminary install of some HIDs last night.

Install passenger side: everything works perfectly.

Install drivers side and turn lights on: I get an alternating strobe effect from each low (HID), and the highbeams (H1) glow very dimly. The high beam switch is not flipped on at this point.

If I have just one hooked up on either side, it works fine. But as soon as I have both ballasts hooked up, I get the alternating strobe from each.

Sounds like the HID is trying to find a ground through the H1s. Both H1s combined make an "okay" ground for one ballast, but not both.

Make up a temporary separate ground for the ballast to check, and verify the brown wires at least have basic continuity to ground.

[KenC]

When I have the leads from the ballast into the factory headlight socket, neither of them are plugged into the brown factory lead (it won't turn on if either of them is).

[DaveSmed]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess this was a factory sealed beam car?

That 3rd wire is connected directly to the highbeams, which explains the funky grounding.

What it doesn't explain, is why are the highbeams grounded OK through the same brown wire that ends up getting spliced to the lowbeams brown wire.

If the continuity to ground does not check out, inspect where the wire is crimped to the terminal in the plug for damage. Also, if temporarily grounding the ballasts works, there should be no harm in making a permanent separate ground if you wish.

[KenC]

Yeah, it's a 91 318is.

How would I temporarily ground the ballast? Hook the black wire to a ground?

If the third wire is hooked directly to the highbeams, that may explain why they glow very dimly while the HIDs strobe.

Which wires on the factory plug should the ballast hook into? Right now it seems to be the two positive leads (if I'm correct that the factory brown lead is ground).

[DaveSmed]

The drivers side has a yellow/white wire for positive, and a brown for ground.
The passenger side has a yellow/blue wire for positive, and a brown for ground.

And yea, just attaching the black lead from the ballast to ground should do the trick.

[Wh33lhop]

Yeah, it's a 91 318is.

How would I temporarily ground the ballast? Hook the black wire to a ground?

If the third wire is hooked directly to the highbeams, that may explain why they glow very dimly while the HIDs strobe.

Which wires on the factory plug should the ballast hook into? Right now it seems to be the two positive leads (if I'm correct that the factory brown lead is ground).

Wait.

How do you have the HIDs wired up? They should be going from the low beam positive to ground on both sides. Correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like you may have them wired up between low beam positive and high beam positive, which would explain both of your problems (it would give high beam positive a little voltage when activated because of the resistance of the wiring back to the actual ground).

[KenC]

Wait.

How do you have the HIDs wired up? They should be going from the low beam positive to ground on both sides. Correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like you may have them wired up between low beam positive and high beam positive, which would explain both of your problems (it would give high beam positive a little voltage when activated because of the resistance of the wiring back to the actual ground).

I think my trouble was hooking one up at a time. I had them both plugged into the hot low/high beam leads.

[Wh33lhop]

I think my trouble was hooking one up at a time. I had them both plugged into the hot low/high beam leads.

Ok. Does it work now?

[rav320uk]

Have you unplugged the 2 resistor packs???
This normally causes the HID's to flicker.
Cream/yellow in colour, and located on the driverside(USA) inner wing towards the front of the car.

[e30trooper]

i had this strobing the other night putting my euros back on. it was in the wrong plug, swapped it , and it fixed.

[KenC]

Have you unplugged the 2 resistor packs???
This normally causes the HID's to flicker.
Cream/yellow in colour, and located on the driverside(USA) inner wing towards the front of the car.

More info on this? Resistor packs?

[KenC]

Ok. Does it work now?

Going to try it again today.

[rav320uk]

More info on this? Resistor packs?

Over here, to overcome the HID flicker, all we do is unplug the 2 resistors where I said they were located, front driverside inner wing, in the engine bay, if you header tank is in the same position as the euro late model, the resistor pack will be directly underneath it or towards the front of the car.
They are about 3" in length, and are together.

Rav

[airkhin]

^^bumping this to the top... i just installed my hid's, it doesnt strobe, but when i first turn the lights on, the drivers side doesnt turn on and i get a warning light in check panel. if i turn the lights off and turn them on again it works perfectly, but warning is still there...

i currently only have the low beam hid's hooked up if that makes a difference. car is a '88 m3