Xenon lights problem

Hi all,
I got this annoying problem with my xenon righthand headlight..when I turn the lights on it doesn't come on..if I turn them off and on a couple of times then the right hand side will fire as well and thats the end of it untill the next morning..took it to my electrician and we changed th bulb and it still done it..went back and he sourced a used transformer as the new one is $800.00 and after a couple of days it was doing it again..as anyone experianced the same problem? and what was done to fix it I really would like to know before going to the dealer to put it on their diagnostic machine, I particularly would like to hear from australian GTA owners on this problem.
Cheers

Sounds like it could be the ballast playing up

check and replace the fuses. could be corrosion or bad connection.

Originally Posted by shiny_car

check and replace the fuses. could be corrosion or bad connection.

I agree with the fuse thing. I had one light go out on me and I thought it was a bulb or worse, the electronics. turned out to be a fuse. Diddnt appreciate that the GT has seperate fuses for left and right headlights. Never owned a car with this set up before and assumed that if a fuse was to blame, both lights would go out.

Def sounds like poor connections at the plugs or fuses, or maybe a broken wire, esp. as you replaced the ballast.

Fuses, I had one blow, I replaced it, then 2 weeks later the second one blew and I then replaced that one, Alfa must be the only manufacturer who does NOT include spare fuses in the fuse box

I suppose the ballast is the transformer behind the headlight, I will check the fuses..but why do thy have to make them so complicated?

yeah, not like your average bulb! it's the high voltage setup, and self-levelling mech that makes them complex.

the things thats puzzling is once it fires there's no problem untill I usem them again the next morning or night..if it was a fuse or bad connection it shouldnt work at all..anyone had a similar problem to mine?

Originally Posted by killer

the things thats puzzling is once it fires there's no problem untill I usem them again the next morning or night..if it was a fuse or bad connection it shouldnt work at all..anyone had a similar problem to mine?

Yeah, unlikely to be the fuse. The main reason an HID unit will not fire up (providing the burner is OK) is the battery. Each headlight will draw almost 30 Amps on start up (60A total ). If your battery is not up to scratch, particularly as this is happening first thing in the morning, then you may have problems with one or other of the headlamps firing.
See if you can try it with a brand new heavy duty/high capacity battery, that would be my first port of call.

Hope this helps,
G.

It sounds that the ballast is not getting enough power, it might be a problem of loose connection or battery power. I would check the entrance to the ballast if there is enough power there and go till the battery.
I have quiet a lot of experience with HID's in diving, and when this happens it's usually the problem of the power to the ballast. If the ballast gets enough power, then usually its the problem is the ballast itself.
Hope it helps.

Oh, and please please please do not mess around with an HID headlamp whilst it is switched on...25,000V @ 30A will kill!!!

Killer - any update on this? - my 156 GTA SW has EXACTLY the same issue. When cold or wet (esp.) the driver side xenon fails to start until the engine is up to temp or the lights are turned on/off several times. Have replaced the xenon bulb and HT unit (aka ballast?) but still same problem . Garage wants me to leave it with them overnight so they can experience it first hand! The power draw issue seems plausible......

Hi,
my 147GTA is having exactly the same problem has anyone got a sollution yet? The dealer wants to change the bulb and the ballast but it sounds like this could be a waste of money?

Originally Posted by Alfie156

Killer - any update on this? - my 156 GTA SW has EXACTLY the same issue. When cold or wet (esp.) the driver side xenon fails to start until the engine is up to temp or the lights are turned on/off several times. Have replaced the xenon bulb and HT unit (aka ballast?) but still same problem . Garage wants me to leave it with them overnight so they can experience it first hand! The power draw issue seems plausible......

Originally Posted by Iandoyle

Hi,
my 147GTA is having exactly the same problem has anyone got a sollution yet? The dealer wants to change the bulb and the ballast but it sounds like this could be a waste of money?

Does the lamp try to fire up? Do you hear a clicking noise & see it flickering and then go out? If this is the case then I will almost guarantee that it is the battery. See if you can get hold of a heavy duty high AH battery and try that. Alternatively start the engine, apply some revs so that the alternator is charging fully and then try turning on the lights. Cars fitted with HID should really have high AH rated batteries purely for the large current draw when first firing up the HID units. This can be as much as 60A or so for the first second of their cycle.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for that I will give a new battery a try and let you know. The previous owner tells me he put a new battery in a couple of weeks prior to me purchasing. It may not be heavy duty enough. This is one of those problems where the dealer doesn't want to understand the problem they just want to put a complete new unit in and hope that is the answer.

change the fuses to 15A ones, my indie mechanic said there was a campaign to change the fuse ratings on the Xenon equipped cars from 10A to 15A.

Thanks for the tip, I will try changing the fuses and let you know what happens.

Hi Guys,
just a quick update, the dealer just serviced my car and did my cam belts at the same time he said I should change the bulb and the ballast to fix this problem. Given what I was already spending I said no I would wait to see an answer from the forum. They did it anyhow so could not charge me. I got a bulb and ballast for free. It works perfectly now. Doesn't help me understand why but hell I'm not complaining.

Originally Posted by Iandoyle

Hi Guys,
just a quick update, the dealer just serviced my car and did my cam belts at the same time he said I should change the bulb and the ballast to fix this problem. Given what I was already spending I said no I would wait to see an answer from the forum. They did it anyhow so could not charge me. I got a bulb and ballast for free. It works perfectly now. Doesn't help me understand why but hell I'm not complaining.

Maybe the originals were damp...

Ballast and bulb connection are very high voltage, and hence very sensitive to moisture... at least you got it sorted! Bet someone got an earful at the dealer when the changed it anyway...

I think you might be right. Total cost in Australia about $900. I have a friend who imports HID lights for the mining industry, I am going to drop over and visit him today and see if he can explain this one. Just incase anyone is interested, I will let you know.

Hello I have the same HID light problem on a 3.2 gta,
O/S/F HID intermittant not working some mornings ok others it will not fire unless switched on and of a few times.

Have swapped lamps,
swapped ballast units,
swapped light relays in fusebox,
checked voltages on lamps and there is 3x 11.8v on multipin connector on both headlights,
checked earths,
checked fuses 10a,
started engine and ran and still not working,

Havn't checked connections behind fusebox,

could it possibly be the light stalk, are the lighting circuits separate to the stalk,
Has anybody have a more detailed wiring diagram of all the electrics.
Thankyou
Tony.

Originally Posted by Tmg

Hello I have the same HID light problem on a 3.2 gta,
O/S/F HID intermittant not working some mornings ok others it will not fire unless switched on and of a few times.

Have swapped lamps,
swapped ballast units,
swapped light relays in fusebox,
checked voltages on lamps and there is 3x 11.8v on multipin connector on both headlights,
checked earths,
checked fuses 10a,
started engine and ran and still not working,

Havn't checked connections behind fusebox,

could it possibly be the light stalk, are the lighting circuits separate to the stalk,
Has anybody have a more detailed wiring diagram of all the electrics.
Thankyou
Tony.

I think you have covered nearly everything that is usually suggested which is why you have not got any replies!

I believe the stalk just supplies +12v to the relays, so I don't see how it would affect just one side, there must be a localised issue somewhere

Have you tried holding the engine at revs and then switching the lamps on?

Hi Guys

Just recently (1 month ago) had the same problem with the right hand Xenon.

Would sometimes not come on nomatter what i did with starting /on and off etc.

last 2 weeks the Battery has been playing up and draining. Garage has had the car on test and said battery fine.

1 week ago battery dead and new heavy duty fitted. Since then everything perfect - touch wood.

Alfa's wouldn't be the same without these minor