savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Ok gang...brain in a state of think-hurt here,

Could really use some help if you can spare the time.

04 coupe, just installed new headlights, the oem Bi-Xenons..I did the 6pin to 8pin conversion (for the second time really....first time was converting non-HID to HID lights...so I know how to do it correctly)...but here's where life gets weird...(oh...I connected the wires using butt-splices and then wrapped them all with black electrical tape...very tightly crimped splices...blinkers blink at normal rate...no fast blink, everything else worked fine before the events below)

Installed those lights a few days ago and car was fine...turned car off and no abnormal behavior. No running lights were on when I turned car off.

I drive somewhere during day and park for many hours...seemingly fine. Drive from there to somewhere else, park, and fine for two hours....drive somewhere else and car won't start...DEAD battery and faint clicking sound that sounds like it's weakening. Running lights are on (little orange dots) while car is off and keys are out. ????

I get a jump start and while connecting the positive cable to my positive terminal the headlight do a sizzle flicker kinda flash....not like a blinker pace or with rhythm, but a sporadic jolty flicker of mild illumination...car gets jumped and starts up strong....guy that helped with jump says I must have a fuse blown, looks like a grounding wire is defective.

Turn car off after arriving home...I hear loud clicking coming from engine bay. Get out of car and headlights and taillights are flashing in a smooth rhythm while the car is OFF and key is OUT. Total brain stun...

I open the hood as clicking is heard outside the car, and the clicking is coming from the battery compartment where I have two inline fuses that run to the two amps in the car.

Theory: I think one of the cables connecting the positive terminal to the inline fuse might have been damaged or broken on same day I did headlights. (I also took off my steering wheel so I disconnected the battery....when I did the battery I loosened the nut on the side of the positive terminal but that nut is a nylon lined nut that also holds the inline fuse cable up against another nut that squeezes the positive terminal connector. The black floppy cable (to inline fuse) rotates and flexes in sync with the nylon nut turning....nut does not loosen, but black cable goes a for ride back and forth against the battery itself causing stress each time and I think it might have bent bent bent broke.....

Would that cable issue, if it's broken inside the black lining,....would that cause the battery drain or is the drain headlight related somehow? And the flashing lights AFTER the car is off and key is out???? No clue on how to interpret that?

Car is currently disconnected from battery, waiting for advice and waiting for my mechanic to take a look at it this week...but all help would be greatly appreciated as I'm not sure how complex or simple this situation is?

Thanks again sincerely,

Saved

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

As with most of my advise, I suggest using a good code reader (like UpRev's Cipher) to diagnose the problem(s). Check for codes in the BCM section.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

I don't have a code reader but thanks for the help. I'll look into one and see if my mechanic has one.

Saved

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

Ok im a little confused about what is going on but is the clicking coming from a bad relay? Is your hazard lights blinking or your entire light's coming on and off? Do you have a multimeter with an amp clamp you can use to test the drains? You could pull your headlight fuse and see if thats your problem, and pull your amp wires etc etc... Kinda guessing something is ground out but thats not really helpful info...

Guess I would bust out the fluke and get exploring like Dora... Good luck... Let us know what it ends up being...

Clicking would be your relays, your headlights im guessing is your problem.

zakmartin

Did you check to see if you needed a different relay with the upgraded lights? Also, never rely on a crimped unsoldered butt-connection for high voltage (or really, ANY voltage) connections. Undo what you did and do it right.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Thanks guys, mechanic is looking at car, I'll pass on the info and get back to the board about how this resolves.

I plan on soldering the lights once this is diagnosed, although I ran my last set of HIDs for a year no problem with butt-connectors and electrical tape.

I'll probably pull the headlights today and redo the ground connectors. Then I'll pull them again to solder them this weekend or early next week.

Thanks again guys, truly appreciated,

Saved

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

You don't need an upgraded relay for oem Bi-Xenons, these conversions have been done for over a decade now... Just wire them up from 8pin to 6pin and then plug them into the 6pin harness on car.

Saved

Spike100

Zak did not say you needed and “upgraded relay” (I’m quoting your reply).

Zak did say: “Did you check to see if you needed a different relay with the upgraded lights?”

I also agree with Zak about soldering vs. crimping.

It really looks as though you have inadvertently grounded a “hot” wire (one that has power). I cannot think of anything else that would cause the inconsistent battery failure or the arching (when jumping the battery) you describe.

It can be difficult tracking something like this.

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

The point I was making was that no change to a relay is needed when going from any oem headlight to another oem headlight.

Mechanic tested her out...long story short is I'll know more tomorrow as I put her back together.

For something like this the first thing you test for is the top charge of the battery to see if it's healthy or not, then you test for a draw against the battery, if a draw is found then you test for the source of the draw by pulling each fuse one by one and testing for a draw after each fuse pull...if the draw goes away when a fuse is pulled then the device that the fuse protects is the culprit....

The battery failure wasn't inconsistent...there was a draw on the battery since the headlights were installed...the drain then happened.

The mechanic's input and your input are pretty far apart (not an insult just an observation), and all I can do is try the mechanic's suggestions and test.

I'll know for sure sometime tomorrow, and then will test it again over the following days to see if the draw is still present.

I'll try to keep the board posted, hoping this is cleared up, but no power wire is wired into a ground, and that wouldn't cause my headlights to work if that was the culprit. Headlights have worked perfectly since the install, as mentioned, so it can't be that.

The real reason is more likely what someone else here suggested...that a grounding wire wasn't properly grounded.

Saved

dboyzalter

iTrader: (3)

Let us know what it ends up being... Nobody ever comes back and confirms... Might gives me warm and fuzzies If I think I can figure out a problem from across the country.

Spike100

Tracking a power leak can be difficult and frustrating.

I think you have a parasitic draw. Something that should be connected to an IGN switched power source is receiving constant power.

My guess was a hot wire that somehow is grounding occasionally causing both the battery drain and the irregular power operations.

I am interested in your solution. I'm sure I will learn something.

vex008

iTrader: (4)

I have a similar parasitic draw issue with a 05' also with upgraded 06+ headlights. everything works fine as well as accuair control.
only 2 things I have added that could affect the batt.
double and triple checked both and unable to figure the source the problem.
car will be down for a about a week and figure I will have another go at trying to find the issue.
Would love to know if you figure out whats causing your problem. Sub'd

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Hey there vex008,

Good news bad news kinda deal....I do have the situation fixed but I don't think it will help you with yours. Wish I could help as I know the frustration.

For me it was simply a battery that was too old so the voltage wasn't quuuiiittee up to snuff anymore....and....I did have the ground wire from the lights come loose....my crimp on the butt-splice missed the metal pretty much completely, so the electrical tape wrapped around it held the wire in place for a day but then it came loose. It's all fixed up now and multiple days without a drain.

I'd check the grounding wire for everything you mentioned...perhaps the wire goes into the lighting harness but the harness connector itself is bad somehow? Bad suggestion but I look at the long shots once the logical stuff doesn't pan out.

Some draw is normal if you have an alarm or whatnot...it's not the wattage of the draw but the amps that will kill a battery. Wish I had more to offer you, and likewise..post back when you get a fix so we can learn as well?

Hope you're running smooth again soon,

Saved

Spike100

Saved, Glad to hear it's fixed. I admit not thinking about the battery itself. I hate these electrical problems since they can be very difficult to locate and repair. --Spike

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Hey I just appreciate your effort help me out...sorry if I came across slightly snarky at all. And you're right...battery drains can be a completely draining experience to find the source of the problem...not easy at all, as echoed by a very experienced mechanic as well. I was a little concerned, but since I knew it only happened since my headlight swap I was pretty confident it had to be that no matter what anyone was saying....too coincidental to ignore.

Helpful tip...my mechanic tested the battery drain AFTER I took out the headlights...and since he found a draw he assumed the draw must be coming from something other than the headlights....this was our mistake....we should have put the headlights back in and then tested to see if the draw went up.

A battery draw is normal....say 7 watt draw give or take...low amps is ok....that should have been thought of by both of us, but hey...it was pitch black out, we were all tired, and we're human.

Personally I had no idea an old battery that fired up a car could still be a culprit.

HELPFUL TIP: If you connect your battery terminals and you see any very faint light sparking, your battery needs replacing. Should be zero sparking.

Thanks everyone, hope this helps others,

Saved

Spike100

I suspected a short because I had a similar problem. My cause was more insidious. The car was a 1990 Montero. I replaced the lower sill on the front door. I used a different sheet metal screw that apparently was slightly longer than stock. Unkowingly I penetrated the wiring bundle running immediately below.

I say this was a subtle effect because the problem didn’t show for a month, so no juxtaposition of the problem with something I recently did to the car. It took a while for the screw to rub through the wire’s insulation and then cause a minor and very intermittent short. And… it took much longer to find it.

I’m glad your fix came quickly. --Spike

savedbygrace

iTrader: (4)

Wow that's a great lesson to share...that would be pretty tough to figure out or even think of.....I think my car woulda gone up in flames by the time I ever thought of a longer screw possibly wearing down a wire on the other side of it.

Glad you got that sorted out...and thanks for sharing the situation...good thing to keep in mind for us all....one project we want can become ten we don't so easily...

Saved

vex008

iTrader: (4)

Honestly hadn't even considered it being the battery itself. Not sure how old mine is but going to double check that. Thanks