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HID flicker issue

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by 4X4 Prius, May 8, 2012.

  1. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    Those Prius C projectors deserve to have HIDs shining through them. :D I had a local HID installer install an inexpensive $80 6000k HID kit and I am having an awful flicker issue. It’s kind of embarrassing having my lights cause a very noticeable flicker all over an intersection lol. The installer tried some special harnesses that were supposed to regulate current from the car to the ballasts, but they made no difference. I saw a couple references to a flicker issue in another thread though didn’t see any solutions, besides spending $300 on a high quality kit which I would prefer to avoid haha. Does anyone know what the problem might be and how I can fix it?

    Any input is much appreciated ;)
     
    #1 4X4 Prius, May 8, 2012
  2. Angel Natal

    Angel Natal Junior Member

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    When is the flicker happening with lights on or off? Because most HID's don't work with DRL...
     
    #2 Angel Natal, May 8, 2012
  3. kkim

    kkim Active Member

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    DRLs use the high beam bulbs. OP... is your problem in the high or low beams?
     
    #3 kkim, May 9, 2012
  4. mmcdonal

    mmcdonal Active Member

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    HID is always going to have flicker under some conditions because the plasma arc is less stable than a filament. But this is happening while idling at an intersection, or while passing through an intersection? If the former, that is worrisome, if the latter, then you probably can't do anything about that if the pavement is rough. Those short bumps at traffic speed will attenuate the arc as per normal.
     
    #4 mmcdonal, May 9, 2012
  5. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    The flickering is happening when the lights are on.
     
    #5 4X4 Prius, May 10, 2012
  6. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    The HIDs are constantly flickering, from the second their turned on, till they are turned off. I have bever had this problem with another other cheap HID kit and the installer said he has only seen this issue once before, but the issue was easily fixed by connecting some additional harnesses which regulated the flow of electricity to the ballasts. We tried the same harnesses but its still flickering.
     
    #6 4X4 Prius, May 10, 2012
  7. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    The low beams. The high beams are still the factory lights
     
    #7 4X4 Prius, May 10, 2012
  8. kkim

    kkim Active Member

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    Sounds like a ballast problem, though if it's happening in both low beams, there might be something in the way the are connected. Have you tried asking the people you bought the kit from for some help?

    I have a cheap $30 HID kit in the high beams and they work fine w/o any problems.
     
    #8 kkim, May 10, 2012
  9. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    Yeah, both lights are flickering bad. The installer has swapped out the lights and ballasts and still the same problem. :confused: He is not sure what to do anymore
     
    #9 4X4 Prius, May 11, 2012
  10. nallioni

    nallioni New Member

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    try a positive cable away from the electric motor, perhaps the hid are picking up ac voltage interference from the electric motor
     
    #10 nallioni, May 11, 2012
  11. bens1088

    bens1088 Junior Member

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    You need a can-bus canceller. It should eliminate the flickering.
     
    #11 bens1088, May 12, 2012
  12. cadillackid

    cadillackid New Member

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    many new cars drive the headlights.. with effectively a PWM signal.. this works great with halogen or incancescent bulbs but will wreak havok with LED or ballast driven bulbs...

    chances are the "harness" the tech put on is nothing more than a relay harness.. and that often lacks the proper large size capacitors needed to smooth out the signal from the computer driving the light circuit... the CAN-BUS canceller mentioned above may very well solve your issue ..

    often the reason for this type of "drive " circuits is so that the car can monitor when it thinks a light is burned out, shorted or causing an over-current condition to the electrical system.. if the relay harness installed doesnt pull enough current it will cause the relays to "chatter" .. result will be flickering or barely functional lights...

    I dont know if PC uses this type of system but I imagine it probably does...
    -Christopher
     
    #12 cadillackid, May 14, 2012
  13. nivla

    nivla New Member

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    maybe try a relay?
     
    #13 nivla, May 18, 2012
  14. eco31

    eco31 Member

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    Did you get your HID issue taken care of? What brand are you using if you don't mind me asking?
     
    #14 eco31, Jul 19, 2012
  15. 4X4 Prius

    4X4 Prius New Member

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    Nope =/ still flickering. I sorta just got tired of messing with it.. The HID installer couldn't figure it out and left me out to dry. The brand is Xentec. It's the most popular/affordable on ebay.
     
    #15 4X4 Prius, Aug 6, 2012
  16. zeoth

    zeoth Junior Member

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    Is it both then I suggest you:
    1. The wire harness plugs into the battery to draw power
    2. Install an Optima Yellow top to get more consistent power
    3. Make sure the ballasts are grounded properly
     
    #16 zeoth, Aug 6, 2012
  17. eco31

    eco31 Member

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    4X4 Prius - When you had the HID installed did they install a wire harness with it's own fuse? I had the same issue and the light eventually blew a fuse and stopped working. I will get mine installed by a different person and see it I have better luck the third time around.
     
    #17 eco31, Aug 7, 2012
  18. Dwayne

    Dwayne New Member

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    The problem is most likely due to the PWM signal used for your DRL's. This signal is not sufficient to drive your HID ballasts and will result in a blown ballast eventually.

    Here is a solution: A module that corrects the DRL signal...
    ZzyzX Technologies DRL - HID Interface
     
    #18 Dwayne, Jan 13, 2013
  19. kwhubby

    kwhubby Junior Member

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    It's those $30 Xentecs your using. They are really terrible ballasts and bulbs. I noticed these bulbs burning/blistering the plastic on a Lexus and got particularly concerned about the unfiltered UV output from the xentec. I swapped my xentec hid bulbs for morimoto bulbs from here: H11: Morimoto 3Five - HID Bulbs from The Retrofit Source Inc
    and the flicker levels are not a problem to me anymore. I imagine a better ballast might have some added improvements (light ouput, warmup time), but I'll wait until the xentec ballasts die.
     
    #19 kwhubby, Jan 13, 2013
  20. ianblake

    ianblake Junior Member

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    here running xentec 5000k since day one no problems just perfect for about 6 months
     
    #20 ianblake, Jan 16, 2013
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