Matt Nelson
Member
Posting this in the hope someone else will find it before spending 20 + hr's trying to figure out why their headlights won't turn off (even when pulling the low beam fuses from the smart junction box - aka body control module.)
After a recent snow storm my factory HID headlamp on the passenger side started to flicker, sometimes it wouldn't turn on. I figured I either needed new bulbs, new ballasts, or that I simply needed to make sure the headlight connectors were water tight. Like most of us do I decided to start with the wiring. Everything was sealed, no water in any of the connectors, no corrosion. I figured I might as well replace the ballasts and bulbs....
There are a ton of DS3 HID bulbs on the market. I purchased a couple different set's, including the Phillips OEM replacement. No problem here, all of them work (although I can speak to the life time of some of less expensive models.)
On to the DS3 ballasts... Ford charges $546 each. "Ridiculous" I thought. Bought aftermarket ballasts for $79 each from HIDexperts (or some such website.) Since I was having issues on one side only I replaced that HID ballast first. Headlight fired up right away - the problem is the car was off, headlights were off. I spent several hours for the next week trouble shooting wiring, fuses, relays - thinking I'd shorted the fuse box. As mentioned above, even when I pulled the fuses for the headlights (#16 and #17 in the body control module) the right headlight still wouldn't shut off. Pulling the relay in the power junction box under the hood was the only way to turn it off.
I finally decided to pull both headlight assemblies. Plugged the left assembly into the passenger side headlight plug. Like magic the light turned on and off and functioned perfectly. I should've realized the after-market ballast was the problem. If you're going to replace the ballasts on your factory HID's make sure to check the output voltage of the new ballast!!!! The factory ballasts have an output of 42 volts (VAC); most aftermarket DS3 ballasts have an output of 85 volts. I'm not an electrician so I can't explain why but the 85 volt output ballasts pickup power from the 4th wire (the on/off trigger wire) in your factory HID harness and your headlights will not shut off!!! See attached picture - factory ballast on the right, aftermarket ballast on the left.
I know this sounds crazy but I switched ballasts on both headlights to make sure I wasn't insane. As soon as I installed the aftermarket ballast on the left side same result, headlight doesn't shut off. There are aftermarket ,42 volt output, DS3 ballasts out there but make sure you call the vendor and have them physically check the ballast they're shipping you (or go to Ford and pay $546 a piece.)
Hope this is useful for someone and helps avoid the nightmare I've been through - make sure you check the ballasts before a dealer tells you they're going to replace your smart junction box (BCM.)
As a result of this endeavor I have every wiring diagram for a 2014 Raptor... if you need them hit me up!
After a recent snow storm my factory HID headlamp on the passenger side started to flicker, sometimes it wouldn't turn on. I figured I either needed new bulbs, new ballasts, or that I simply needed to make sure the headlight connectors were water tight. Like most of us do I decided to start with the wiring. Everything was sealed, no water in any of the connectors, no corrosion. I figured I might as well replace the ballasts and bulbs....
There are a ton of DS3 HID bulbs on the market. I purchased a couple different set's, including the Phillips OEM replacement. No problem here, all of them work (although I can speak to the life time of some of less expensive models.)
On to the DS3 ballasts... Ford charges $546 each. "Ridiculous" I thought. Bought aftermarket ballasts for $79 each from HIDexperts (or some such website.) Since I was having issues on one side only I replaced that HID ballast first. Headlight fired up right away - the problem is the car was off, headlights were off. I spent several hours for the next week trouble shooting wiring, fuses, relays - thinking I'd shorted the fuse box. As mentioned above, even when I pulled the fuses for the headlights (#16 and #17 in the body control module) the right headlight still wouldn't shut off. Pulling the relay in the power junction box under the hood was the only way to turn it off.
I finally decided to pull both headlight assemblies. Plugged the left assembly into the passenger side headlight plug. Like magic the light turned on and off and functioned perfectly. I should've realized the after-market ballast was the problem. If you're going to replace the ballasts on your factory HID's make sure to check the output voltage of the new ballast!!!! The factory ballasts have an output of 42 volts (VAC); most aftermarket DS3 ballasts have an output of 85 volts. I'm not an electrician so I can't explain why but the 85 volt output ballasts pickup power from the 4th wire (the on/off trigger wire) in your factory HID harness and your headlights will not shut off!!! See attached picture - factory ballast on the right, aftermarket ballast on the left.
I know this sounds crazy but I switched ballasts on both headlights to make sure I wasn't insane. As soon as I installed the aftermarket ballast on the left side same result, headlight doesn't shut off. There are aftermarket ,42 volt output, DS3 ballasts out there but make sure you call the vendor and have them physically check the ballast they're shipping you (or go to Ford and pay $546 a piece.)
Hope this is useful for someone and helps avoid the nightmare I've been through - make sure you check the ballasts before a dealer tells you they're going to replace your smart junction box (BCM.)
As a result of this endeavor I have every wiring diagram for a 2014 Raptor... if you need them hit me up!
