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Lights / Radio Signal Issue

Darthmjh

Well-known member
Joined
22 Aug 2017
Messages
103
I noticed an issue in the 993 whilst coming back from the Bicester Heritage Scramble. I had the radio on and if I turned on the main headlights on, the radio signal gets very bad, but if I turn the lights down to side lights everything is okay.

I believe I have HID lights.

Could it be a bad earth?

Cheers

Mike
 
Sounds like a bad contact in the HID circuit or a failing component (bulb or ballast). Check for flickering. Usual culprit is the socket behind the headlight bowl give it a squirt with some contact cleaner and check earth for HID ballast.
The start up current on HIDs is quite high so a bad contact will cause arcing and erosion leading to eventual failure.
Is it Tore's kit or one with an external ballast?
 
Endoman said:
Sounds like a bad contact in the HID circuit or a failing component (bulb or ballast). Check for flickering. Usual culprit is the socket behind the headlight bowl give it a squirt with some contact cleaner and check earth for HID ballast.
The start up current on HIDs is quite high so a bad contact will cause arcing and erosion leading to eventual failure.
Is it Tore's kit or one with an external ballast?

Thanks for the feedback, I will take a look. I don't know what kit it is it came with the car. It's Andy's old car, madalla on here.

Cheers
Mike
 
Endoman said:
Sounds like a bad contact in the HID circuit or a failing component (bulb or ballast). Check for flickering. Usual culprit is the socket behind the headlight bowl give it a squirt with some contact cleaner and check earth for HID ballast.
The start up current on HIDs is quite high so a bad contact will cause arcing and erosion leading to eventual failure.
Is it Tore's kit or one with an external ballast?

Had a little time today and took the headlights out and sprayed the sockets with contact cleaner. Unfortunately made no difference.

However have worked out it is the left light by removing and replacing each one at a time. On the left side there are a couple of connectors fitted and tapped badly with electrical tape. When I have time I will replace the connectors.

Inside the light under the cover are two separate black boxes. Which I assume are the ballast.
 
Hi Mike sorry to hear of the problem. I very rarely drove ate my night and it was even more rare for me to play the radio. I had them fitted on one of my trips to Carnewal. Hope you find what's causing it and I hope everything else is working well and that you are enjoying the car.
 
A HID ballast contains a switch mode power supply. If not properly designed, or if it malfunctions, this can cause radio interference.
Cheers,
Tore
 
Update: I looked online for this issue and a few people resolved it by adding ferrite clips onto the cable(s) in the lights.

So I bought a pack of ferrite clips, as I didnt know the size of the cables and this evening gave it a try.

I put 1 round the black wire from the ballast on each light and this made no difference. I then tried adding to the pink wire and hey presto it is much better. Not 100%$ but close.

Hope this helps someone else if they have the same issue.

Mike
 

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