HID conversion question for those that know

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East702

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I got a HID kit hooked up but it was getting way too hot and the lights were flickering. I talked some people they basically said I need to get transformer to convert the aftermarket power to factory power and find a shop that does electrical to rewire the whole thing. I was also told that when I do that it could cause other problem because in lincolns everything is electric and changing something could other things to go haywire in the car.

I just don't feel like paying $100 for a used light on ebay on that will last for god knows how long.

Any suggestions/advice?

Edit: I have a control relay for it already to keep it from getting too hot. So that's not the issue. I'm being told it's factory power being used on aftermarket power that's the issue.
 
I've done a few aftermarket HID conversions on different cars before, so I know a little bit about it. First off, by "control relay", do you mean an aftermarket wiring harness that pulls power directly from the battery and has a relay built into it? If not, I'd recommend checking into one of those. I had the exact same issue when I did an HID conversion on my '72 Lincoln, and the harness solved the problem. Also, I know many people on here have done aftermarket HID conversions on their Mark VIII's without significant issues (I think some have to use an aftermarket wiring harness like what I mentioned, while others seem to get by without it). It might also help to know what year Mark VIII you have and whether it came factory with HID's or halogens (I'm guessing by you mentioning factory HID bulbs on E-Bay, yours came with HID's from the factory?).
 
HID's put out very little heat, a lot less than a 65 watt halogen bulb would. Apparently, something isn't hooked up right somewhere. I'm assuming you removed the factory ballasts too. As for flickering, a relay harness would 99% of the time cure that but normally on a Gen 2, they don't even need one. Most Gen 1's would be better off with one when the conversion was installed.

If you could try explaining how you have it connected step by step, that might help a little.
 
By control relay I do mean the wiring harness, which is supposed to control the power put out to the lights from the battery. I had the lights hooked up to the ballasts, hooked up to the relay, hooked up to the battery. Turned it on and it got really hot and the lights just flickered.

Also it's a '98 gen 2 with factory HID's.

I keep getting different opinions from friends. Some say that you can';t put an aftermarket HID conversion kit on a car with factory HID's. You have to get a factory HID kit. Some say I have to find a transformer to turn factory power into aftermarket power. Some say I need to just have a mechanic rewire the thing but I'll have to look hard because "it could cause problems with other things" which would be a liability for the shop that does it so most wouldn't want to do it.
 
You can't use the factory ballasts to power aftermarket HID's. Stock is A/C, aftermarket is DC.

You don't need a relay kit on a Gen 2 to install an aftermarket HID kit with new ballasts, you simply power the new ballasts from the two connections at the bottom of the radiator support that powered the stock ballasts.

Hundreds of people have installed aftermarket HID kits in Gen 2's.

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=62525
 
Last edited:
NoLimit95 said:
HID's put out very little heat, a lot less than a 65 watt halogen bulb would. Apparently, something isn't hooked up right somewhere.
Click to expand...

When mine were getting hot and flickering on my 72, the heat was coming from the factory wiring trying to fry itself. I don't know if that might be the case for East as well.
 
I got a cheap set of HID's off fleaby for the hi beams on my '97 and have had no problems at all. They work great. Plug-n-play with no relays or wire splicing needed. Just a thought.:)
 
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