LX470 HID Retrofit Project (1 Viewer)

[Kabanstva]

Okay, these ballasts or igniters are really getting on my last nerve. I'm going to start digging into it and see if it is a power problem or if its these darn Morimotos. Its a crap shoot which headlights will turn on or if any at all. I have to keep turning the lights off then back on to see what I get each time until they are both on. I have no aftermarket relays they are plugged directly into the factory wiring.

Why don’t you just buy some used Hella ballasts on eBay and use those instead of Morimoto?

Is Morimoto an OEM supplier? I’ve done several HID conversions on our family vehicles (a few Siennas, two generations of Avalons, and an SC300 using all OEM German parts. Never had a single issue with Hella ballasts, hundreds of thousands of miles and over a decade of use between the cars. Most cars sit outside in the freezing cold and never been an issue.

 

[Qtonic]

I just had to warranty a 35w morimoto ballast. It's annoying. I read a forum post elsewhere that they are rebrands of relatively low priced chinese parts, though I don't know that for fact nor do I remember the name of the company.

I think other brands of ballasts are interchangeable. If so I might upgrade in the future if I have another failure.

 

[jtb517]

I had similar issues with a set of Morimotos in a custom set of headlights I built for a Volvo I used to own. I replaced bulbs, igniters and ballasts and the problem went away.

 

[Biga27110]

does hella balast swap into a morimoto system?

 

[Kabanstva]

does hella balast swap into a morimoto system?

What’s a Morimoto system? I always just made my own kit with either Hella ballasts or Osram that are commonly found in oem Nissan/Infiniti headlights. Never had any issues with them.

 

[Biga27110]

What’s a Morimoto system? I always just made my own kit with either Hella ballasts or Osram that are commonly found in oem Nissan/Infiniti headlights. Never had any issues with them.

i did the morimoto retrofit for the lx470 found on this forum.

 

[greasem0nkey86]

For those who are interested in mounting the ballast under the headlight similar to how @xirforever did and don't have the means to cut your own bushings. An option is to use heat-set inserts. I used a tapered M6 insert that I purchased through McMaster Carr. You'll need a soldering iron in order to heat the insert and melt the plastic to press in the fitting.

Link: McMaster-Carr

 

[greasem0nkey86]

Finished photos

 

[xirforever]

Wow, that looks amazing! I like this much better than the bushings I made, good job!

Side, note, I hate my morimotos. Can't wait to change them out. Then I plan on making a custom mold to make a rubber boot that will be oem-like.

 

[Luke111]

Wow, that looks amazing! I like this much better than the bushings I made, good job!

Side, note, I hate my morimotos. Can't wait to change them out. Then I plan on making a custom mold to make a rubber boot that will be oem-like.

You've had the same issue from day one.....you should consider running the relay harness....if that doesn't solve your problem then you have bad igniters.. I had a intermittent light failure which I thought was the ballast so I swapped in a new ballast and still had the failure. Replaced the igniter and solved the problem... I've also had the replace 4 other igniters to a few guys who have bought lights from me.

 

[xirforever]

The non-oem harness kinda bothers my OCD, and the ballast that I am running is only 35w, I'm not running the big boy one. I mean I suppose it is possible that my igniters have been bad from the get-go. It's just a turn off reading the same problem all these guys are having. I'll call TRS and see what they say about it and what we can do. I just want a reliable system and i keep procrastinating to do something about it so it just keeps building up my frustration lol.

 

[Luke111]

The non-oem harness kinda bothers my OCD, and the ballast that I am running is only 35w, I'm not running the big boy one. I mean I suppose it is possible that my igniters have been bad from the get-go. It's just a turn off reading the same problem all these guys are having. I'll call TRS and see what they say about it and what we can do. I just want a reliable system and i keep procrastinating to do something about it so it just keeps building up my frustration lol.

You've had an issue from day one but you're not willing to run the system the way it's designed because it bothers your.OCD..really?
It would take you about 5 min to attache the harness and see if it solves your problem.

 

[xirforever]

Yes, really. And not just for OCD reasons. I was trying not to get into the details, but since you are calling me out like that....

Can you tell me how the Morimoto system was designed to be used with that relay system over the Toyota relay system? Because people have the same exact issue even with the aftermarket relay system.

 

[jerryb]

Hahah.

You guys. If you read the instruction page it makes sense from trs. It does run on top of the stock relays. But only on one side. Both circuits are on the one side low beam fuse.
Also just fyi, the high beam indicator in the combo meter runs through a low beam fuse, if you can believe that.
Take apart the dual relay and you'll see where possible faults may happen, it's easy to fix, and cheap enough not to make your own.

I like the 35 xb ballasts. Easy to swap cords just in case.

 

[Luke111]

Yes, really. And not just for OCD reasons. I was trying not to get into the details, but since you are calling me out like that....

Can you tell me how the Morimoto system was designed to be used with that relay system over the Toyota relay system? Because people have the same exact issue even with the aftermarket relay system.

I'm not calling you out but you're complaining about a system but you're not willing to install it correctly.. I've had great success with the product...nothing aftermarket is perfect and I doubt TRS would be very successful if everyone is having the same issues. Try the harness...if it fixes the issue you'll be happy

 

[xirforever]

You are calling me out, you literally just said I'm not willing to install it "correctly". I have seen no evidence that suggests it is "correct" other than opinion and no facts.

So I will ask again, how has the Morimoto ballast been engineered to work with this specific relay system?

When I google this issue it seems a lot of folks have this issue unlike the oem branded components.

 

[bamabrock]

Yes, really. And not just for OCD reasons. I was trying not to get into the details, but since you are calling me out like that....

Can you tell me how the Morimoto system was designed to be used with that relay system over the Toyota relay system? Because people have the same exact issue even with the aftermarket relay system.

You are calling me out, you literally just said I'm not willing to install it "correctly". I have seen no evidence that suggests it is "correct" other than opinion and no facts.

So I will ask again, how has the Morimoto ballast been engineered to work with this specific relay system?

When I google this issue it seems a lot of folks have this issue unlike the oem branded components.

Your OEM toyota "relay system" is not putting out enough voltage to ignite the ballasts and properly power them. If you aren't going to install a relay harness that pulls directly from the battery to power the ballasts and only use the OEM power to open the relay, then you are not installing it correctly and potentially putting your stock harness at risk. Your stock wiring was not spec to that power load.

Google instead of listening to people who have a lot of experience with aftermarket retrofits if you want. Hidplanet is a good forum for the retrofit community and do some research there.

The OEM branded ballasts are best, the morimoto and a few others are the best aftermarket ones, but not as good as the OEM components made by Hella, Denso, etc.. Never buy the $35 ebay/amazon junk.

 

[xirforever]

Your OEM toyota "relay system" is not putting out enough voltage to ignite the ballasts and properly power them. If you aren't going to install a relay harness that pulls directly from the battery to power the ballasts and only use the OEM power to open the relay, then you are not installing it correctly and potentially putting your stock harness at risk. Your stock wiring was not spec to that power load.

Google instead of listening to people who have a lot of experience with aftermarket retrofits if you want. Hidplanet is a good forum for the retrofit community and do some research there.

The OEM branded ballasts are best, the morimoto and a few others are the best aftermarket ones, but not as good as the OEM components made by Hella, Denso, etc.. Never buy the $35 ebay/amazon junk.

You are saying I should not google, instead I should listen to people that do this sort of thing. Then you tell me I should google search some websites. That is a little confusing since those are the sites I was looking at in the first place?

I get my electrical knowledge from my education and years of industry. There is also a wealth of information that is accurate on the internet that can be found.

You claim that I could damage my factory wiring system at risk because it’s not rated for that load. This doesn’t make any sense? The factory light draws 55watts, and the system is rated up to 120watts with fused protection on it. First, the fuse is designed to protect the wire before any damage occurs. Secondly, my ballast only draws 35watts. So what load are you talking about that it is not rated for?

So you say that the factory relay is not providing enough voltage? Where are you getting your information from? TRS says the ballast is rated for 9v-32v. So you are telling me that if I go measure the voltage that is being delivered, it will be lower than 9v or close to it? Or are you getting technical data that shows a different minimum voltage for this ballast?

 

[bamabrock]

You are saying I should not google, instead I should listen to people that do this sort of thing. Then you tell me I should google search some websites. That is a little confusing since those are the sites I was looking at in the first place?

I saw your first response. I did not say you should do or not do anything. I said "Google instead of listening to people who have a lot of experience with aftermarket retrofits if you want. Hidplanet is a good forum for the retrofit community and do some research there." You wont accept the advise here which is to install an aftermarket relay harness, so I pointed you to the only active retrofit site. They have a facebook group too. They will tell you the same.

I also get my electrical knowledge from my education and years of industry.

You'll need it to solve your problem. Good luck!

 

[xirforever]

I did not say you should do or not do anything. I said "Google instead of listening to people who have a lot of experience with aftermarket retrofits if you want. Hidplanet is a good forum for the retrofit community and do some research there."

You'll need it to solve your problem. Good luck!

You want to split hairs be my guest.

What would be nice is if you would address the questions I posed on your claims. That would bring value to this thread.