HID Problems
 

I just picked up an HID kit from spike, and installed it today. Went in fine no problems, took my time mapping it out and etc. Got it all wired up, then flicked the lights on an whalaa, new HIDs. I didnt adjust the aiming because it didnt seem nessecary atm, went and took a shower and let it sit. Was heading over to my girlfriends later that night, and tried to flick on my brights, and not much happened. The dims are nice and bright, and seem correct, they needed to be aimed up a bit but otherwise were good. When i tried to go to brights, they didnt get any brighter at all, and if anything got dimmer. Its not that they didnt change it just kinda adjusted the pattern/aiming how the normal brights should be, just the bulbs never got brighter. Also idk if this is normal but when i pull back towards me on the knob, in what normally would hold the brights on until i let go, doesnt do anything now. The bright symbol lights up on pullback, but the lights dont adjust at all. Any help greatly appreciated. :all:

First of all I have to say that I don't have spike's kit, so ours may differ. On my dual beam hid's the light has an electromagnet that sucks the bulb in which adjusts the beam higher when you turn on the high beams. I assume yours has the same design, so the light doesn't get brighter, just the beam is adjusted higher.

Your kit might be wired to only turn on the high beams only when you push the knob forward, mine works either way so you will have to find someone with the same one.

Hope that helped.;)

Yeah thats how it works. They will not be brighter, they will just aim higher. Because there are no secondary bulbs.

HID's have to attain a certain heat/temp in order to work properly, and if you were to switch to a diff bulb you would have a temporarily dim light. and you wouldnt want that.

what your experiencing is normal.

If it wasnt for my HID's, I couldnt drive at night.

BTW they are SPIKES HID's.

I can third that. Same for my HIDs I got from Spike. They don't get brighter as far a lumens go, but the beam is focused farther down the road. Spike's HIDs have saved my hide more than once. Curvey, mountainous roads are hard to travel at night in the rain and fog, but Hids make it possible.

Well thats the thing as well, they dont aim further up. The pattern changes, and it acknowledges that ive hit the brights, but they dont aim any further up. Its really hard to explain without a video or pictures. Id take pics but my camera is at my gfs from the disturbed/A7X concert we went to, and my video camera doesnt have any upload disc.

Get a friend to play with your headlight lever as you watch the light in the housing itself, and see what it does. You will hear a distinct noise when as it moves.

I hear the noise and the thing does move, but it doesnt aim up actually. Idk ill have to try again later tonight and see whats up.

how come you always have issues with everything you install lol

you may have your wires flipped over.

TELL ME ABOUT IT! Ive had only one or two things that went in easy. Gauge overlay, and the HVAC overlay lawl.


And Kreno, how would i do that? The plugs seem pretty straightforward.

Ok i tried it again tonight and same shit. The bulbs do adjust whenever brights are turned on, but they dont do it properly i think. They dont really raise, just adjust slightly. The pattern changes, im trying to get pictures up, but the email is fucking up along with every other goddamned thing around my house. Sometimes i truely hate my car..it gives me so much trouble with every little thing i do. What should i check?

Maybe with them being adjusted low it makes a difference. Adjust them correctly on low beams them see if the change is more noticeable. I remember I had a friend do his and he thought when he put the highs on they were getting dimmer(although they never really change) but they were actually pointing up into the sky and not on the road.

/\/\/\ This is what I thought also, try this on a wall or garage door and this should help.

Ive done all of the above already. I adjusted them last night or the night before, no change. Right now they are probably just about right, aiming wise, but the brights dont act any different. Leme show you guys some pictures.
Lows
Attachment 14965
Highs
Attachment 14966
Farther back lows
Attachment 14967
Farther Highs
Attachment 14968
Farther lows, downwards angle.
Attachment 14969
Farther highs, downward.
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/t...l/IMG00285.jpg
They are all right around the same height. I would just adjust my lows to where they were good enough but thats half assed and i love the option between lows/brights.

Hmmm, it looks like all the high bright pictures are aiming further up than the lows to me.

I don't know what to tell you.

They are, but very very slightly, as in less than an inch.

Okay i took her out tonight and double checked, techincally when i have the brights on it is dimmer. But only BARELY, as in, it took me 6-7 clicks back and forth to figure out which was brighter and the differences in between. The brights dont raise up more, and when i do click them on they adjust but i dont think so correctly. They actually do lower a little, at the top of the beam, but adjust the center of the light more focused inward, also the light on highs is not NEAR as wide as lows. Is there any way to say have the right hand ballast mixed with lh or does it usually not matter? I need to get this fixed soon, i drove at night obviously and got flashed already, i have them aimed too high for lows so people think i have my highs on. Anyways any help appreciated.

That is how the HI beams work. They pull the bulb up slightly. It looks like yours are being pulled up and if they both make the click then its working. It's a magnet that when you hit the HI's sends power to it and pulls the bulb up. So there is no mechanical part inside. You do need to adjust your lows up more.

Yeah, by looking at those pictures, your beams are aimed way to low. Aim them higher and try it out again, but they are definately working like they are supposed to.

Ill have to show some different pictures..I tried adjusting them it didnt work. That was before i adjusted them, ill show you new ones soon and youll be able to tell.

Should've just bought a headlight housing meant for HIDs....

Oh well.

I have always used my HIDs with the housings I bought from AM. I never have tried them with the 99-00 stockers, maybe they are slightly different?

Shouldn't you adjust the lights against a wall that's about 20ft away and aim the beam about 12 inches off the ground?

I know AM has a how to video to do this properly. The HID's are already hella bright and using the high beam is just to illuminate more of the road. You lights don't need to be any brighter when your using them on a back road some where. My HID's on my mazda aren't even that bright but they are adjustable to 3 different positions with a switch, its bad ass. I never put HID's on my mustang because they would have to be aimed so low to keep me from getting a ticket for illegal mods.

No such thing for 99-04 cars. Best we can do is a stock housing with HID kit that is aimed well. I do not use my hi's for anything but flashing at other cars such as when at a stop sign to let other people go. Otherwise the HI's are worthless on any single bulb kit. Plus the low's are so bright that I just don't need them.

But most people adjust them otherwise. To where its blinding to oncoming traffic (highs or lows). Just speaking my opinion. Seems like every civic around here rolls around with the standard halogen housings using HIDs and its annoying as fuck.

IMO they can't be truly adjusted correctly unless used with a true projector housing. And it can be done, its just expensive (guy on SVTP does it). But we all know anything over $500 isn't going to make it when you can get a bi-xenon for $150.

Its not the adjusting that's the problem its just that those lights aren't meant for the housings. You can tear down some lexus HID's and try to make them work in your mustang housing but that's a lot of work. I think HID's in mustangs look like ass because the lighst aren't crisp nor have the real look to them all they do is look like you're staring in direct sunlight when you come across them at night.

Thats what I'm saying. And its already been done.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...eadlights.html

The reason why i like highs/lows is because i dont like having my lows aimed so high that im blinding people or making them think im on highs. I live out in the country, deer are rampant throughout, and the further i can see them ahead of me, the more likely ill have some opportunity to slow down. Maybe i need to adjust them more...idk..

Your just going to have to tinker with the beam adjustment. Try to find a happy medium, but there isn't much you can do about it with our shitty housings.

Worst part is, i basically have NO level ground just about anywhere. Idk ill have to figure it out, i would hate to think the way they are is how they are meant to be..