Installing HID lights on your Journey (step by step)

[bigdog5142]

That's what I was afraid of. I may go back to the old bulbs and call it good, then. That's way too expensive. We like the look, but it's our family car and I can't have my wife trying to figure out how to turn the lights on when driving.

What I don't get...is why it worked just fine for two weeks, and I'm now having a problem. I also thought that the new slim ballasts were digital, pretty much making canbus a non-issue. :/

Edited September 27, 2012 by bigdog5142

[bigdog5142]

Ok...so I contacted the seller I got the HID's from...they told me to install load resistors on the lights and that would fix the issue of only one light coming on after the engine is running. Sound like that would work? I have no idea. If it's really a computer issue, then how will a load resistor help? Just wanted to see if anyone on here has any advice for me.

[Mcgusto82]

From reading on 300c forums and chargers, the load resistors on the already plug and play HID ballasts DON'T work.

That's not to say it won't work for you, but if you look at the thick wire coming from the ballast, there should be a small in line box.

That's a load resistor.

Sorry, you best bet is a new HID kit.

I know how you feel.

Do what I do, leave the lights on all the time.

These cars have a 10 minute light cut off safety.

[OhareFred]

Ok...well, now my passenger side HID doesn't come on with the auto feature enabled. In fact, it seems as though I have to turn on the lights before the engine is running. It just started doing this. The driver side works with auto or by turning it on. What could that be? Bad ballast? All the connections are fine.

I had the same problem. Drivers side worked like a charm but the passenger side was hit an miss. Yes I have a canbus hid system.

Try this. In my kit was an extension cable to supply power from the factory connector to the ballast. I reworked the location of the ballast so I did not use the extension cable and like magic, the problem has disappeared! I did use the extension cable on the drivers side without a problem. I checked the extension cable, it is just fine. Switched cables with the drivers side and it worked fine. So now I have the drivers side using an extension cable, passenger side not, auto lights on working fine. Don't ask me why....

Edited October 4, 2012 by OhareFred

[Mcgusto82]

Interesting. I think I'm going to try this.

[deanfam]

Just a heads up I just bought am HID kit from DDM tuning and I did not require me to hook up a relay to the battery. All you need is the HID kit and an error code eliminator for both sides. and this kit is only $45, one of the cheaper ones I have seen. 12V 35Wballast 8000k bulb. Also going to add that the 2012 dodge journey has reverse polarity for the low beam head lights as well so the first connection with this kit has to be backwards.. no harm to the vehicle its just that the wires are swapped. Hope this helps some people.

[journeyfamily]

hi all

i have been reading this topic, as i have been having problems installing my HID lights, i have been useing a relay harness and i purchased two capacitors from ebay, the capacitors work fine for a while then they pop why is that? i purchased two more and tried again but these also poped after just running for a few seconds, they stoped the relay from clicking like crazy, but they are not lasting.

is it something im doing any help would be great

Paul

[Lobitz68]

Try reversing the polarity... Or are they working for a long time and then going? You should only need one capacitor on the battery side of the relay... More info on exactly what you are using would be helpful.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Lobitz68

[journeyfamily]

yep done that blown all capacitors i have i might buy a new set from this company Lightdepot.ca they tell me that their HID lights work out of the box, plug and play, has anyone else brought from this company?

[Darkpaw]

A question about this conversion....so which wattage rating is used on the DJ? There seems to be 3 options...35w, 55w, and 100w. Too much power would damage the lens housing, but too little power and it defeats the purpose of using HID over Halogen.

Which one works best on our vehicles? Or rather, which one is rated for it...?

[journeyfamily]

im not sure good question

[Lobitz68]

A question about this conversion....so which wattage rating is used on the DJ? There seems to be 3 options...35w, 55w, and 100w. Too much power would damage the lens housing, but too little power and it defeats the purpose of using HID over Halogen.

Which one works best on our vehicles? Or rather, which one is rated for it...?

The stock lows are 55w and the highs are 65w

That being said, the advantage of HIDs isn't in the power consumption, but rather in the fact that they put out more lumens. A 35w HID will far outperform a 65w high beam halogen.

The downside is that without a proper housing (HID projector) the light is scattered everywhere and not focused very well. So, all of those extra lumens are going into the eyes of oncoming traffic rather than being safely directed at the road.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Lobitz68

[Darkpaw]

I'm fairly confident the low-beam housings (though not "projector") are still designed for both formats, since they have the blocker in front of the bulb which focuses the beam against the reflector only (to reduce the blinding-effect of HID direct onto you).

Just wasn't sure of the wattage, as I want to be sure not to damage the housing. Thanks for clarifying.

[Lobitz68]

I'm fairly confident the low-beam housings (though not "projector") are still designed for both formats, since they have the blocker in front of the bulb which focuses the beam against the reflector only (to reduce the blinding-effect of HID direct onto you).

Just wasn't sure of the wattage, as I want to be sure not to damage the housing. Thanks for clarifying.

If you look at pics of HID installations on the forum it is fairly obvious that the housing are designed for halogens. The shield helps, but the biggest design factor for HID reflector housing is the bulb depth (i.e., how far away the hot spot on the bulb is from the reflector) and bulb angle (the angle of the bulb in relation to the mounting face of the bulb base). I will admit that the late model Chrysler reflector housings are an improvement over past design and that scatter is less than before, but it is still pretty prevalent. This bulb depth/angle issue is another reason that buying a $30 HID set produces a lower quality light. Manufacturing specs on most cheap kits are loose and therefore you have a lot of variability in where exactly the hot spot on the bulb is.

I'm not going to be the projector HID Nazi on the forum... I just think that more information is better. If you want to really understand the science behind lighting design there are plenty of great resources on the web. I would suggest going with a high quality bulb with tight tolerances on the bulb specs if you decide to keep your reflector housing. The Retrofit Source provides a very nice kit with ceramic bases and precisely angled bulbs that will give you much better results.

Good luck and please share your experiences.

[journeyfamily]

ok so i gave up on my set of HID that i brought originally trying relays harness and capacitors etc completly a waste of time, so i purchased a set of HID bulbs from LIGHTDEPOT CANADA INC the person i spoke to promised me that they are plug and play and will work on my journey, so rececived them and within 20 minutes they were plugged in a running, none of this extra harness or capacitor crap, just plug and play out of the box, so i will put them to the test tonight.

also fitted a set of putco LED bulbs for the fog lights, looks bright and white in the day, cant wait to see tonight, its nice to see a matching set of fogs and headlights, pure white ?

so anyone out there pissing around with relay harness and capacitors dont bother.

Paul

if anyone is interested i could post a picture tonight

[Darkpaw]

if anyone is interested i could post a picture tonight

Please do.

I ordered two sets of HIDs today from "Absolute HID", that the sales (who is also a technician) guaranteed are plug-and-play. The guy I talked to was very knowledgeable about it, wattages and temperatures and so on. Ordered a set of 6000k 55w CANBUS for the low beams (which should be here in time for "next weekend's modfest") and a set of 3400k 35w (he said NO HIGHER than 35w on the fogs!) CANBUS for the fog lights. Sadly, the yellow (can't wait to see these) fogs are on backorder, but he will ship them free to me when they arrive. Lifetime warranty, and Philips bulbs...no cheap no-name crap. The whole shebang cost me over $300, but the stock bulbs on the DJ are just AWFUL. At least they are in the blacktop setup...maybe the dark housing reduces the intensity a bit, but they are just awful. The HIDs will be a welcome upgrade. We get TONS of fog around here and the stock driving lights (not really "fog" lights) are the wrong color...white light reflects off fog, yellow doesn't. He said "the yellow lights are popular because they look cool", but I just want better visibility.

The mod list grows. My wife is going to be so pissed off....

[Lobitz68]

ok so i gave up on my set of HID that i brought originally trying relays harness and capacitors etc completly a waste of time, so i purchased a set of HID bulbs from LIGHTDEPOT CANADA INC the person i spoke to promised me that they are plug and play and will work on my journey, so rececived them and within 20 minutes they were plugged in a running, none of this extra harness or capacitor crap, just plug and play out of the box, so i will put them to the test tonight.

also fitted a set of putco LED bulbs for the fog lights, looks bright and white in the day, cant wait to see tonight, its nice to see a matching set of fogs and headlights, pure white ?

so anyone out there pissing around with relay harness and capacitors dont bother.

Paul

if anyone is interested i could post a picture tonight

I'm curious how they safely spark the gasses in the bulb with the factory wiring. The initial draw of HIDs far exceeds the safe operating limits of the high AWG factory headlight wiring. While they may guarantee that they work, do they cover the expenses to replace the consumer's vehicle after it burns to the ground from a fire? To each their own, but the CORRECT way to wire HIDs is to provide wiring capable of safely handling the requirements of the lights which can only be done by replacing the wiring in the vehicle or using a relay and providing power straight from the power source.

The relay does nothing but allow power from the battery to reach the ballast. It is not there to stop flickering or be some magic force, it is for safety purposes. I would venture to guess that the kit you bought has the resistors and capacitors built into it and that you are buying the same thing you already tried (though they are likely using the correct components and you may not have).

I wish you good luck with your purchase and look forward to pics.

[Lobitz68]

Please do.

I ordered two sets of HIDs today from "Absolute HID", that the sales (who is also a technician) guaranteed are plug-and-play. The guy I talked to was very knowledgeable about it, wattages and temperatures and so on. Ordered a set of 6000k 55w CANBUS for the low beams (which should be here in time for "next weekend's modfest") and a set of 3400k 35w (he said NO HIGHER than 35w on the fogs!) CANBUS for the fog lights. Sadly, the yellow (can't wait to see these) fogs are on backorder, but he will ship them free to me when they arrive. Lifetime warranty, and Philips bulbs...no cheap no-name crap. The whole shebang cost me over $300, but the stock bulbs on the DJ are just AWFUL. At least they are in the blacktop setup...maybe the dark housing reduces the intensity a bit, but they are just awful. The HIDs will be a welcome upgrade. We get TONS of fog around here and the stock driving lights (not really "fog" lights) are the wrong color...white light reflects off fog, yellow doesn't. He said "the yellow lights are popular because they look cool", but I just want better visibility.

The mod list grows. My wife is going to be so pissed off....

55w is going to be crazy bright for oncoming traffic. 35w would have more than sufficed. I am curious to see how the fog light ones turn out. The factory bulbs are like 24w or something and the housing is definitely plastic, I hope it doesn't get too hot. Did the bulbs you got for the fogs have caps on the end? I ask because most fogs (ours included) don't have the little blinders on them and the light will go EVERYWHERE. You may end up being okay with the headlights (the cutoff is decent on the cars, though there will be scatter) and blinding everyone with the fogs. Could you post pics against a wall with just the fogs on once you get them?? Very curious how it all turns out.

[Darkpaw]

55w is going to be crazy bright for oncoming traffic. 35w would have more than sufficed. I am curious to see how the fog light ones turn out. The factory bulbs are like 24w or something and the housing is definitely plastic, I hope it doesn't get too hot. Did the bulbs you got for the fogs have caps on the end? I ask because most fogs (ours included) don't have the little blinders on them and the light will go EVERYWHERE. You may end up being okay with the headlights (the cutoff is decent on the cars, though there will be scatter) and blinding everyone with the fogs. Could you post pics against a wall with just the fogs on once you get them?? Very curious how it all turns out.

The bulbs have the same draw as stock (55w). They may spike briefly (milliseconds) but the warmup time shouldn't take any more power than when at full temp. Same concept as sodium/mercury vapor. They take a while to get to temp and full output, but aren't drawing more power to get there. Some OEM applications may run them at higher current to get the bulbs to operating temp faster, but this isn't necessary.

I definitely will post pics once I get them in. Looks like they won't make it here before the weekend (bummer). He recommended not going above 35w on the fogs, it would definitely melt the housing. I see somebody here recently did a 3000k update on their fogs, but is running at 55w. I don't think that's a good idea.

[Lobitz68]

The bulbs have the same draw as stock (55w). They may spike briefly (milliseconds) but the warmup time shouldn't take any more power than when at full temp. Same concept as sodium/mercury vapor. They take a while to get to temp and full output, but aren't drawing more power to get there. Some OEM applications may run them at higher current to get the bulbs to operating temp faster, but this isn't necessary.

I definitely will post pics once I get them in. Looks like they won't make it here before the weekend (bummer). He recommended not going above 35w on the fogs, it would definitely melt the housing. I see somebody here recently did a 3000k update on their fogs, but is running at 55w. I don't think that's a good idea.

HID bulbs require a 24,000 volt initial charge (though brief) in order to fire and require 85 volts (for a 35w bulb) in order to stay lit. The ballast is what provides that charge and supply, but the brief initial "explosive" charge actually draws juice quickly at first and the high awg wire restricts that draw... creating heat.

I'm not saying that it will start a car on fire or that its common, but I feel like if you're upgrading a system in your vehicle it should be completed with those things considered and addressed. Mostly just personal preference preference I guess as many get by that way. The piece of mind is worth the $20 extra bucks to me and it provides a "better" finished product.

As long as there's no snow in your pics you can post a picture of just about anything and it will make me happy. It was 70 degrees F her a week ago and today we got dumped on. 8" at last check and its been snowing for hours since then and won't be done for a few more hours... Painful.

[Darkpaw]

HID bulbs require a 24,000 volt initial charge (though brief) in order to fire and require 85 volts (for a 35w bulb) in order to stay lit. The ballast is what provides that charge and supply, but the brief initial "explosive" charge actually draws juice quickly at first and the high awg wire restricts that draw... creating heat.

Keep in mind that voltage doesn't matter, it's current. An 18 AWG wire is rated for 16 Amps continuous, or about 288 Watts. At 80% load (the industry standard), it can handle a draw of 230W and stay within the safe zone. Even at 24kV, if the draw to do so is only a couple milliAmps, it would be within the safe range. Think of it like a TASER, which fires at 50kV then drops to operating range for pulses at 5kV, all off the equivalent of a standard 9V battery, because it only draws a couple microAmps of current.

You've made me curious, though, so I just ordered a pair of 9006 "extender" cables off EBay, so I can cut one without damaging any factory or HID wiring and drop an ammeter on it to see exactly how much it is drawing when it turns on. Will likely be a couple weeks before I can get results on this (assuming it ships to me early this week)....I'll keep this thread in the "I'll get back to you" list, and will post an update on it as soon as I have further information.

Reference: https://www.eol.ucar.edu/rtf/facilities/isff/LOCAL_access_only/Wire_Size.htm

Edited April 21, 2014 by Darkpaw

[Darkpaw]

As long as there's no snow in your pics you can post a picture of just about anything and it will make me happy. It was 70 degrees F her a week ago and today we got dumped on. 8" at last check and its been snowing for hours since then and won't be done for a few more hours... Painful.

This year has been the "wonky weather winter". Was high-60 degrees here at the end of last week, then it dropped to 30 (everything that melted froze again) and tomorrow it's back into the high 60s.

?

[Lobitz68]

Keep in mind that voltage doesn't matter, it's current. An 18 AWG wire is rated for 16 Amps continuous, or about 288 Watts. At 80% load (the industry standard), it can handle a draw of 230W and stay within the safe zone. Even at 24kV, if the draw to do so is only a couple milliAmps, it would be within the safe range. Think of it like a TASER, which fires at 50kV then drops to operating range for pulses at 5kV, all off the equivalent of a standard 9V battery, because it only draws a couple microAmps of current.

You've made me curious, though, so I just ordered a pair of 9006 "extender" cables off EBay, so I can cut one without damaging any factory or HID wiring and drop an ammeter on it to see exactly how much it is drawing when it turns on. Will likely be a couple weeks before I can get results on this (assuming it ships to me early this week)....I'll keep this thread in the "I'll get back to you" list, and will post an update on it as soon as I have further information.

Reference: https://www.eol.ucar.edu/rtf/facilities/isff/LOCAL_access_only/Wire_Size.htm

Awesome. It would be great to see real world numbers.

[Lobitz68]

This year has been the "wonky weather winter". Was high-60 degrees here at the end of last week, then it dropped to 30 (everything that melted froze again) and tomorrow it's back into the high 60s.

?

We ended up getting 13" of snow that night... crazy. Most was melted the next day and I have sunburn from being outside in the 78 degree heat yesterday... Go figure.

[Feniuk]

What bulbs does the journey take? Is it different bulbs for high and low beams?