hi guys, long time no see. finally decided to work on my max again. :-P

ok.. so i've finally purchased a set of eBay HIDs *H4-2 hi/lo* (yes i kno, i'm poor/cheap).

installed it and realized that i have a major issue. the high beam was on, and when i flick to high beam, headlight turns off. i have no idea what to do and i've been searching online for the pass hour. any suggestions?

 

Have you double-checked all the wiring to make sure everything's connected right? That'd be my first step. And, is the problem isolated to just one headlight?

 

funny thing is, wiring is correct. however, there's no relay involved so it's not isolating to either side. it's just hi beams.

i heard that the connector in a maxima is H G L and other bulbs are H L G. is that true?

 

Check if theres a diode.

If so,

3 cases

Now:
Setting: Low Beam
Result: Both H/L
Setting: High Beam
Result: No Light

Take Diode Off:
Setting: Low Beam
Result: HID Low Beam ONLY
Setting High Beam
Result: Halogen High Beam ONLY

Reverse Direction of Diode:
Setting: Low Beam
Result: HID Low Beam ONLY
Setting: High Beam
Result: BOTH HID High Beam and Halogen Low Beam

 

That's the way the ebay projectors are meant to work. Someone did a write up somewhere that I read on how to rewire the lights so the low beams stay on when the high beams are on.

 

you bought cheap headlights and you got.......what you paid for

 

Take it easy on him man.....

But he does have a point yo. Just chalk this up to a learning experience

 

The h4 lights on the 2000 are reversed from what you would expect. Instead of sharing a common ground with seperate 12v+, they share a common 12v+ and have seperate ground. When the lights are on there is always 12v+ going to the h4 plug. When you hit the high beams, it connects the high beam ground, and disconnects the low beam ground.
So I think, I think, if you get your low beam ground from the chassis, instead of the H4 plug, it may solve your problem.
Don't quote me on any of this though, since it has been about 4 years since I conquered the wiring problems on the 02 HID in my 2000. I went with the relay drawing power directly from the battery. I don't remember exactly how I tapped the h4 plug though,

 

Can you post pics and let us know what you exactly purchased. Based on your description I'm assuming you purchased a HID kit. Let me know if I'm wrong. You should have any problems with H4 bi-xenon kits, however since they are from ebay, the one that you purchased must be poorly built. You also mentioned that there is no relay. If that's so, then that HID you purchased is a single-xenon setup for either a stand alone low or high beam.

 

dr roy wrote up a write up for the wiring on HIDPLANET its very confusing though, Jimmy if the grounds are separate why don't you just ground out the low beam? or is the positive on the low beam always on? i would do that so that the low beams don't turn off when you flash people

 

One note, dr.roy's diagram is incorrect. He has the right idea though.

 

Like I said, if you wire those grounds to both the high and low beam on 02 hid's (or to the light power and switching mechanism on the hi/lo h4 setup) then when you switch from low beam to high beam, it is going to cut power to the low beam on the 02 hid (or cut power to the light period on hi/lo setup).

This is why I have the low beams wired through a relay. On my setup (2002 Max oem hid) only the high beam is getting power from the h4 plug. When I turn the light stalk to headlights on, I believe the positive from the h4 plug activates the relay, which then pulls its power from the battery. The ground is coming from somewhere on the chassis, NOT from the H4 plug. When I pull the stalk to activate the high beams, it cuts the low beam ground (which is ok, because I am not using it, it is taped off) and connects the high beam ground, turning on the high beams. The low beams stay on.

This would also work with the aftermarket hi/lo's. Instead of my relay power going to the low beams, it would go to power the xenon light (same thing actually). The high beam ground and 12v+ from the H4 plug would go to the high beam actuator in the hi/lo (that is how they work isnt it?)

You could try duplicating my setup with the hi/lo. Or instead of using a relay, just get the low beam ground from the chassis, and use the 12v+ for the light and the same 12v+ and high beam ground for the high beam actuator from the H4 plug. In my case I am powering two separate bulbs (hence the relay). In your case you are only powering one bulb, and one actuator. I cannot imagine that setup needing enough power to require a relay. But again, dont quote me on that.

Incidentally, the reason the h4 is setup the way it is, is because there are two filaments inside one bulb on an h4. Having both lit at the same time would probably generate too much heat. Which is why only either of the low beam or high beam can be on at a time.

 

well.. i actually got the hid where the set up is hid low beam and helagon hi beam.

i fixed it by rewiring the whole thing after doing some checks with my friend.

i'll post some pix when i'm done, but yea, it's REALLY bright. :-) thanx for all ur help

note: jimmy was right, the wiring was reversed

 

sounds like automatic harness fry-age

 

That was already your first mistake. Buying ebay headlights.

 

i had the pilot hid off e-bay and didnt have a prob they looked awesome and something different then running the 02 hid like everyone else

 

I had the same problem with my HIDs, I have Pilots I ordered them from the manufacture, but all you have to do is just flip flop the 2 red wires on the HID wiring that connects into the stock adapter thats all i had to do

 

too much to read; if they didn't tell you already, it's your wiring harness
5th gen max's are ground switched for hi and low beams, and doesn't turn both on simultaneously; you have to do a double relay with diode to get both the low beam and high beam to stay on together, though it might not be recommended; don't know if it'll melt your lovely housing

 

Wait so what do I do to have them work properly on my 2000 without running relays? .. Plaese help

 

The safest way to do this is to use relays. That way, the ballasts are drawing power directly from the battery, using the 12 V from the headlight socket to trigger the relay to close the contacts.

 

Pilot said running off the stock connector is fine. I don't need high beam so what do I do??

 

Anyone????

 

SEE HERE LIES THE PROBLEM.......YOU PAID FOR A HI/LO KIT....WHICH IS BI-XENON.....you paid to have hi beams......NOT JUST LOW BEAMS

I DIDNT have to run any relays when i did my wiring, and im running directly to the battery

 

HUH??? Hi/Lo has a H3 bulb for Hi, Bi-Xenon has moving parts to focus the light.
Do you have a wright up???

 

^ I agree 100% eBay + HID = Problem

:

 

hey im happy with my ebay housings...JUST the housings heheh

 

I tryed that ... Didn't work

 

STATUS QUO! STATUS QUO!

Why bother with some taiwanese part when you can have something reliable?