Hi guys, I'm looking for some advice/suggestions on a few things as I prepare my retro. I'm already a member of HIDPlanet, but trying to find info there is difficult, their search engine sucks bigtime.

The Plan:
-TSX projectors (got 'em already)
-Black R34 one piece headlights
-shrouds
-HID kit

The questions:
1. For those of you that have done the retro with R34's, what shroud did you use? (I have been trying to find a good one, but have so far been not impressed from the choices on ebay.)

2. One of the lenses on my TSXs is a fresnel, not clear. So I bought a clear set from ebay, but they do not fit (too big). Where can I find a cheap replacement for this?

3. Did you use JNC's mounting method? If so, how did it work out for you?

4. Where did you mount your ballast/ignitors? Is there a "safe" or "best" place to mount them?

Thanks! I've never done this before and I'm still doing research, but sometimes it makes my head spin with the amount of info out there

 

search, look for a thread started by the wizard

:EDIT: ALTHOUGH THIS ISNT THE WIZ'S THREAD, ITS WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR
r34 retro

 

http://store.theretrofitsource.com/

They have what you're looking for, I believe. They're a bit pricey, but they're still cheaper than comparable OEM lenses most of the time.

 

Yeah I was looking at that one, but it looks like he has some sort of shroud behind the chrome one...or is that just the back of the projector? Hard to tell from the pics.

Did anyone have to put anything behind the shroud?

 

OK, i'm doing some research on the wiring and it's way over my head.

Basically I want the simplest way to wire them up so that the low beams stay on when I hit the high beams.

I've seen a few diagrams, but nothing that really makes sense.

I'm no electrical engineer, but i've done some simple stuff, and learn quickly.

Can anyone provide a readable wiring diagram that I could use including any part numbers of stuff (such as a relay) that I'd have to buy?

 

the wiring is simple man. As far as the lenses i have went the the retrofit source.

 

The wiring is a little difficult to understand if you've never dealt with ANY of this before.

Never having dealt with relays and such, I have to catch up.

Anyhoo.

Is this the diagram that I need to follow? We have a positively switched system, correct?



See my situation calls for multiple adapters/harnesses because it's going from 9004 to 9005/9006 to D2S/9005.

Edit: Ok, I think I understand the wiring diagram a little better after some study and thinking. I just need to confirm that this is the correct one.

 

Here is a simple way to do the wiring. Take the harnesses that came with the r34s and cut the blue wire off the passenger side one along with the low beam bulb, tape the stub so you don't short out. The blue wire on the driver's side cut it but keep a couple inches for a connection, ditch that lowbeam bulb too. You will need to solder a diode with the band facing the headlights on the blue wire. Use only one relay for the harness (to keep it simple). The blue wire solders to terminal 85. Terminal 86 is ground. Another diode goes from the white wire with the band facing the blue wire. This keeps the lowbeams on when the highbeans are hit. It's not perfect, but it works. Only draw back is if you hit your highbeams even when the lowbeams are off, they will come on too. Follow the rest of the diagram you posted meaning the positive wire and the ground. Ignore the bulb connections and second relay for now til you learn more about wiring. The high beam bulbs will be powered through the stock harness when they are connected, the ballasts will draw from the hid harness.

 

Can't wait to see the final result.

 

TO be honest I don't know how HID wirings are, but i'm going to assume they just have a negative and a positive wiring, and nothing else.

Well the r34 comes with wiring that converts our 9004 wiring harness to those of the r34 style. How about you first put the projectors into the r34 and then do the wiring.
But use the wiring off the r34 (fix me if this is not recommended).

From what I know the r34 wiring works like this. The headlights are on, the outer part of the headlights work, and then when you use highbeam the regular headlights turn off. So all you have to do is take the wire that goes to the regular headlight bulbs and put those to the HID ballast.
I don't know what the relays are for., but sure.....(?)

Fix me if I'm wrong. I'm on lack of sleep, and trying to understand how he has his wiring.

 

The problem is that I don't want to fry my stock wiring, which means that I run my own power/grounds, and I think that's where the relay comes into play.

As the stock harness gets power (via the switch) it connects the real power harness (mine connected directly to the battery)

Or am I way off here?

 

I will take this under advisement, but from what I've been reading, that seems to be the older way of doing it, whereas creating a circuit w/out diodes and 2 relays is the newer way

Not sure which is correct yet, if there is a correct way to do it.

Is that relay called something specific? Like I go to radioshack and look for part #...or do I just look through the automotive relays until I see one that matches the numbers on the diagram?

Also, just to make sure, will the diagram above keep my lows on when I hit the high beams?

Edit: Now that i think about it, I don't think it would.

maxgtr2000 could you draw a picture/diagram of what you're talking about? It may solve my issue.

 

I don't recommend connecting it directly to the battery.
Always go through a fuse and a switch.

How are you going to possibly fry your stock wiring?
Unless you are going to be pulling more amp through the stock wiring than what it can actually hold. If you are worried on frying your stock wiring, how about rewiring it through the stock switch and every wire that is used to power the headlamps to a wire that can hold the amperage you are thinking of.

 

Hid's DO pull more than oem on startup thus leaving the chance to fry the wiring. Connecting it to the battery isn't recommended but its something i have done time and time again. You want DPDT relay if you can find it if not a SPDT will work. I use SPDT and wire my lows to the oem wiring. My lows and highs are lit at the same time also.

 

Well...yeah. There's going to be an inline 30amp fuse right near the battery for safety purposes, it's in the diagram.

kzoosho, did you follow the above diagram? It doesn't look like the it would keep the lows on.


Ok, so after some reading and some advice from Maxgtr2000, I think I have it right. Please forgive the hackjob of a diagram, MS paint roxorz!

I just deleted the 2nd harness, kept the stock wiring for the highs, and put a connection with a diode going from the stock highs to the low power (before the harness so it draws from the battery still.



What kind of Diode should I look for at Radioshack? are there specifications?

 

U need a nice size blocking diode. I order my from ebay. I have 10 amp blocking diodes. I didn't follow a drawing but then again i pretty much understand the wiring and what needs to be done. My highs and lows do come on together.

 

Ok, so a 10amp blocking diode would suffice then? Then my wiring diagram is correct?

 

No your diagram leaves the lows on with the lows and the highs on for highs. If you want both to be on at the same time you have to move a couple wires. The way you have it the diode isn't required at all.

 

Wait are you talking about the 2nd drawing that I did or the first?

Because wouldn't the wire that goes from the 9005 -> Diode -> Relay allow the lows to stay on during high beam use? (the green diode + red wires in my 2nd diagram)

Also, as for diodes. 10amps i know, but what voltage should I get, or does it even matter? FWIW I couldn't find a 12v one. Also, should I get the Rectifier diode?

 

JNC's mounting method is the SH*T! If you need to add left to right adjustment for the step in your cutoff... add washers onto the screws to push the projector back one direction or the other.

I have mine wired up w/two relays for power issues (not directing current purposes) and a diode coming from my highs to my lows.

The way i have it works but my hid's blink when i flip my highs on. So it's deffinately not the way to do it!

I don't have time to rewire mine yet but i know the second thread on HIDPlanet.com/forums had the information on how to wire it up w/3 relays.



http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6612

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...=circuit+flash


I think this is the best way for a few reasons.

1) If you lights are all off... and someone cuts you off... and you flash your brights.... only your halogen highs (and/or your bixenon soleniod) will flash and your precious hid expensive bulbs will not be flashed on and off and reduce their life.

2)When the low's are on and you flash your highs... there is no blip in the current (unlike the diode method) that causes your hid bulbs to flash that scary red color which is also decreasing the life of the bulbs.

3) There is supposedly no way to flash your hid bulbs on and off which is exactly what will keep your bulbs in good condition.




I'm going to get started on this in a few weeks around thanksgiving time. I'll definately report back w/my results.

 

Weird, I can't find the one with 3 relays, if you find it, could you post it?

 

I posted the correct second link now... sorry about that!

 

Are you referring to the guy who relayed it through the parking lamp circuit?

He had a common positive situation though, so how would it look for our cars?

And I don't know if that would allow the low beams to stay on when the high beams are hit.

 

Ok, I had an idea!

To solve the "blink" issue, what if you put a capacitor on the low beam trigger-wire (the blue one in my diagram) to hold enough charge until the diode allows the power to go into the lows from the highs.

What do you guys think? Could that work? Or is that not what a capacitor does?

 

The issue is that you're running a pretty heavy current though... nearly 10A for a pair of 55w ballasts.

A big 1-farad car audio capacitor should be able to supply the necessary 10A for just over a second.

Would be cheaper to go for a 3-relay harness.

 

hmm...it's 35 watt ballasts though.

I'm still not sure how I'd wire 3 relays and keep the lows on at the same time.

 

ok, so 2 seconds from a 1F cap. or 1 second from a 0.5F cap.

 

But would that work to prevent the blink?

 

Man dont mess around with no caps. Waste of time and money. Just get the and wire them up.

 

lol...get the what? Diode?

If so where did you get your 10a diodes.... would these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/10A-10-Amp-1000V...QQcmdZViewItem

Suffice?

Do you have issues with "blinking" HIDs?

 

yes and no.... i figured out a way to keep the low beam on by playing around with the stalk.. i wrote it down somewhere

 

no u need to put one on the trigger of the relay NOT on the power....

 

Yes those will suffice. You will need relays. I only used 2 relays in my total setup. I drew my low beams off the factory and used the relays for the high beams.

 

Thats interesting...different from what people usually do. Unless your lows are stock and highs are HID. Isn't the whole point to have the real power come from your battery via the relay?

I'll probably stay with the diode thing, but I saw that someone had relayed the highs through the parking lamp circuit.

So it goes like this: if you have your lows on and hit the highs, your HIDs will blink, BUT if you don't have them on and hit the "flash" it would just do the highs because you haven't turned on the parking lamps (one step back from putting on the lows.

What do you guys think?

 

I'd love to see what you did for that, it'd help a lot.

I just want stock functionality with not stock equipment, so it makes it more difficult.

 

He didn't use the R34 setup, but has I think TL setup. Which the TL are bixenon projectors. His setup is probably going to be different from what you have.

Just curious, how much electronic or circuitry do you know?

 

I know some, and I'm learning a lot right now. This was definitely NOT my study in school.

However, I've noticed that the problems I'm seeing while doing this are more logic problems than anything else, which is VERY similar to computer programming, which I did a bunch of in school.

Why do you ask?

 

I was thinking - you don't need to run the ballasts off a capacitor, you can use the relay. If you got put a millifarad capacitor across the old headlight wiring, depending on the internal resistance and the trigger voltage, it might be able to run it for a little bit.

 

Yes you are suppose to but it wouldnt be hard at all to do. One relay can control your lows for both sides and another control your highs. You can do it with 2 relays just 3 leaves less chance of a flicker. I dont have the problem at all.

 

Can you draw a 3 relay scenario out? I can't seem to figure it out.