Just when i thought i was going to get a month without paying out, I come home today and notice the d/s dipped beam isn't working. The handbook says to contact the old Jag dealership but is there anything I could do first to maybe sort things out?

When its stops raining (so that'll be March!) I'll go out and check the fuse for the r/h dipped beam headlamp, but I'm not holding my breath.
What i'm worried about i think is that i did have a misting problem in that headlight which sort of went away with some vent holes drilled in to the viewing cover, but it didn't go 100%. Not sure where the ballast is for the HID but seem to recall somone saying it was located under the main beam light in the housing unit - or in other words, where any pooling water would run to (from any misting) whilst driving.

Thanks
Jules

 

The first thing would be to check the 20 Amp Fuse No 6 in the LH Engine Compartment Fuse Box for the RH HID Dip Beam.

The second thing would be to ignore the advice in the Driver's Handbook about going to your Jaguar Dealer!

If it's not the fuse then the three components for the HID Dipped beam are Bulb, Ballast and Leveling Motor. For any of these parts, aftermarket suppliers are considerably cheaper than the Dealer.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham. The fuse is fine. I'll check the bulb next and hope its that. Is this something i can do with just the bonnet open or do i need to open the panel in the wheel arch? If it is the bulb, where do i find out the part number for the HID/Xenon bulb?

Apologies if the Q's are basic ones. All help & advice greatly appreciated.

 

You can access the burner from the panel in the back wheel arch liner. I would swap out the burner from the other side to diag burner or ballast. Obviously if it doesnt lite its a ballast. I have 2 sitting on the floor where the owners didnt think think that panel was important or the cover for the back of the headlight assembly. Both got water in the ballast and shorted them needed new assemblies. If some one knows were you can buy new ballast let me know. I have 3 units ide like to repair and ebay
otherwise you other alt. Is to buy aftermarket ballasts and wire them into the stock unit, but this is a half asssed repair as theyre not gonna bolt up and youll have to mount them somewhere.... although much much cheaper alternative

 

Only problem there is that OP's ballast is the 12 pin type, with the auto levelling electronics built in to it!
No auto levelling means MOT failure here in the UK.
So if the ballast is gone he will need to go for the correct Valeo unit.

 

Ours in the us are 12 pin too. But to the burner is 3 pin and if the burner isnt working because of this it would be a workaround. If no leveling then yeah youre stuck

 

Thanks guys.

UPDATE: Just fired her up to move cars round and its back on!! Thing is, the light is flickering every few seconds and gives the impression it's gonna fail at any time. Is this a ballast issue do you think or a bulbthat is on its way out?

cheers

 

Here's the description of the setup:

JTIS - 2003 XK8 HID Exterior Lighting - Desc.pdf

Diagram on page 3 shows the components which helped me the first time I delved into the HID and had never seen them before!

These are the individual JTIS procedures for Leveling Motor and Leveling Sensor:

JTIS - 2003 XK8 HID Exterior Lighting - Leveling Motor.pdf
JTIS - 2003 XK8 HID Exterior Lighting - Leveling Sensor.pdf

And finally the Low Beam Bulb:

JTIS - 2003 XK8 HID Exterior Lighting - Low Beam Bulb.pdf

Graham

 

If you've got water in the headlamp, turn the lights off until you find out what's up or there could be some expensive pyrotechnics.

Graham

 

Flickering can be both burner and or ballast. Only cheap way to know is to swap parts side to side.

 

Jules

Take care and make sure you have the headlights switched off when handling the bulbs/ballast!
These units run on very high voltage, they are mini arc lamps, and can give you a nasty shock!

Service Sheet:

 

Appreciate all the responses and advice.

 

Only just got round to having time to check this out. Swapped the burner/bulb units over and the p/s one that was working doesn't when fitted on the d/s. I'm assuming therefore its the ballast that's crackered, but before I go ordering a replacement one (@ £135!), is there anything else I could check - ie wiring? Fuse is ok.

Thanks
Jules

 

I too an having the same issue with my D/S HID. Swapped bulb and works on passenger side. Fuse no. 6 is blown, swap with new one and blows again. Am I right to think it's the ballast?

 

Have read this afternoon that if the ballest hums when the lights are turned on (you'll need someone with their ear near the unit when you turn the lights on) then the ballast is ok. If there's no hum there's a couple things to them check. Just be careful if there is a hum detected its from the ballast you're checking. I'll be checking my d/s out tomorrow.

So... if there isn't a hum either your ballast is shot OR the charge isn't going to the ballast. To test if there's a charge you'll need a voltameter. DON'T test the charge leaving the ballast (v.dangerous) just the power entering the unit - check you know which end is which before you go anywhere near it or leave it to an auto-electrician.

If there is a hum and you've checked the bulb/ignitor is ok (ie swapping for the other side etc), then for me its either a wiring issue from the ballast to the ignitor or an earthing problem.

 

Thanks for the help guys. Switched the ballast for a new one and light is working.

 

Glad things are working ok now. Did you get a good deal on a replacement ballast?

 

I sure did. £138 delivered next day.

http://www.hidorigin.com/valeo-hid-replacement-ballast-lad5g.html

There is a 10% discount code available too but I found that out after.

Taking the headlight out wasn't too bad. Only needed to take off the front part of wheel liner to get to bottom bolt, which wasn't connected to light anyhow.

Next job is having the stereo wired in on Sat. Then I'll treat myself to remote roof open from Jagwrangler to fit over Xmas.

 

I've bookmarked that useful ballast link in case mine gets afflicted - thanks.

If you're lucky in the draw, you could find Jagwrangler is treating you to the Remote Top Controller Module.

Graham

 

fingers crossed If not I'll be buying it anyway. Love the idea.