SBG HID headlight dies when warm
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Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 587
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From: Santa Cruz, CA
SBG HID headlight dies when warm
I have a 35W SBG HID kit that I recently bought from a forum member, new in box, but that had been sitting around for something like seven years.
When I first installed the kit the driver side bulb would flicker and make a buzzing sound when first turned on, then go out. I swapped the ballasts, observed that now the driver light worked, and the passenger side would flicker and go out -- okay so it's a bad ballast. I replaced it with an Oracle Lighting brand ballast (5902-504) and was pleased to see both lights working as expected. However, I had about a three hour drive after installing the new ballast, and halfway though the trip I realized the replacement was no longer lit. Wow two bad ballasts in a row... my luck. So I replaced the ballast AGAIN, only to find essentially the same result. When the system is "cold" both lights usually come on and stay on for some time, but after some use one of the bulb will go out. Turning the light off/on again quickly will usually still result in only one light being lit (and other other just flickering), however if you turn them off and let them "cool down" for a few minutes, then turn them back on, usually the second light to come on again unit it heats up and turns off.
So it seems as though probably this is really the same problem I've had all along. My question is, what part of the system is bad? The bulb? (type "HB2"?) A bad relay box (Morimoto HB2 like this? or perhaps the relay box itself is the same for all the Morimoto kits, but the harness is different?)
Looking for some guidance before throwing more money at this...
When I first installed the kit the driver side bulb would flicker and make a buzzing sound when first turned on, then go out. I swapped the ballasts, observed that now the driver light worked, and the passenger side would flicker and go out -- okay so it's a bad ballast. I replaced it with an Oracle Lighting brand ballast (5902-504) and was pleased to see both lights working as expected. However, I had about a three hour drive after installing the new ballast, and halfway though the trip I realized the replacement was no longer lit. Wow two bad ballasts in a row... my luck. So I replaced the ballast AGAIN, only to find essentially the same result. When the system is "cold" both lights usually come on and stay on for some time, but after some use one of the bulb will go out. Turning the light off/on again quickly will usually still result in only one light being lit (and other other just flickering), however if you turn them off and let them "cool down" for a few minutes, then turn them back on, usually the second light to come on again unit it heats up and turns off.
So it seems as though probably this is really the same problem I've had all along. My question is, what part of the system is bad? The bulb? (type "HB2"?) A bad relay box (Morimoto HB2 like this? or perhaps the relay box itself is the same for all the Morimoto kits, but the harness is different?)
Looking for some guidance before throwing more money at this...
Last edited by mkd; Feb 20, 2021 at 03:10 AM.
That looks to be the correct one. I ordered this one and it seems to be the same exact one:
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/mo...H60?quantity=1
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/mo...H60?quantity=1
I went through 2 sets of SBG ballasts (1st set arrived defective). Eventually went with a generic set of ballasts. Also had issues with passenger side flickering and buzzing when the car gets wet. My main issue was my high beams not working, swapping the relay box fixed it, you might as well use all the new Morimoto parts since they are the exact same parts as the SBG to eliminate any uncertainty.
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