Stupid projector headlight upgrade

[prairieboy]

When I bought the truck used it had 4000 lumen led bulbs in the low beam projectors.

I really liked my hid kit I put on my old taco so I bought a kit.

I started on the driver's side and hooked everything up and on the passive entry on the truck, the lights came on. I started the truck and turned on the lights and they worked, then all of a sudden the left hid went out but the led on the right stayed on.

Pulled out the hid bulb and unplugged everything and tested for 12v to the bulb and nothing. The high beam works fine just the low.

So i switched back to led and it worked, hmmmm, so back to hid. Worked for a bit then cuts out.

Pins all "seem" to be fine. Haven't checked ground but dont suspect ground being that high beam works.

I'm going to switch back to the led and test again, but as for troubleshooting, anyone got any advice?

Is there something confusing the truck with passive entry lights coming on etc?

 

[prairieboy]

Update..... I'm wondering if this truck is smarter than me. Did a little more troubleshooting and when the lights come on using the passive entry, the hid bulb comes on, but as soon as I start the truck and automatic lights come on (I'm in a garage) the hid bulb will turn off. I'm running a 35 w ballast hid in one side and still have the led in the other. Is the brains of the truck saying there is an imbalance and shuts off the led or something?

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

These trucks have a Canbus system. Are you running a relay kit for the HID's? If not that is your problem. You should be running a relay kit. That is why we recommend the Morimoto Mopar elite kits. They come with everything you need to work properly in these RAMs. Contact us for pricing and info

 

[prairieboy]

They are a reputable brand and assured me no delay kit was required.

 

[Firetruck41]

Just a thought from trading I've done on the forums, as I'm new to the Ram. There is PWM (pulse modulation?) standard with the halogen headlights, I think it either needs to be shut off via AlfaOBD, or use a relay with power coming direct from the battery for HID to work. *I think*.

But that might give you something to search for on the forums and maybe get you headed in the right direction.

 

[Random_Walk]

These trucks have a Canbus system. Are you running a relay kit for the HID's? If not that is your problem. You should be running a relay kit. That is why we recommend the Morimoto Mopar elite kits. They come with everything you need to work properly in these RAMs. Contact us for pricing and info

*raises hand...

So, umm, only that monster $1600 Morimoto kit I keep seeing online is compatible with a Ram CANBUS? Or am I reading that totally wrong?

 

[OC455]

When you are using the passive entry and the headlights initially come on, they are just running off the battery. I was testing and aligning my retrofit projectors and only turned the truck to the on position, not started and was able to test and align the lights, no bulb out errors.

As soon as I started the truck, one side or the other, the light would go out. The truck, like mentioned before, has the CANBUS to control the power for the truck and that power is running pulse width modulation (PWM)

I'm assuming that the LED bulbs you are using, have an error canceler or resistor to make them work to make the CANBUS system not trip an error code.

When I finally aligned and tested my retrofit build, I used AlfaOBD app, changed the setting to High Intensity Discharge for the headlights, and also set the high beam to LED (I have a Profile Hi-Lens LED projector there) and haven't had any issues. Changing the setting to HID in AlfaOBD eliminates the pulse width modulation.

 

[Jimmy07]

When I bought the truck used it had 4000 lumen led bulbs in the low beam projectors.

I really liked my hid kit I put on my old taco so I bought a kit.

I started on the driver's side and hooked everything up and on the passive entry on the truck, the lights came on. I started the truck and turned on the lights and they worked, then all of a sudden the left hid went out but the led on the right stayed on.

Pulled out the hid bulb and unplugged everything and tested for 12v to the bulb and nothing. The high beam works fine just the low.

So i switched back to led and it worked, hmmmm, so back to hid. Worked for a bit then cuts out.

Pins all "seem" to be fine. Haven't checked ground but dont suspect ground being that high beam works.

I'm going to switch back to the led and test again, but as for troubleshooting, anyone got any advice?

Is there something confusing the truck with passive entry lights coming on etc?

The low beam circuit runs on PWM (as mentioned), which basically turns the power supply on and off rapidly. Hid ballasts don’t like this and need constant 12v supply to fire the bulb, otherwise it will give up and shut down. You can spend ~$100+ on a super duper relay kit, but you’ll just be adding another potential point of failure. This is because the relay still uses the pwm signal to trigger it, which can cause relay chatter, which may or may not burn up the relay. Your best bet is to get the AlfaOBD software and Bluetooth interface for $120, and take care of the root cause of the hid kit not working- shut off the pwm on the low beam circuit. Everything you need to know about AlfaOBD is in the first post here- https://www.ramforum.com/threads/alfaobd.123982/

 

[madtrucker2016]

When I bought the truck used it had 4000 lumen led bulbs in the low beam projectors.

I really liked my hid kit I put on my old taco so I bought a kit.

I started on the driver's side and hooked everything up and on the passive entry on the truck, the lights came on. I started the truck and turned on the lights and they worked, then all of a sudden the left hid went out but the led on the right stayed on.

Pulled out the hid bulb and unplugged everything and tested for 12v to the bulb and nothing. The high beam works fine just the low.

So i switched back to led and it worked, hmmmm, so back to hid. Worked for a bit then cuts out.

Pins all "seem" to be fine. Haven't checked ground but dont suspect ground being that high beam works.

I'm going to switch back to the led and test again, but as for troubleshooting, anyone got any advice?

Is there something confusing the truck with passive entry lights coming on etc?

your year truck is the worst for the after market lights because of the canbus system. They only used that type in the 2015 rams only one year

 

[KC Cryptkeeper]

The low beam circuit runs on PWM (as mentioned), which basically turns the power supply on and off rapidly. Hid ballasts don’t like this and need constant 12v supply to fire the bulb, otherwise it will give up and shut down. You can spend ~$100+ on a super duper relay kit, but you’ll just be adding another potential point of failure. This is because the relay still uses the pwm signal to trigger it, which can cause relay chatter, which may or may not burn up the relay. Your best bet is to get the AlfaOBD software and Bluetooth interface for $120, and take care of the root cause of the hid kit not working- shut off the pwm on the low beam circuit. Everything you need to know about AlfaOBD is in the first post here- https://www.ramforum.com/threads/alfaobd.123982/

Someone else that understands more junction points are more potential problems.

 

[Midnight Storm]

Update..... I'm wondering if this truck is smarter than me. Did a little more troubleshooting and when the lights come on using the passive entry, the hid bulb comes on, but as soon as I start the truck and automatic lights come on (I'm in a garage) the hid bulb will turn off. I'm running a 35 w ballast hid in one side and still have the led in the other. Is the brains of the truck saying there is an imbalance and shuts off the led or something?

What if you turn off the auto lights on? I also disabled the headlights coming on at entry.

 

[prairieboy]

I think I'm going to go back to the led setup. But first a call to the supplier that said I didnt need a relay kit so I can get their return shipping address

 

[Firetruck41]

I think I'm going to go back to the led setup. But first a call to the supplier that said I didnt need a relay kit so I can get their return shipping address

If AlfaOBD would work, it is only $50 app, and I have a $12 bluetooth OBD adapter, plus there is a lot of other customization that is possible... might be worth it, and keeping the HID if the light is good/quality.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

*raises hand...

So, umm, only that monster $1600 Morimoto kit I keep seeing online is compatible with a Ram CANBUS? Or am I reading that totally wrong?

The $1600 MSRP morimoto you are talking about is the headlight assemblies. I was talking about the HID kit for $215 MSRP. We can set you up with either. The HID kit comes with everything necessary to work in your RAM! It has capicitors to built in to keep steady power going to the relay kit and resistors built in to not cause bulb out warnings. The Relay will supply steady power to the HID ballast enuring reliable operation of your headlights. I have this same kit in my truck for 2 years now and its been flawless. The whiter Kelvin temp and added lumens is great!

 

[wvmountaineer]

The $1600 MSRP morimoto you are talking about is the headlight assemblies. I was talking about the HID kit for $215 MSRP. We can set you up with either. The HID kit comes with everything necessary to work in your RAM! It has capicitors to built in to keep steady power going to the relay kit and resistors built in to not cause bulb out warnings. The Relay will supply steady power to the HID ballast enuring reliable operation of your headlights. I have this same kit in my truck for 2 years now and its been flawless. The whiter Kelvin temp and added lumens is great!

Outdated tech now that alfaOBD can eliminate all the resistors and relay crap for less cost, a clean install, and just works.

 

[Midnight Storm]

Gtr and DDM tuning have kits without a relay harness resistors etc too.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

Outdated tech now that alfaOBD can eliminate all the resistors and relay crap for less cost, a clean install, and just works.

Thats if someone wants to do that. Not everyone is as tech savvy and not everyone can install their own parts. Its good to have more than one way to accomplish the same end result. Its not outdated...Its an option. plus we still offer other options for HID kits that would work with the ALfa OBD as a more basic kit

 

[wvmountaineer]

Thats if someone wants to do that. Not everyone is as tech savvy and not everyone can install their own parts. Its good to have more than one way to accomplish the same end result. Its not outdated...Its an option. plus we still offer other options for HID kits that would work with the ALfa OBD as a more basic kit

Fair enough, point taken. Thank you.

 

[Badger 13]

I like what Nick@gotexhaust said about everyone not being tech savvy, I am one of those people, don't have a smart phone, and have no clue what an AlfaOBD is, or what it can do.

 

[East0352]

I did a HID and projector upgrade on my headlights and it was doing the exact same thing, even with resistors, wiring harness, and capacitors. I bought the alphaOBD software and enabled HID lights and was able to remove the aftermarket harness, resistors, and capacitors and it has worked perfect ever since.