The hid's on my 04 xjr turn on and off while driving. They usually come on and off at the same time. Hitting the headlights with your hands turns them on again. The connection is fine, what else can it be? Don't think it's the ballast because they both usually go at the same time

Turn signal stalk see


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...riving-125570/


This link below is for removal instructions


http://www.mediafire.com/download/ss...es+removal.pdf

Wow, hopefully that's my problem, but lights come on and off when I hit the lights by hand, literally, walk out side and hit the headlights by hand and they come back on

For some reason when I read "hitting the headlights" I was thinking headlight switch. That is odd.....

Perhaps a bad ground,


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...05-xj8-129189/

I swapped out the switch and that didn't help my problem. Where is the ground for the headlights? Is is the ground right behind the passenger headlight?

Yes that is correct. Be VERY careful though. The ground post can be weak and snap off easily.

When the HID bulbs are near the end of their life they will not run continuously in cold weather. Generally one will fail before the other. I also recommend only purchasing name brand replacement bulbs. The generic bulbs that are available on ebay are more variable and may fail earlier. Not a simple process to change out the HID bulbs.

RyeJag

Thank you for the info, do they use the D2S bulbs?

jaguars4r

My 2004 XJR used D1S bulbs, many listing suggest that the D2S bulb is the correct bulb. Fortunately, I had a a new set of D1S bulbs for another car that I had not yet installed. I find that these bulbs start to become troublesome after around 75K miles of driving. Installation of the bulbs requires removal of the front bumper. You will find discussion elsewhere in the forum on the process. Not really difficult to do, but you do need a good place to work, so that you can lay the bumper down and get to the lights

good luck

RyeJag

I've not had to take the bumper off to change the HID bulbs. It's tight maneuvering, but I can get them out and in with my fingers and a couple long nosed, angled pliers. The driver's side is a little tighter, and the hardest thing is to get the wire connector plugged back in. Just get the tube of the bulb into the headlight opening before plugging in. Otherwise you can't quite make the turn. I can't imagine having to take the bumper off?

As kbeachy says, the front bumper definitely does not need to come off if all you need to do is replace the HID bulbs. The hardest part of the job is getting the plastic cover off the backside of the headlight assembly to get at the bulbs. There is a wire clip that holds the cover in place which is tough to unclip and subsequently re-clip due to limited space. I did this twice, once to figure out exactly what bulbs I needed to order, and a second time once I had the new bulbs. The first time you might be inventing a few new 4 letter words as you figure out how the clips and covers work. The second time you will find it a fair bit quicker and easier. Once the cover is off, replacing the bulbs takes less than a minute. OEM bulbs were substantially cheaper by ordering them from the Internet than what the Jag dealer thought they were worth.

I appreciate the info on not needing to take the bumper off, but perhaps I am too concerned about potentially breaking a plastic clip in the non bumper removal process. The bumper takes about 5 min to take off once you done it before and the bolts are lubed up from the prior removal/reinstall. The first time I must admit, one bolt had to be drilled out, which took awhile and then I had to purchase a replacement, since my inventory of metric bolts is not yet complete. I use antiseeze lube on many parts when I do repairs, more protection against salt corrosion and for potential future repairs

RyeJag

Odd thing. I just replaced both HID bulbs, and they both turned on and off fine with the remote fob. But then I went for a test drive in the dark, and after a couple minutes of driving one of them cycled on and off, and then stayed out. When I arrived at my destination, it once again came on with the remote, but once again did the same thing on the drive home. I checked to make sure everything was connected securely, which it was. So I'm not sure what's happening. Any ideas, anyone?

I have found that some replacement bulbs are not as good as the originals. I would try putting one of the original bulbs back in the side that went off. Were both of your original HID bulbs bad or just one, prior to replacement? These issues are always worse when the weather is cold and you really don't want to be working on your car.

RyeJag

Thanks for the advice, RyeJag. I did try one of the working bulbs that I had taken out, and it seemed to work fine. So the seller will send me a replacement bulb for the bad new one. They were only $24 for both off EBay, so I can't complain.