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View Full Version : HIDs cutting out within 2 min of driving



gq_movement
09-04-2013, 09:43 PM
holly f.

so i had this problem before (about april) got new ballast and bulbs. ended up melting the fuse (**** how that happened)
so all summer i had regular bulbs.

so my uncle's buddy at work got a get of low beam (h7s) from autozek for me.
(installed 2 days ago)
https://autozek.com/mazda-3-2005-low...b-size-h7.html (https://autozek.com/mazda-3-2005-low-beam-bulb-size-h7.html)

installation took 10 minutes for both, straight forward connection. put in bulb, ends go into original light plug, and 2 end into the ballast.
so it worked fine. then last night i noticed it was doing th flickering. as everyone else, passanger goes out first.

*note: if i turn the key, the lights are on with NO problem. once turn the car on, it'll run for about 2 minutes. first the passenger will time out, then the driver side.

the kit is ****ing new too!! it has a controller piece as well, which i tried to see if it made a difference...**** no.


i've contacted autozek but still awaiting reply.

any other things i can do in the mean times??

nguy3nha
09-04-2013, 09:50 PM
seems like its dying out because its not getting a constant voltage? When running regular halogen bulbs, do you notice your lights becoming dimmer by any chance? If not, try a relay harness first to avoid strain on the thin gauge OEM wiring. If that doesn't work then it's definitely the ballasts. I'd say get a set of proven ballasts. Your ballast looks like all the ones from China that get different stickers with different brand names. It's probably all manufactured by one company anyhow! Also you mentioned that one side cuts out first? Try switching the ballasts to different sides to see if the same issue occurs on that very side. It will tell you if it's ballast related.

gq_movement
09-04-2013, 09:54 PM
seems like its dying out because its not getting a constant voltage? When running regular halogen bulbs, do you notice your lights becoming dimmer by any chance? If not, try a relay harness first to avoid strain on the thin gauge OEM wiring. If that doesn't work then it's definitely the ballasts. I'd say get a set of proven ballasts. Your ballast looks like all the ones from China that get different stickers with different brand names. It's probably all manufactured by one company anyhow!


naw, never noticed it being dim. But from about August 2012 to Marchish 2013 it was fine, then i had the typical flicker. SO i pulled out the lights and ballast, and threw in new ones. Then the fuse melted, so i yanked it all.

At first i thought it was the kit...but can it be an issue with the car? would their controller be the used as the relay harness? i'm goign to yank it out and throw it back in (soon as master chef is done).

not sure if this plays a role, but my fog lights too, will come on for a bit..then off. i was using them tonight in lieu of not having lights. and don't want to be that jerk driving with my HI's on.

nguy3nha
09-04-2013, 09:59 PM
not sure why the fuse blew. I had my fuses blow back then with a cheaper relay harness as the connections became loose and caused a short somehow. I also had HID kits for the fogs, but that only lasted for 2 weeks. Both started to flicker/misfire and then die because it wasn't properly weather sealed. I wouldnt bet on the car being the issue since it's providing a constant voltage I would assume (you could check if you have a multimeter though). If the voltages are constant, then its definitely not a problem with the ballast since you're bypassing a relay so a problem with a relay wouldn't be in the picture.

I know its generally really hard believing that it could be the new ballasts because you're really excited to get it going and really hopeful about it. I would say check your voltages and if the voltages are fine, don't spend too much time trying to get a broken product working!

gq_movement
09-04-2013, 10:02 PM
f c u k.

so most likely the kit...yet again. well i will post some pictures of it. maybe someone will notice something.

but cheers nguy3nha