They're flickering!

Ummm, sorry about the headline that promises more than you get...

Car: 2003 XKR with HID low beams, 90K miles
Problem: Headlight about to go out - I think.

The last few times I have driven my car at night, I thought I saw a quick on/off flash from the right side headlight on low beam.

Tonight, I'm sure. Just after turning the headlights on the right one just plain turned off for a 1-3 seconds and then back on again... Then repeated the annoyance 4 or 4 times as I drove home from work. Twice, I could re-ignite the lamp by turning the headlight switch off and then on again.

When I pulled in the drive and got out for a direct look at the headlight, I noticed that it was flickering as it was running- quite a lot. The left one was also flickering, but almost imperceptibly.

I have just spent the last hour researching other posts about similar problems that others have had. And there is a lot of info - but little conclusive diagnostic procedure.

I figure its probably either the bulb itself - or the ballast, right? The 10 year old car probably has the original bulbs installed. And in the two years I've owned her, I have not been very impressed with the brightness of them. So it could be the bulb in it's dying days.

I don't want to throw parts at it in an guessing expedition.

I suppose I can switch the bulbs from side to side.

Guys....What is the best way to ascertain - Bulb? Or Ballast?

Always something isn't it? But at least it's not under the bonnet.

I dont have procedure but my guess would be ballast as it is effectively an arc lamp and what would make it flicker or not start properly, is variation in the high voltage.

Seems like most diagnostic procedures amount to "change the bulbs and if that doesn't fix it change the ballast also".

That's expensive perhaps but there may be some merit to it as bulbs do degrade over time and maybe that's the cause of your dim-ness. The headlights, not you.

Ballasts could probably be fixed but be careful in there, you are dealing with thousands of volts. Not a lot of current but it would get your attention for sure.

Good luck.

Bulbs are relatively cheap on eBay, especially if you source them in Asia. The ballasts are a lot more expensive, but I found one from Black Country Jaguar in the UK for £40 a couple of years back.

If both are flickering at the same time, check your grounds first, it could be as simple as that. Battery + and its ground too...that ballast draws lots of current. Find your ground point(s) in the JTIS elect schematics.

ccfulton: Yep, With this car it does seem to be something annoying every month. I've owned a '95 XJR and a 2001 XJR and they had a few little problems, but overall they were very dependable cars - but my K..... Yeah, it's been a bit of a trial, but the performance, it's classic beautiful lines and the feel of the ride makes the problems go away in my mind the moment I get behind the wheel. Thanks for the warning about the ballasts. I've been inside many CRT color TVs - so I get the HV thing! zzzzaaaappp!

Frog: You're right, a pair of D1S bulbs are not bad in price. It's probs time to replace 'em anyway. I used to be a projectionist back when it wasn't just a 17 year old lobby usher that pushed the "go" button on a platter system. The theaters were just starting to switch in mass to xenon (from carbon arc) and the 7000 watt bulbs would eventually start to get dim from metal deposited on the inside of the quartz bulb. If you turned up the amperage to get more illumination - it wasn't long before - BLAAAAM!!!!!! I had to change my shorts

H2Oboy: The lamps aren't flickering at the same rate but noting a small amount of flicker in the left bulb DID also make me think of ground problems. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to order two new bulbs and in the the meantime, I WILL search down and do the grounds too.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

Hello,
I am also new to this forum. Just today I took a delivery of a 2005 Zircon (lite blue) XKR. Aside for a snow blizzard, I did manage to put on a few test miles. I must admit, the car looks superb, drives well. However, when it was time to turn out the headlights, BAM, same issue as you. The lights flicker - both sides. I hope it's nothing serious, like an alternator. Will go seek out a mechanic tomorrow.

Sorry it took so long for me to get to this reply. I bought a pair of DS1 bulbs for about 30 bucks on ebay. When the 12 inches of snow finally melted and I could get my car into my shop, I set about replacing both bulbs.

I think I may have figured out the reason for the flickering passenger bulb.

The rubber cover that keeps the back of the bulb assembly dry was missing! Drat!

Also, both of the bulbs that I took out were very whitish grey - so much so that they were basically opaque. They were both the Osram bulbs, so they may have been the OE bulbs.

Anyway, I replaced both bulbs (vary easily done) and made a rubber cover for the passenger side bulb assembly with a piece of inner-tube and a couple of zip-ties.

The lights no longer flicker and are certainly brighter - but still not as bright as I would think they should be...

I like the newer Osram types, they do give more light:
Osram D1S 66140 SVS SILVERSTAR

Drawback is that they are expensive, but safety/more light was more important to me.

I got my 2005 Zircon XKR coupe in early March. I observed same problem as Maxwdg - Flickering headlights. I referenced the Jag forum and saved myself loads of $$$ by ordering on Ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/310409911203...84.m1497.l2649). I am not particularly a very handy person, but wanted to at least give it a go before going to a shop to get the work done. The process was straight forward and, after about 30 minutes (I said I was not handy ), I changed both sides. No more flicker and the low beams are extremely bright. I was so inspired that I went online and ordered a set of fog light bulbs (http://www.lightbulbs4cars.com/product/NOK7617) in the "Hyper Yellow" color. The color contrast between the white (6000K) low beams and the Hyper Yellow fog lights is super cool and makes the car look up to date. Thank you for sharing your experience online!!!

These 66140CBIs? I replaced both of my vehicles with new ones of this type...pricey at $140/pair, but they are definitely brighter than my old OSRAMs. (5000K too, recommended for replacement at Dealers where only one bulb needs replaced. It apparently matches better to 'used' bulbs)

Yes they are almost the same, the difference is the ones I use are the 4150K version which is the stock color.

Here are some test results from a German car magazine, where brightness (lumen) was tested, and how far they would shine, which they presented with points.

I live in Long Island, U.S. where roads are mostly full of pot holes, but are generally well lit. When I saw that the original (OSRAM) bulbs were $150+ per bulb, I decided to take a chance with the Asian brand. Are they as good as the German set? Probably not. Will they last me as long? Probably not. However, I feel that they do provide a sufficient amount of light and, if they last me at least 1 year, then, it was money well spent. So far they're holding up rather well.