8ch Eye Dee Ignitor (Ballast)

[danewilson77]

Soooo....A while back I installed 6K HID bulbs that I purchased from www.jlevisw.com

I am just now getting around to asking this question...but its starting to bug me.

The passenger side HID bulb seems dimmer than the drivers side (not by much though).

Question I. What can cause this other than the ZKW bowl issue?

Back when one of the bulbs blew (and I went with the bulbs above), I also purchased a brand new ignitor (ballast), from Tischer. It's still sitting on my tool box....just looking at me.

Question II. Do ignitor (ballasts) fail all at once or can they also make the bulb burn dim?
I would think they are an "all or nothing" item...but maybe not.

Thanks for any help.

[az3579]

It's my understanding that the ballasts are all-or-nothing items. My driver's side fog light randomly doesn't work, and it's an HID setup. I suspect the ballast, because sometimes I turn the fogs on and only the right side illuminates. If I turn them off and back on again a couple of times, sometimes the driver's side will come back on and it will stay on the entire way until I turn the car off. Other times, it will start up the first time, and whenever it starts up, it stays on until the car gets shut off again. At that point, it's hit-or-miss whether it'll start up the first time when they're turned on again.

[pyreguy]

Okay this is all new to me. I'm soaking it all up like a sponge. So is HID and Xenons the same thing?

[az3579]

Okay this is all new to me. I'm soaking it all up like a sponge. So is HID and Xenons the same thing?

HID = High Intensity Discharge. Xenon is the gas in the HID lights.

[pyreguy]

Groovy, thanks.

[Mtnman]

Well, interesting question. I believe you have more parts that you think. Ignitors are part of the ballast, but not necessarily the ballast itself. I used to run a hydroponic store which sold HID lighting (yeah, bring on the hippie jokes..) Ignitor actually fires the bulb, but the ballast maintains the current. Basically, bad ignitor means you get no light. bad ballast could mean you get dim light. I dont know if xenons act light HPS or halide bulbs, but if they do, you may just have a ballast going bad. I know this is full of ifs and shoulds, but take it for what it is.

[pyreguy]

I lack the willpower to resist.

A hippie walks into a bar....

[danewilson77]

Yes...its 2300 and I don't have a headlight in my car....and reading the above...I may be wasting my time....

Got a nice pic for you guys to show where the "ZKW" is labeled....

[danewilson77]

Interesting. The new ignitor fixed the issue.

[kayger12]

Interesting. The new ignitor fixed the issue.

Good solve. And you can still be in bed by midnight ftw.