Questions regard installing 2002 HIDs on 2001.

All the write-ups have focused on ways to ensure that the HIDs stay on when the high-beams are activated. This is accomplished by grounding one of the wires to the body of the car. So if I don't care about keeping the HIDs on when the high-beams are turned on, is it as simple as not grounding the middle black wire in the headlamp plug? Just tape it up?

EDIT: After looking at this again, would I just splice that black wire with the Green/Yellow or Blue/Black low-beam ground wire from the original H4 harness?

If I do this, I understand that the HIDs will turn off when I turn on high-beams. Am I also correct in assuming that the HIDs will not flash when the alarm is turned on? That not grounding the black wire will result in not having to worry about the alarm fix?

 

Keeping this at the top.

 

I know Ice or Dixit will get online eventually and answer this one. Kind of want to do the install today. I suppose I might have to wait.

 

isnt flashing the HIDs on/off bad for them?

if they turn off when you got your highbeams on and they turn back on when your turn the highbeams off, thats practically like flashing your HIDs isnt it? (depends on the flow of oncoming traffic though.)

 

return somewhere.. to the body or to the shared ground. or no highbeams.

You should know that highbeams in the 2k2 assembly aim really high, assuming that the HIDs will be on. You can give it a go but I think you'll find that there will be a serious dark spot in front of the car (with no fill from the HIDs). They obviously made the lamps for both to be on.

There really is no alarm fix needed after we found out that the factory alarm flashes HIDs too... and on acura as well. I think the best fix for this is an aftermarket alarm and just have the parking lights flash. Also, only an aftermarket alarm is going to protect your HIDs.

 

Thanks Tim.

 

Sure, but turning your HIDs on and off when you start and stop your car has the same effect. I just don't flash my high beams much at all. When I do turn them on, in drives up mountains, there isn't much oncoming traffic to worry about, so they stay on for a while. No "flashing" per se.

Based on Tim's response about the dark spot, I withdraw my question.

 

I too have done some driving in the mountains.. YOU WILL LOVE these lights.. man, its almost like daylight driving with HID+Highs.

Both on shouldnt draw excessive amperage or create damaging heat. I've gotten out after a drive in the country and checked the temp of the lens.. it wasnt bad. remember, the HIDs are only 35W and should run cooler.

Yeah, I think we all just said "eh.. well, the 2k2 flashes them with alarm, it cant be that damaging.." but we'd rather it not do it.

 

Where did you get them MichaelAE?

 

Not to get off-topic, but these HIDs really are too bright. I was driving in Austin and this car is going the other direction. His lights were so bright, I said "hey, thanks for the free blinding, jerk" thinking that he had his high beams on. Then when I pass him, it's a 2K2 with just the HIDs! That actually happened twice, but the other was a 4th gen, maybe with aftermarket HIDs or just really bright halogens.

 

I finished the install and all is well, however I encountered some wire color differences in my install. The low-beam ground wire which Dixit reports as being GREEN/Yellow on the driver's side and BLUE/black on the passenger were GREEN/Black and WHITE/Blue respectively for me. Both Dixit and I have a 2001, mine is a 5-speed AE. What's with the different wire colors?

Also, just to clarify...the "alarm problem" is only encountered when the alarm is going off, correct? Not when the alarm is activated. In other words, when the alarm is engaged or doors unlocks, you guys aren't experiencing flashing HIDs, right?

THANKS DIXIT AND ICE FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS. The install was a breeze with your threads and photographs.

 

his lights were not properly aimed. I've really spent some time getting my lights aimed to spec and I've let my wife drive while I was in our other car. I really do not glare other drivers.

When I aimed them were they worked best, I got flashed at least twice a week. When I aimed them properly (as per the FSM), I havent been flashed in 4 months. and that one was coming over a hill.


Oh, that coversion, yeah.. you'll have that.

I think the s2000 has the worst HIDs for glare. Those things are horrible.

 

eBay and before anybody accuses me of being part of the theft problem:

1. I saw full photographs in advance of purchase which showed no broken tabs
2. I saw photographs in advance of purchase which showed the original Nissan product boxes with product numbers that matched the headlight part numbers.
3. Upon receipt, the products show no wear on the upper tabs, suggesting they've never been mounted on a car before.
4. Boxes arrived even including the little plastic baggie including the two mounting screw, unused.

I'm confident they were not stolen on a fellow Maxima owner's car. I suppose they could have been ripped of from a dealer parts supply, but given how often I've been ripped off by dealers, I'll try to force my moral fiber to get over that possibility.

 

Bump....just curious if Ice or Dixit got to see the fact that I had wire color differences in my install.

 

I think having the boxes says it all

 

So did I, I have a 2k, they have a 2k1. But really, even if I had matching colors, I wouldnt connect ANYTHING without testing it on the multimeter first.. Just too much to lose, HIDs, light stalk, SECU by not testing and identifying each wire yourself.

 

I also have a 2K1 though...I suppose the AE might have had a different production run since there are a few minor differences which affect the electrical system layout (LSD being the one that comes to mind).

Well, if another AE can confirm the wire differences in the low-beam ground, it would be good to add that to the notes on Dixit/Ice's site. Other AE owners who do the swap, and are not as diligent as you with the multimeter, will sit on the ground staring at their headlamp assembly, for hours, wondering what to do.

For the record, I was not one of those AE owners.

 

 

No, mine were Light Green/Black stripe and White/Blue stripe.

One more reason why NOT to wire them so the HIDs turn off when you activate the high beams is that when you turn off the high beams it takes a few seconds for the HIDs to come back on.

The OEM HIDs warm up quickly, but sometimes when I'm hauling **** around curves and someone comes the other way, I don't want to be "in the dark" for even a second as I switch back to low beams.

 

Mom's Audi A6 leaves the HID on when the bright's are on.
Dad's ES300 does too.
I say the more light the merrier.