After doing the black housing mod, I guess I didn't seal the headlight properly. After a car wash, I noticed condensation in the head lamp. I drove around for about 15 minutes, and both headlights went out. Thinking it could be a fuse, but can't locate a fuse for the headlights either by the battery, or by the kick panel.. Is there another location for fuses? If not, I think I might of damaged my ballast I hope thats not the case! Any info is appreciated.


EDIT* Also how can you tell if the hid bulp is blown?

 

sounds like you may have more problems than a fuse. and hids are not the standard filiment type bulbs like in most other cars on the road.they use gas.when used or messed with improperly can cause injury.if its the ballasts hopefully someone else has some used ones you can buy.maybe u didnt open up pandoras box with this one. and if the bulbs got water on them, they could have supercooled and cracked.those things get very hot.

 

Thanks for the info!

Things turned out a lot better than I had thought. I disassembled everything, blew everything with a blow dryer. Let them sit in the sun for a couple of hours, then reassembled. Seems to be working fine now!

I guess I dodged a bullet with this one. I'll definitely be taking everything apart, and resealing this weekend!

 

my headlights do the same thing becuase i have my splash guards removed because im in the process of installing a kit and all that, so when it rains, i get water up in my ballasts and power will not run through to the HIDs. I have to take the ballasts out, blow them out and dry them, however, now, my rright headlight is not working at all. The bulb and ballast are fine, i checked by connecting dirrectly to the battery, but its something wtih the power wire of the low beam, its not getting any juice and i could not find a fuse. Any ideas where it goes to? I followed it to the ECU?

 

plug and play kit?

 

nope, stock HID system

 

A little too late for you perhaps, but here goes. For an OEM-like, durable and waterproof seal, you need two things:

1- Invest in a roll of Nissan's OEM Headlight Sealer. Yes, Nissan sells it and to my knowledge is the only car company to do so. That's what I've used for my blackout project. It is a little pricey compared to RTV silicone from Wal-Mart ($35 at the dealership) and is usually a special order item, but it works amazingly well, so much so that pro HID modders on hidplanet.com forums use it on all types of headlights. It comes in a roll and is approx half inch wide, but being pliable, can be stretched thinner to add to the existing OEM sealer in the headlight. And that way, one roll is more than enough for both lights.

2- You MUST buy the OEM Nissan Ballast O-Ring Gasket. Why? Because Nissan recommends that it should be replaced EVERY time the ballast is removed from the light. Here's the '06 FSM. Look at #12 in the diagram and then the red box at the bottom. They are very cheap ($12 for two at the dealership). I bought them as the way i look at it, they are VERY cheap insurance for VERY expensive ballasts so why not?



Finally, to properly test the seal, here's what i did. I sealed and fully reassembled the lights (ballasts, bulbs, everything) and allowed the sealant to cure for 24 hours (perhaps an overkill, but I was in no rush) and placed both headlights on the bathroom counter. Then turned the shower on full blast at the hottest setting and shut the door. Fifteen minutes later, the bathroom was so full of steam I couldn't see a thing. But....the headlights were perfectly dry from the inside.

My logic was, since steam vapor is among the tiniest water vapor there is, if it can't get into the seal, rain doesn't stand a chance.

Good luck!

 

Great information!