Thread: HID and DRL

Hi Paul

Give Peter a call.

He's been running HID's for some time and I keep kicking him to sort out the error message problem.

Regards
Trevor

keep up the good work Paul!

What is the error message, Bulb failure? if so these might cure the problem

LED Light Bulbs Load Resistors 25w/25ohm Xenon hid : eBay Motors (item 110573997303 end time Sep-14-10 11:38:41 PDT)

Yep... LH Dip Beam Bulb Failure, RH Dip Beam Bulb Failure, LH Main Beam Bulb Failure, and RH Main Beam Bulb Failure.

According to Ohm's Law (V=IR) these 25 Ohm resistors should pull an extra 0.5A.

Dunno where they get 25W from...
Ohm's mate Joule's says Power = I x I x R (or VI) = 0.5 x 0.5 x 25 = 6.25W

Do you guys reckon this will be enough to trick the BECM?

cheers, Paul.

Originally Posted by PaulP38a

Dunno where they get 25W from...

That's the power rating of the resistor, not what they will be dissipating. Note that they are in heat sinks so their power rating will be higher than conventional power resistors.

Originally Posted by PaulP38a

Do you guys reckon this will be enough to trick the BECM?

I use them on my motorbike, as I've replaced all the standard bulbs with LEDs. They convince my motorbike computer that all is well with the bulbs (no bulb failure message). Your application is a little different to LED so it might be a bit more interesting getting it to work correctly with these resistors, still a chance though I reckon

If you're getting all 4 bulb failures, then it'll be because the ballasts aren't drawing enough current with the 35w globes (as I suggested in a PM).
I run a full 50/55w kit & only fitted the diodes to avoid 2 bulb fail messages. I didn't need to fit any load resistors to 'trick' the system.

We have a development of sorts.

The lights are great to drive with... range and visibility is very good. So far, no flashes from other drivers... even asked a pretty young thing that I followed in to the servo tonight if my lights bothered her, she said not at all... I think she meant it and wasn't just being polite or afraid of the lecherous old man in the big ugly 4WD.

Then I went to the LRC ACT meeting and was informed by RRturboD that my LH light wasn't working

Fiddled around in the car park at Eastlakes FC to see if I had a loose connection... all good as far as I could tell without removing the light and checking the earth. Drove home, still impressed by one HID light and the DRL's... no signs of irritating other drivers.

At home in the relative comfort of my garage, checked the lights again and noticed that the LH light flickered for a few seconds before going out. Changed the bulb for new one and it did the same thing.

An observation and question: when operating, the ballast for the RH light emits a dull whining sound. There is no sound from the LH ballast at all. Is the sound normal, and due to the load on the ballast... and is the absence of sound on the LH ballast a cause for concern, and/or due to the lack of load?

I'll change the ballast tomorrow and see if this makes a difference.

I'll also order some 55W bulbs to see if this makes the warning messages go away.

Will also get some resistors, but I can get the same eBay ones for much cheaper through my wholesaler.

Stay tuned... we'll get these puppies working. Your advice always appreciated... and a nice gift for the person that comes up with the solution

Cheers, Paul.