Intermittent fog lamp

[jjsea55]

Recently I've noticed that SOMETIMES my passenger side fog lamp will not illuminate when requested. This can be in the garage, on the highway, or wherever. Just went into garage to check it and they both came on as normal when triggered. I proceeded to tap around and under the bumper to "jiggle" the bulb in it's housing and it remained on. I've never noticed an issue with the driver side light.

At first notice I assumed the bulb had blown, although these HID conversions have only been installed since last December. However, the bulb is definitely not blown, just not activating occasionally.

I'm heading to my Caddy dealer Friday morning for an oil change and would like them to address this if possible. Any ideas as to why this issue is occurring? If the seating of the bulb was loose one would think the "bumping/jiggling" would reveal it. These cars have sensors for many things... just wondering if someone had experienced a similar issue. Thanks!

 

[HOMEGAMEROOM]

The aftermarket HID conversions tend to be very sensitive to voltage and won't start when the volts from the alternator are low.

The alternators in the XLRs are rather undersized to begin with - when a heavier load is present it could easily cause a voltage drop which would explain your problem.

PS Your dealer probably won't touch them since they aren't OEM parts. I'll bet the ballast is always getting 12 volts - you could check this by reinstalling the incandescent lamp and seeing if it still lights (I know it would look screwy, but it will let you know whats going on).

 

[graytoad]

My guess is that it is likely a wiring issue and the fact that you upgraded to the HID has nothing to do with it. Either a loose connection or the wire has rubbed against something & has a bare spot and is grounding out intermittently. Likely a difficult fine if it is a rubbed wire.
Having said all of that, most of the aftermarket lighting stuff is junk unless it is one of the major companies that has a reputation to uphold. Hope you figure it out without too much grief or out-of-pocket costs.

 

[XFireXLR]

If your dealer installed the HID conversion kit they should help you out. Most dealers are against diagnosing aftermarket parts issues, especially electrical ones.


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[GizmoQ]

Recently I've noticed that SOMETIMES my passenger side fog lamp will not illuminate when requested. This can be in the garage, on the highway, or wherever. Just went into garage to check it and they both came on as normal when triggered. I proceeded to tap around and under the bumper to "jiggle" the bulb in it's housing and it remained on. I've never noticed an issue with the driver side light.

At first notice I assumed the bulb had blown, although these HID conversions have only been installed since last December. However, the bulb is definitely not blown, just not activating occasionally.

I'm heading to my Caddy dealer Friday morning for an oil change and would like them to address this if possible. Any ideas as to why this issue is occurring? If the seating of the bulb was loose one would think the "bumping/jiggling" would reveal it. These cars have sensors for many things... just wondering if someone had experienced a similar issue. Thanks!

I have the exact same problem right now and have either been too busy or too lazy to fix it.

The aftermarket HID conversions tend to be very sensitive to voltage and won't start when the volts from the alternator are low.

This is very true and even with the expensive ones I have in my Eldorado I had to add a "Big Three" power upgrade and add additional grounds to all four of my 55W HIDs. Even with all that, if the alternator falls below 12.2V one of the bulbs starts to twinkle.

Having said all of that, most of the aftermarket lighting stuff is junk unless it is one of the major companies that has a reputation to uphold.

This is absolutely right! If you didn't pay in the $150-190 ball park for the conversion kit, all the new "digital" and "compact slim" ballasts are garbage. I will be converting ELWOOD this winter to Hi output CANBUS AC ballast with separate igniters and trace the power wiring back as far as possible to replace it with a bigger gauge hotwire.

My guess is that it is likely a wiring issue and the fact that you upgraded to the HID has nothing to do with it. Either a loose connection or the wire has rubbed against something & has a bare spot and is grounding out intermittently. Likely a difficult fine if it is a rubbed wire.

Not nearly as likely, given the above. OBTW, when I was shopping for my kits for the Eldorado I ended up with a few extra sets. So when I noticed the XLR was having problems, I swapped the whole conversion kit on that side. Worked the first time and was intermittent again soon after. My guess is that side has poor grounding and wiring too small for the current needed to fire the igniter reliably.

 

[cubby558]

I've had the same issue on my XLR-V at different times. After doing research on the units I bought, I noticed they sold an HID harness and below is the the description:

Use this relay harness to connect HIDs to cars with very small gauge wiring that cannot supply the initial surge current required to light the bulbs reliably. Symptoms indicating the harness is required would be intermittent starting or lights going out after being turned on for several minutes and requiring you to turn the lights off and back on for them to turn back on again. Recommended for all 55W HID installations but most American and European cars work at 35W/55W without the harness. The harness is definitely recommended for Quad';s and other ATVs or when running multiple HID installations. This harness is a fused relay isolation harness capable of supplying 20A at 12vdc. Not required when using High / Low kits.

I ordered this for the XLR-V when I ordered the kit for my CTS-V and haven't had a problem since.

I don't believe grounding or loose wires and/or grounded out wires is your issue. It simply is the resistance of the wire limiting the current needed to start the lamps. The harness should rectify your problem.

​

 

[GizmoQ]

I've had the same issue on my XLR-V at different times. After doing research on the units I bought, I noticed they sold an HID harness ...

Sounds like a much simpler solution than mine. Detail, please, more details. Seller? Price? etc.

 

[jjsea55]

Okay... thanks much for the replies... sounds like I'm not totally alone with the experience of this issue.

My HID system cost in the $180 range which hopefully elevates it above the "junk" category. It came with this long harness having several ends and adapters attached to it that, actually, didn't seem to apply to my situation at the time. I just mounted a ballast on each side, plugged in the bulbs and wired each side separately with the OEM wiring.

Am I understanding this "harness" that I "left in the box" can somehow enhance or maintain my voltage to possibly rectify my situation? I simply assumed it was for another vehicular application that may require it. Come to think of it, I don't believe there was a single piece of instructional paper in the box with the hardware, so I just winged it. I may be able to post a picture of this harness if necessary. Thanks, again!

 

[jjsea55]

Turned out it was a bad ballast on that side. I'll attempt to get a replacement to use as a spare... still on warranty.