QuadJoe4x4
Junior Member
I have put HIDs in my 2013 RAM 1500 Bighorn. Initially I drove the ballasts with the headlight bulb connector for each side (not a relay from the battery). I did include a capacitor on each to minimize flicker. They have worked well for nearly a year. Then, one or both began misfiring when I started the truck. No rhyme or reason as to which or when. Once on, they stayed on. Turning the headlights off/on several times got both to fire correctly; not a problem sitting in the garage where I could see the lights reflecting off the wall but a potential issue when driving at dusk.
This suggested to me that I was not getting sufficient power out of the headlight bulb connector to drive the ballast so I added two relays and now power the ballasts/HIDs directly from the battery.
I used the headlight bulb connection to switch the relay on/off. I moved the capacitor from the ballast power inputs to the relay switching signal when the relays chattered without it.
Now both HIDs fire every time without issue but I get a "Low Beam Headlight Out" message every time I start the truck. The message goes away and does not come back until the next time I start the truck.
This now suggests that the computer sense routine is not seeing the right load on the headlight lines. Do I need to add a resistor to each relay to emulate the stock bulb load?
This suggested to me that I was not getting sufficient power out of the headlight bulb connector to drive the ballast so I added two relays and now power the ballasts/HIDs directly from the battery.
I used the headlight bulb connection to switch the relay on/off. I moved the capacitor from the ballast power inputs to the relay switching signal when the relays chattered without it.
Now both HIDs fire every time without issue but I get a "Low Beam Headlight Out" message every time I start the truck. The message goes away and does not come back until the next time I start the truck.
This now suggests that the computer sense routine is not seeing the right load on the headlight lines. Do I need to add a resistor to each relay to emulate the stock bulb load?
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