Headlight fault after modification (HID)

[Jorsher]

Hi,

I have a fazer s2 2007. The bikes previous owner must have already made a modification so that the H7 and H4 bulb came on when low beam was switched on. When high beam was selected the H4 beams second filament would come on. I later noticed that the H4 bulb was always a little bit dimmer than the H7 bulb. I disregarded this and thought that it was simply due to a faulty H4 bulb. I recently purchsed and installed a bi-xenon HID kit from HIDS4U (UK) rated at 6000K. This came with two ballast, wiring and a H7 and H4 xenon bulb. After installation the H7 bulb produced a brilliant white light (with slight blue tint). The H4 bulb however was slightly dimmer (as was before with the halogen bulb) and produced a slightly purple light. I have switched the ballasts around and got a replacement H4 bulb from the manufacturer, but the problem still persists. I do not think enough power is going to the H4 bulb headlight, but not sure.


Any help would be very much appreciated

:thumbup:

 

[rsw81]

Hi,

I have a fazer s2 2007. The bikes previous owner must have already made a modification so that the H7 and H4 bulb came on when low beam was switched on. When high beam was selected the H4 beams second filament would come on. I later noticed that the H4 bulb was always a little bit dimmer than the H7 bulb. I disregarded this and thought that it was simply due to a faulty H4 bulb. I recently purchsed and installed a bi-xenon HID kit from HIDS4U (UK) rated at 6000K. This came with two ballast, wiring and a H7 and H4 xenon bulb. After installation the H7 bulb produced a brilliant white light (with slight blue tint). The H4 bulb however was slightly dimmer (as was before with the halogen bulb) and produced a slightly purple light. I have switched the ballasts around and got a replacement H4 bulb from the manufacturer, but the problem still persists. I do not think enough power is going to the H4 bulb headlight, but not sure.


Any help would be very much appreciated

:thumbup:

This is more likely due to the reflective properties of the H4 side of the headlight. The problem with these H4 dual high/low systems is that the reflector is only really set up for one or the other, not both. As it stands, our H4 reflector is set up for high beam use... which is why the low beam "appears" dimmer to you while standing in front of the bike. It has nothing to do with power to the ballasts.

If you want proof, try this experiment. Have a friend move the bulb around forward-backward while you stand in front of the bike. As the bulb reaches the proper focal point of the reflector, it will appear the same as the H7 side. Some people have "solved/fixed" this problem by creating a spacer between the bulb and the housing to shift the bulb backward (toward the seat) by approximately 3-4mm.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I was unclear for any reason.

~Rob

 

[abacall]

Proper focal points are a huge part of getting good light output. This is a good reason to get well made bulbs (read not Chinese-made) and to stay away from putting HID kits in reflector housings made for Halogen bulbs.
Good luck, and I hope a good rpojector retrofit is in your near future.

 

[Jorsher]

Thanks for the quick response.

I also initially thought that the different reflectors gave the impression that the H4 bulb was dimmer. I have attached a pick of the original halogen configuration (H4 on the left) on low beam

However after installing the new Xenin kit I took out the xenon bulbs from their housing (see second picture, H4 bulb now on right) . You can see that the right bulb (H4) is a different colour. This leads me to believe that my problem may be more than just an optical distortion due to reflector housing. As I mentioned before i switched ballasts and changed the H4 bulb and the same problem persists. This is why I think the problem stems back to a power issue.

Any more help would be appreciated, thanks again

 

[regder]

different colour light would lead me to believe it's a different kelvin rated bulb

4000k is straight white, 6000k has a distinct blue tint, 8000k has a purplish tint, see here http://www.oznium.com/images/hid_photos_compare.jpg. Most likely you have a 8000k bulb on the right

 

[gusss]

Thanks for the quick response.

I also initially thought that the different reflectors gave the impression that the H4 bulb was dimmer. I have attached a pick of the original halogen configuration (H4 on the left) on low beam

However after installing the new Xenin kit I took out the xenon bulbs from their housing (see second picture, H4 bulb now on right) . You can see that the right bulb (H4) is a different colour. This leads me to believe that my problem may be more than just an optical distortion due to reflector housing. As I mentioned before i switched ballasts and changed the H4 bulb and the same problem persists. This is why I think the problem stems back to a power issue.

Any more help would be appreciated, thanks again

although it shouldn't, probably the color of the bulbs, being both for example 6000k, could differ fron the brand,
and second:
look and see if the crome mirror inside the headlights is as shiny as the other...
good luck!

 

[LERecords]

go grab a multimeter and test the power levels... might be off ever so little, but still off

 

[rsw81]

although it shouldn't, probably the color of the bulbs, being both for example 6000k, could differ fron the brand,
and second:
look and see if the crome mirror inside the headlights is as shiny as the other...
good luck!

This is exactly my thought. They either sent you different Kelvin rated bulbs of the same brand or you got same Kelvin of two different brands. Like I said, I did the dual headlight mod and did HIDs. Mine never had this problem and the voltage was just fine.

Out of curiousity, which method did you use for the dual headlight mod? 1) piggy back off the H7 side or 2) finding the green wire with orange dots and properly wiring it up?

 

[regder]

I used to have a hid kit in my old Integra. Blew three different ballasts over the course of four years. With each different ballast the light output was just a tiny bit different, but never a different colour, just different brightness.

I'll bet money that they sent you a different K bulb by accident

 

[Jorsher]

Thanks for the responses so far. In regards to the wiring, I did not modify anything. The previous owner made a modification that allowed both the headlights to come on during the use of low beam (I will check the method used for wiring). I just recently checked the current/voltage on each side using a voltameter on each terminal, they both appear to be equal and have the same voltage drop when a bulb is used on the opposite side.

As some of you have mentioned it could be that the manufacturer sent me an incorrectly rated bulb (8000K instead of 6000K). The manufacturer is now sending me another bulb this week, they have tested it and claim that is works. Hopefully it will now work correctly. I will let you guys know what happened.

 

[Scorphonic]

hay man,

Just saw your message to me there.

My H4 is exactly the same, slightly purple. They are I presume 6000K but it has got to be something to do with the reflector. The bulb is certainly white when you look at it outside the reflector.

I wouldn't worry, the output is amazing! (although nothing compared to the retrofit you can read about on the forum)

The recent retrofit has got me excited..it looks amazing!!