HID Wiring Harness - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

LetItRev · 2004-06-30, 09:45 PM

This evening I decided to remove my headlights and install the new HID's (from an STI). Some believed that the wiring harness would match up. WRONG! LOL! The plug for the headlight portion is different and there is no wiring for the leveling function.

I have been searching NASIOC and a few other forums and have learned much about HIDs but not the answer to this dilema.

Any ideas other than the obvious? (Having to get the correct connector for the headlight portion from the dealer and wire it in).

Thanks for any help.

Franz

MattR · 2004-06-30, 09:50 PM

Did you top off the HID fluid? Sometimes they run low...

sorry, I'm no help...

I'd say you'll need to change out the wiring...I can't imagine the wiring for the WRX lights have much in common with the STI HID's.

Kevin M · 2004-06-30, 09:53 PM

Did you replace the entire assembly, or are you just trying to convert bulbs? As I understand it, HID bulbs in standard housings = ouch. Also I think sperry has done this conversion already.

MattR · 2004-06-30, 09:54 PM

No, he bought a whole set of take-out STI headlights...

LetItRev · 2004-06-30, 09:54 PM

I have a complete set of headlights from a STI. And you are correct; merely switching halogen to HID is a big no no! I'll post the article if anyone is interested on that topic.

Kevin M · 2004-06-30, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattR

No, he bought a whole set of take-out STI headlights...

Which he had to re-wire, yes?

LetItRev · 2004-06-30, 10:07 PM

I don't understand the question.... Yes, I will probably have to rewire this if I want to install them properly. I am "this" close to just selling them. The lenses have some sand storm damage. (I planned to switch my lenses with these).

MattR · 2004-06-30, 10:13 PM

I was under the impression that the HID's had some additional booster or something the suplly the power to the lights, can the wiring simply be switched? I'm pretty green as far as this mod goes...

Kevin M · 2004-06-30, 10:14 PM

Oh yeah... I was trying to get around to saying that I htink Scott can show you how to make a plug-and-play harness pretty easily.

LetItRev · 2004-06-30, 10:15 PM

The HIDS have a seperate ballast attached to it. I too wonder if more power is required to run these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattR

I was under the impression that the HID's had some additional booster or something the suplly the power to the lights, can the wiring simply be switched? I'm pretty green as far as this mod goes...

LetItRev · 2004-06-30, 10:36 PM

This article explains it all:

http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/headlamp-harness.html

sperry · 2004-07-01, 08:16 AM

Alright, here's my two bits.

On my car I installed the STi projectors. They are *not* HID... just projectors with seperate low and high beam bulbs as opposed to the stock two stage bulb. For these lights, there is a way to make a PnP harness, but the problem with it is that when you turn on the highs, the lows turn off. This is how 99% of the people w/ STi projector wire them, which is a shame because that's not how they're designed. So, what I did for my car, was to grab a hand full of relays to build myself a circuit that allows the lows to remain on when the highs are switched on. The circuit really only requires one relay per light, however I wanted to be able to use higher wattage bulbes so I have an additional 2 relays per light so they can be wired directly to the battery with heavier gauge wire.

All that said, I don't think the work I've done is all that related to installing the stock HIDs. From what I've gathered, HIDs require a ballast and an ignitor. Basically, even though HID use much less power than hallogen bulbs, they need a very high voltage, which is what the ballast is for (much like fluorescent lights). The ignitor is for getting them to turn on. Much like my projectors, the HIDs will require seperate power for low and high beams, and I believe the low beam HIDs stay on then the high beams are triggered. Because this is *not* how the stock wiring works, you will need to build a harness like mine, more than likely. What I don't know is how the HIDs themselves are wired. If you simply need to supply power to the HID ballast to get them to turn on then my wiring diagram will apply, but if there's additional wiring for triggering the ignitor, or something, then we'll have to figure it out. Bring the light to the meet tonight and we can take a look at it.

Another more thing that makes these lights a little more difficult to wire, at least on the non-HIDs, is that they're negitively switched. i.e. the bulbs always have power, and the grounds are switched on/off. There are issues when you start to use relays in place of bulbs... for example, the LED for the foglight switch is actually powered by the left headlight highbeam, when the high beam's are off... what this means is that if you have the fogs on, then turn on the high beams, when you turn the highs off, the relay for the high stays triggered by the current from the LED and the left high beam stays lit.

I had to rewire that LED to get it to work properly on my car.

Then there's the whole DRL issue... you probably shouldn't attempt to run the HIDs as DRLs. The power to the headlights for DRL use is stepped down from normal power.... that probably wouldn't be an issue if you use relays like me, but it means you'll be running around with HIDs on full all the time.

The leveling switch is another chore. If you've got the same one as me (6-pin) it's not so bad, but if you've got the 4-pin version like Tyson then we'll have to figure it out. Actually I think Tyson did all the research for getting the 4-pin switch to work, but we just haven't gotten around to doing the install. Perhaps after the 4th sometime we should have a headlight install meet, and take care of all this wiring!

I'll try to find my wiring diagram for my projectors... it might help you out a little.

tysonK · 2004-07-01, 01:45 PM

Yeah I told you Franz :wink:

The wiring is probably quite a bit different b/c you are going to have to run a ballast and all.

And unless you are going to sell them for a decent profit I would keep them, for what you paid for them getting the wiring figured out is worth it!

LetItRev · 2004-07-01, 05:00 PM

Hey Tyson,

I feel what you are saying. Today, I reinstalled the OEM WRX lights and called it good. I really don't know if I want to fiddle with a wiring harness. I may just sell the HIDs and put the money to other mods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tysonK

Yeah I told you Franz :wink:

The wiring is probably quite a bit different b/c you are going to have to run a ballast and all.

And unless you are going to sell them for a decent profit I would keep them, for what you paid for them getting the wiring figured out is worth it!

khail19 · 2004-07-01, 07:14 PM

All the HID ballasts I've seen, including the ones on my car, just use a 12V + and - connection, and then have a harness from the ballast to the bulb. So you should just need a positive and ground wire to the ballast, and you need to disable the DRLs as well.

qksubi · 2004-07-02, 10:35 AM

Franz if you didnt get the ballest with the head light assembly it will not ignite the bulb

the harness to make power to the ballest is easy you need mach up the harness to the ballest box from your head light harness

I have done after market hid on my truck thats how it worked

Dean · 2004-07-02, 12:32 PM

From what we could tell looking at tehm lat night, the Ballast/igniter is connected to the assembly, and fully wired. It appears all you have to do is feed the thing power on it's connector, and it does the rest from the normal harness connections.

Scott could explain better, but he and his burned CDs are off somewhere for the weekend...

2004-06-30, 09:45 PM	#1
LetItRev R.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 501 Car: 2004 WRX	HID Wiring Harness This evening I decided to remove my headlights and install the new HID's (from an STI). Some believed that the wiring harness would match up. WRONG! LOL! The plug for the headlight portion is different and there is no wiring for the leveling function. I have been searching NASIOC and a few other forums and have learned much about HIDs but not the answer to this dilema. Any ideas other than the obvious? (Having to get the correct connector for the headlight portion from the dealer and wire it in). Thanks for any help. Franz

2004-06-30, 09:50 PM	#2
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Did you top off the HID fluid? Sometimes they run low... sorry, I'm no help... I'd say you'll need to change out the wiring...I can't imagine the wiring for the WRX lights have much in common with the STI HID's. __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2004-06-30, 09:53 PM	#3
Kevin M EJ22T Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Reno Posts: 9,445 Car: '93/'01 GF6, mostly red Class: 19 FP	Did you replace the entire assembly, or are you just trying to convert bulbs? As I understand it, HID bulbs in standard housings = ouch. Also I think sperry has done this conversion already. __________________ FWD is the new AWD

2004-06-30, 09:54 PM	#4
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	No, he bought a whole set of take-out STI headlights... __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2004-06-30, 10:13 PM	#8
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	I was under the impression that the HID's had some additional booster or something the suplly the power to the lights, can the wiring simply be switched? I'm pretty green as far as this mod goes... __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2004-06-30, 10:07 PM	#7
LetItRev R.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 501 Car: 2004 WRX	I don't understand the question.... Yes, I will probably have to rewire this if I want to install them properly. I am "this" close to just selling them. The lenses have some sand storm damage. (I planned to switch my lenses with these).

2004-06-30, 10:14 PM	#9
Kevin M EJ22T Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Reno Posts: 9,445 Car: '93/'01 GF6, mostly red Class: 19 FP	Oh yeah... I was trying to get around to saying that I htink Scott can show you how to make a plug-and-play harness pretty easily. __________________ FWD is the new AWD

2004-06-30, 10:36 PM	#11
LetItRev R.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 501 Car: 2004 WRX	This article explains it all: http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/headlamp-harness.html

2004-07-01, 08:16 AM	#12
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Alright, here's my two bits. On my car I installed the STi projectors. They are not HID... just projectors with seperate low and high beam bulbs as opposed to the stock two stage bulb. For these lights, there is a way to make a PnP harness, but the problem with it is that when you turn on the highs, the lows turn off. This is how 99% of the people w/ STi projector wire them, which is a shame because that's not how they're designed. So, what I did for my car, was to grab a hand full of relays to build myself a circuit that allows the lows to remain on when the highs are switched on. The circuit really only requires one relay per light, however I wanted to be able to use higher wattage bulbes so I have an additional 2 relays per light so they can be wired directly to the battery with heavier gauge wire. All that said, I don't think the work I've done is all that related to installing the stock HIDs. From what I've gathered, HIDs require a ballast and an ignitor. Basically, even though HID use much less power than hallogen bulbs, they need a very high voltage, which is what the ballast is for (much like fluorescent lights). The ignitor is for getting them to turn on. Much like my projectors, the HIDs will require seperate power for low and high beams, and I believe the low beam HIDs stay on then the high beams are triggered. Because this is not how the stock wiring works, you will need to build a harness like mine, more than likely. What I don't know is how the HIDs themselves are wired. If you simply need to supply power to the HID ballast to get them to turn on then my wiring diagram will apply, but if there's additional wiring for triggering the ignitor, or something, then we'll have to figure it out. Bring the light to the meet tonight and we can take a look at it. Another more thing that makes these lights a little more difficult to wire, at least on the non-HIDs, is that they're negitively switched. i.e. the bulbs always have power, and the grounds are switched on/off. There are issues when you start to use relays in place of bulbs... for example, the LED for the foglight switch is actually powered by the left headlight highbeam, when the high beam's are off... what this means is that if you have the fogs on, then turn on the high beams, when you turn the highs off, the relay for the high stays triggered by the current from the LED and the left high beam stays lit. I had to rewire that LED to get it to work properly on my car. Then there's the whole DRL issue... you probably shouldn't attempt to run the HIDs as DRLs. The power to the headlights for DRL use is stepped down from normal power.... that probably wouldn't be an issue if you use relays like me, but it means you'll be running around with HIDs on full all the time. The leveling switch is another chore. If you've got the same one as me (6-pin) it's not so bad, but if you've got the 4-pin version like Tyson then we'll have to figure it out. Actually I think Tyson did all the research for getting the 4-pin switch to work, but we just haven't gotten around to doing the install. Perhaps after the 4th sometime we should have a headlight install meet, and take care of all this wiring! I'll try to find my wiring diagram for my projectors... it might help you out a little. __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

2004-07-01, 01:45 PM	#13
tysonK warehouse SECCS Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SoCal... Posts: 6,253 Car: 04 Evo 99 Cadillac Class: street de le mod	Yeah I told you Franz :wink: The wiring is probably quite a bit different b/c you are going to have to run a ballast and all. And unless you are going to sell them for a decent profit I would keep them, for what you paid for them getting the wiring figured out is worth it! __________________ Anjali? Anjali?

2004-07-01, 07:14 PM	#15
khail19 EJ205 Real Name: Khail Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 1,769 Car: 2016 VW GTI Meets? We have meets?	All the HID ballasts I've seen, including the ones on my car, just use a 12V + and - connection, and then have a harness from the ballast to the bulb. So you should just need a positive and ground wire to the ballast, and you need to disable the DRLs as well.

2004-07-02, 10:35 AM	#16
qksubi Assault Mechanic Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Reno Posts: 996 Car: 13 Sti Hatch Satin white Class: TBSP/TT-2 Aim for the EYES!	Franz if you didnt get the ballest with the head light assembly it will not ignite the bulb the harness to make power to the ballest is easy you need mach up the harness to the ballest box from your head light harness I have done after market hid on my truck thats how it worked

2004-07-02, 12:32 PM	#17
Dean Señor Cheap Bastarde Real Name: Dean Join Date: May 2003 Location: $99 Tire Store Posts: 9,294 Car: $.04 STI Class: Fast,Cheap & Reliable=STI Deal, did somebody say Deal? Oh, Dean, yeah that's me.	From what we could tell looking at tehm lat night, the Ballast/igniter is connected to the assembly, and fully wired. It appears all you have to do is feed the thing power on it's connector, and it does the rest from the normal harness connections. Scott could explain better, but he and his burned CDs are off somewhere for the weekend... __________________ I am a Commodore PET --- Now get off my lawn you kids...

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