question about HIDs

LETHL 1 · Jun 22, 2013

So i have a major question about HIDs, on my last car i had just installed them like 2 days before it caught on fire, the cause was a short in a wire or the wiring harness. i love the way HIDs look but i am absolutely terrified of putting some in my new car. should i be scared? could it have been the HIDs or just a short? all i did was plug them in and put the ballast where ever i could get them

Twista · Jun 22, 2013

My 1st mustang caught on fire like yours, but mine was due to a fuel line not being hooked up fully. SO i vowed to never touch anything with the fuel again.

So far i done the fuel filter and new fuel pump and my car is still here.

So what i can suggest to you is maybe try another brand Hid. Maybe buy some high quality ones (not DDM) and hopefully that'll give you some piece of mind.

ttocs · Jun 22, 2013

Was it the HIDs specifically that started it? I can't tell in your original post. If everything is fused properly it shouldn't be a problem. HIDs draw MAYBE 10-12 amps of current when they first charge and then it normally goes down to 6-7 amps of current. You stock headlight circuit is probably fused with a 25-30 amp fuse so if you didn't have the correct fuses in the system prior to the ballasts that could have been your problem. IF something were to go wrong and it started to draw something crazy, like 15 amps of current it should pop the fuse that YOU would need too install otherwise if you didn't then it has the ability too draw 30+ amps of current from the stock circuit.

I was messing with my upper intake couple of weeks ago and had to disconnect the fuel lines. I put them back on and gave them a solid tug to ensure they were seated but 5 mins into my test right with the motor died I was pretty sure I knew what it was and it was the fuel line. Popped it back on and let everything air out before I started it up again, been fine since.

Do you have, or did you have a fire ext in your old car or the car now?

Shtuff happens. What is that they say about getting bucked from the hourse? Get back on it....

LETHL 1 · Jun 22, 2013

Twista said:
My 1st mustang caught on fire like yours, but mine was due to a fuel line not being hooked up fully. SO i vowed to never touch anything with the fuel again.

So far i done the fuel filter and new fuel pump and my car is still here.

So what i can suggest to you is maybe try another brand Hid. Maybe buy some high quality ones (not DDM) and hopefully that'll give you some piece of mind.

yes next time if i do it i will be going with a better brand and by the way your car looks amazing it looks so good and i hate verts but seeing yours almost made me buy one

LETHL 1 · Jun 22, 2013

ttocs said:
Was it the HIDs specifically that started it? I can't tell in your original post. If everything is fused properly it shouldn't be a problem. HIDs draw MAYBE 10-12 amps of current when they first charge and then it normally goes down to 6-7 amps of current. You stock headlight circuit is probably fused with a 25-30 amp fuse so if you didn't have the correct fuses in the system prior to the ballasts that could have been your problem. IF something were to go wrong and it started to draw something crazy, like 15 amps of current it should pop the fuse that YOU would need too install otherwise if you didn't then it has the ability too draw 30+ amps of current from the stock circuit.

I was messing with my upper intake couple of weeks ago and had to disconnect the fuel lines. I put them back on and gave them a solid tug to ensure they were seated but 5 mins into my test right with the motor died I was pretty sure I knew what it was and it was the fuel line. Popped it back on and let everything air out before I started it up again, been fine since.

Do you have, or did you have a fire ext in your old car or the car now?

Shtuff happens. What is that they say about getting bucked from the hourse? Get back on it....

thanks for all the info and no i didnt have a fire ext. in the car but i might be putting one in this one now

ttocs · Jun 22, 2013

I have seen people laugh about the smaller car versions in my car and ask if I plan to burn it down or make some crack about my wiring. I don't think most peoplehave really considered all the ways it can catch fire, and how much explosive potential our gas tanks have. They are not made to put out the ragin fires I have seen on the side of the road where you can't get with in 20 ft of them they are made to prevent fires from getting to that point. Buy you time and hopefully catch it early enough that a small one can put it out. Also make sure you can reach/grab it easily from your drivers seat. If you see/smell smoke every second counts and going to the trunk, digging through all your crap to find it isn't going to help. You will want too mount it in case you have a wreck, you don't want it too kill you. I can recommend on the tranny hump directly behind the consol. Fairly unused space that is easy to reach from both sides and it can rest on the floor while you mount the strap to the back of the consol.

LETHL 1 · Jun 22, 2013

do you have any pictures of where you have it?

ttocs · Jun 22, 2013

No I don't have it mounted there in mine I have too much other stuff in the way. Directly behind the center console on the tranny hump, just before the back seat starts. Its back far enough that most people will not notice it but anyone can easily grab it.

LETHL 1 · Jun 22, 2013

how would that fit? or are you talking about putting it sideways?

Twista · Jun 23, 2013

f8l 97 said:
yes next time if i do it i will be going with a better brand and by the way your car looks amazing it looks so good and i hate verts but seeing yours almost made me buy one

Thanks bro. Means allot lol... I don't think highly of my stock looking stang. How did you hook your hids up before. Directly to battery with harness or without harness.

* Sent from tapatalk while sitting on the toilet at work*

the5.ohh · Jun 23, 2013

I'd go with a higher end brand like Twist said. ttocs brought up a very good idea that I've been thinking about doing. I'm seriously considering getting a small fire extinguisher and mounting it somewhere inside the car (no not the a pillar lol). You never know when you might need it.

LETHL 1 · Jun 24, 2013

Twista said:
Thanks bro. Means allot lol... I don't think highly of my stock looking stang. How did you hook your hids up before. Directly to battery with harness or without harness.

* Sent from tapatalk while sitting on the toilet at work*

i just plugged them in and put the ballast where i could