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  1. #1
    What the deuce? R3GUL8OR's Avatar
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    Talking DIY: HID Harness for H4 (02/03)

    OK, first, I am NOT going to take credit for this DIY. This is Ocelaris' original DIY (the write up part at least) from the "pre-crash" ep3hatch. Ocelaris deserves the credit. When I did my HID install I saved the whole DIY to my computer for reference. Since it hasn't been done up yet, I thought I'd post it so everyone can benefit. Again, this is not my DIY.

    I added some pics from my install to help out a little though.

    Remember:
    DON'T INSTALL HID'S WITHOUT A RELAY HARNESS!!!

    Factory wiring (like 22AWG I think) is not made to handle HIDs, so the harness will help that out. Use 11/12 AWG wire.

    CTR Headlight Owners:
    For those of you like myself that were able to get the CTR HIDs, you can't use the clips on the headlights that come from the hi-beam motor. Also make sure you have the ballast clips. Mine didnt come with any so I had to do some hunting for em.



    I do not recommend using taps if you decide not to solder. Crimp directly and tape it up to keep it clean. If you do choose to soder, DO NOT SODER ANYTHING WITHOUT TESTING! I take no responsibility for anything you read on here then go do.

    -------------------------

    //// BEGIN DIY /////

    This will tell you how to easily make a wiring harness for your 02/03 Si to connect to any HIDs. This is long, but not because it is difficult, but becuase I wanted to be VERY complete and make sure I covered everything step by step.

    For the parts you can either soder them on or crimp them on. I will explain both ways but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SODERING!!!


    Tools
    **Sodering Iron
    **Pliers
    **Electrical Tape
    **Duct tape
    **Sharpie

    Parts (All found at radioshack)
    **12 Automotive Wire (25 ft was 5 bucks)
    **5/16 inch Ring connectors (You will need 10, but buy a few extra) They will be insulated Spade/Ring connectors in a bag. I got the ones you can crimp and then sodered those for extra strength
    **1 spade connector to plug into your wiring harness. If you buy the assorted bag of insulated Spade/Ring connectors, use the smaller spade connector
    ** (5) Bag of insulated wire connectors (Look like a small tube where you can but 1 wire in each end and then crimp them together to make a secure connection)
    **1 30 amp Automotive Relay (Make sure on the back the connections are 87, 86, 85 and 30/51)
    **1 25 amp automotive fuse
    **1 Insulated inline automotive fuse holder

    Cost me 21 dollars with tax

    Directions
    --------------------------------
    For the Ballasts
    1. Use a connector to connect the black wire running from the ballast (Negative wire) to 3 feet of 12 gauge wire. Crimp the connector down to make sure the wires are connected and then wrap that in electrical tape. (The length will vary depending on where you want to mount these ballasts but three feet is enough to get to any grounding point) Wrap a few strips of duct tape around this wire and the same wire on the next ballast so you can easily tell that this is the Negative wire.

    2. Use another connector to connect the red wire from the ballast (Positive wire) to 5 feet of 12 gauge wire. Crimp and wrap in electrical tape.

    3. On the end of each of the wires crimp on a 5/16th inch ring connector and then soder if you are able to and then wrap in electrical tape.

    4. Repeat these steps for the other ballast as well.

    5. Then take the 5/16th ring connectors at the end of each of the positive wires and wrap the 5/16th ring connector around the "87" prong on the relay. (This is the top prong when "30" is on the bottom and I will use this "87" prong to help you orient yourself on the rest of the prongs) The back of the relay's box will have a diagram on it of which prong is 87 and it is also written on the relay. This is where soder is pretty vital. You want those connectors to stay tight on the prong. Once they are attached, wrap them in electical tape.

    6. Take the negative wires with duct tape on them and attach the ring connectors to the negative terminal on your battery or to any ground near the ballast. I used a bolt on the manifold and on the side fender wall near the washer fluid bottle cause it was close for me.

    --------------------------------
    For the Fuse
    1. Plug the 25 amp fuse into the fuse relay, you will see where it fits in and it only goes in one way so you can't do it wrong.

    2. Use a connector to connect one end of the wire coming out of the inline fuse holder and attach that to 2 feet of 12 gauge wire. Crimp it down and wrap in electrical tape.

    3. At each end of the wire attach a 5/16 ring terminal and crimp that down (soder if you can) and wrap in electrical tape.

    4. One end will attach to your positive terminal on the battery and the other end will attach to the "30" prong on your relay. (Should be the bottom prong when "87" is on top) Make sure that connection on the relay is tight, (soder if possible) and wrap in electrical tape.

    --------------------------------
    For the Negative Wire
    1. Take a 3 foot length of 12 gauge wire and crimp (soder if possible) a 5/16 ring connector on each end and wrap with electrical tape.

    2. Attach one end to the "86" prong and soder if possible and wrap with electrical tape.

    3. Attach the other end to your battery on the bolt around the negative terminal on the battery.

    --------------------------------
    Stock Harness Hook up
    1. Take 3 feet of 12 gauge wire and crimp (soder if possible) a 5/16 ring connector down on one end and wrap in electrical tape. On the other end, take a ring connector that is smaller than 5/16, I couldn't find the size, but it is in the assorted ring/spade connectors, and attach that to the other end, crimp it, soder if possible and wrap in electrical tape.

    2. Attach the 5/16th end to the "85" prong on the relay (Should be on the right if the "87" prong is on top). Make sure it is tight, soder if possible and wrap in electrical tape.

    3. On the other end, take the smaller connector and use your pliers to make it more rectangular. You will plug that into the stock harness that you normally plug into your stock halogen lights. If you are looking at the stock harness from the front of the car it will go on the right side (The harness will look like this: |_|, you plug the end of the wire into the bold section)

    Now All that is left is to mount your ballasts, connect the HID bulbs into their socket running from the ballast and you are all set.

    -------------------
    The picture below helps illustrate the wiring setup, you are looking at the prongs to help decide where it all goes.



    After this is all made. Just put the ballasts where you need to, connect the HID bulbs to the ballast, make sure all the relay wires are in the grounds, positive battery terminal and the one from "85" is in the stock harness, (either the left or right side, and just tape up the other side that isn't used). Once this is all done, turn on your headlights and you should be good to go!

    ////END DIY////

    -------------------
    OK, now for some tips from my own install which might help answer some questions so k_20's inbox doesnt get full :)

    Wiring Diagram:
    THANK YOU TALONXRACER!!! Here is Talon's wiring set-up diagram. Very Clean:


    Tips from my install (my thanks goes out to Mike for the help):

    The H4 male plugs into the stock wiring harness via the H4 female plug. That's how it can all be controlled like stock. The clips for the ballasts can be purchased and I just cut off the other clips for the hi/lows and soldered on a clip of my choice.

    The bulbs are directly connected to the ballast via the ignitor on the inside of the headlights. The clip coming from the bulb is actually there just to activate the hi beam motor. When you turn on the hi beams with these lights it just supplies power to this little motor that turns the reflector up to change the path of the beam.

    You can get some Relays just like the ones on the diagram from Radioshack, or you can find some waterproof Bosch relays like Talonxracer has used on his. Just make sure you put an inline fuse on the + side from the battery. I think it needs to be within 12 inches from the battery.

    When I was temporarily wiring mine together to make sure the lights worked out ok, I had a pair of wires come unconnected and ground out and pop the fuse.

    I believe my relays are 30A, it's been a while since I've gotten it all done though. The wires on the bulbs should be red and black. The wire pigtails on the ballast clips should be labeled +/- whenever you get them.

    One thing I will add, since I encountered this during my install of my CTR HID Headlights, if you go to turn on your Hi beams and the lights turn off, check 3 things first: 1.) your grounds 2.) your setup at the relays 3.) [this is the one that got me] make sure you didnt switch the Hi ground to the Lo ground spot on the H4 plug.

    ---------------------
    Some install pics:

    The ballast clip:


    The relays for the harness


    Harness with the ballast clip connected


    Inline fuse to the battery


    Placing the wires around everything





    grounding the harness


    I installed the relays to a mount that is in the driver's side cubby hole of the fron bumper



    And of course after everything is installed



    Lo Beam



    Hi Beam

    Last edited by R3GUL8OR; 05-05-2009 at 02:47 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by My Best Friend
    I think your car looks like a fuckin' pregnant skateboard! ... Then again, my Miata was made for chics ... Shit! I think I lost this one.

    Green Crew #21

  2. #2
    ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ talonXracer's Avatar
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    Ocelaris would be the one who originally wrote up the HID conversion.
    ALL advice issued with this "Disclaimer"
    Tim "the Toolman" Taylor is my HERO ! ! !

    "Labor Unions are Domestic Terrorist orgainizations"

  3. #3
    What the deuce? R3GUL8OR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by talonXracer View Post
    Ocelaris would be the one who originally wrote up the HID conversion.
    sweet. Changed it. thanks talon
    Quote Originally Posted by My Best Friend
    I think your car looks like a fuckin' pregnant skateboard! ... Then again, my Miata was made for chics ... Shit! I think I lost this one.

    Green Crew #21

  4. #4
    Do sUmtN r Di3 ClouD's Avatar
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    Glad somebody reposted this, cause I'm going to do the Hids install soon.

  5. #5
    k > b b.r.i.a.n.'s Avatar
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    ocelaris ftw! i had a bunch of pm's from people who were wondering about the wiring harness i made for the 02/03 ctr hid headlights. this pretty much answers everything.

  6. #6
    What the deuce? R3GUL8OR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by k_20 View Post
    ocelaris ftw! i had a bunch of pm's from people who were wondering about the wiring harness i made for the 02/03 ctr hid headlights. this pretty much answers everything.
    lol I can't remember how many messages you had from me pre-crash on this :)
    Quote Originally Posted by My Best Friend
    I think your car looks like a fuckin' pregnant skateboard! ... Then again, my Miata was made for chics ... Shit! I think I lost this one.

    Green Crew #21

  7. #7
    ephatch member
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    On the LHD projector what bulb is used for headlight? Cuz then imma buy that plugs for it.
    Last edited by jjermzz; 04-27-2008 at 02:21 PM.

  8. #8
    ephatch.com RULZ! XenithXenons's Avatar
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    Nice writeup, but I think you guys need to know more about HIDs and relay harnesses. First off, the whole idea that HIDs draw more power upon startup than halogens is ridiculous. I personally believe that the whole idea was started by some aftermarket company that wanted to make even more money off selling relay harnesses (they cost about $2 to make, some companies sell them for up to $40 each).

    To prove my point, let me bring up installing HIDs on higher-end vehicles such as Mercedes, BMW, and Audi's. They don't work without a diode setup aka an "error message canceller." Higher-end vehicles require atleast 50-55W of power in the headlights, otherwise the computer reads it as a blown halogen bulb. When you throw in a 35W HID kit, the computer senses that the power is lower than normal so it completely shuts off power to the headlights altogether, which is the reason why HID kits don't work in higher-end cars without that diode setup.

    Now think about it, if HIDs draw more power upon startup for the first 2-3 seconds of warming up, wouldn't the computer be okay with the HIDs starting up and work perfectly fine? I mean, aren't they using more power than the halogens? And just an FYI, higher wattage doesn't turn off the lighting system either, you can throw in a 100W Sylvania bulb and it runs fine. So the computer realizes LESS lower is being used compared to halogens (not more like all the other aftermarket HID companies state). Last time I checked, it's real hard to trick a computer. And think about it, has anyone actually read about HIDs messing up someone's wire harness? I've beein in the industry for about 3-4 years now (not really that long, but I've read my fair share of stories) and I've also sold a lot of kits, but I've never encountered anything like it before. It's all a bunch of he-said she-said stuff that just blew up and now everyone is afraid of installing HIDs without a harness.

    Just a little food for thought guys.

  9. #9
    ephatch member
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    A relay is a switch that requires a minimun of .2 amps to be triggered. A diodes is a are one way valves used in electrical circuits. Sometimes you need the relay because wires can melt when the amperage is increased.
    The diode make total sense on high end cars because, the error message detect under 50w, which give you 4.16 amps (50w/12v). On the 35W HID kit it give the 2.91 amps(35wHID kit / 12volts car). If you put the one way valve(diode) the 2.91 amps won't be receive by the computer.

    The trigger may not neccessarily be 12volts, but I used as reference because a car is ~12volts. Hence the low amperage givin on the example.
    to figure amp. It's I=P/E I=amp, P=watts, E=voltage.
    Last edited by jjermzz; 04-28-2008 at 09:58 AM.

  10. #10
    ephatch member
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    awesome writeup, jsut wondering what headlights do yuo have? JDM 02-03 hids?

  11. #11
    sponsor of the site integrictuner's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=R3GUL8OR;528313]
    THANK YOU TALONXRACER!!! Here is Talon's wiring set-up diagram. Very Clean:




    Harness with the ballast clip connected

    im in the middle of making a harness for my retrofitted tl projectors in 02-03 headlights and my question is in the first picture it says to only use 2 wires but then in the second picture it looks like all 3 wires are being used?!?!?

  12. #12
    Time Attack Beast Guardian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by XenithXenons View Post
    Nice writeup, but I think you guys need to know more about HIDs and relay harnesses. First off, the whole idea that HIDs draw more power upon startup than halogens is ridiculous. I personally believe that the whole idea was started by some aftermarket company that wanted to make even more money off selling relay harnesses (they cost about $2 to make, some companies sell them for up to $40 each).

    To prove my point, let me bring up installing HIDs on higher-end vehicles such as Mercedes, BMW, and Audi's. They don't work without a diode setup aka an "error message canceller." Higher-end vehicles require atleast 50-55W of power in the headlights, otherwise the computer reads it as a blown halogen bulb. When you throw in a 35W HID kit, the computer senses that the power is lower than normal so it completely shuts off power to the headlights altogether, which is the reason why HID kits don't work in higher-end cars without that diode setup.

    Now think about it, if HIDs draw more power upon startup for the first 2-3 seconds of warming up, wouldn't the computer be okay with the HIDs starting up and work perfectly fine? I mean, aren't they using more power than the halogens? And just an FYI, higher wattage doesn't turn off the lighting system either, you can throw in a 100W Sylvania bulb and it runs fine. So the computer realizes LESS lower is being used compared to halogens (not more like all the other aftermarket HID companies state). Last time I checked, it's real hard to trick a computer. And think about it, has anyone actually read about HIDs messing up someone's wire harness? I've beein in the industry for about 3-4 years now (not really that long, but I've read my fair share of stories) and I've also sold a lot of kits, but I've never encountered anything like it before. It's all a bunch of he-said she-said stuff that just blew up and now everyone is afraid of installing HIDs without a harness.

    Just a little food for thought guys.
    Sooo.. im droping more weight off crap on my harness... from whats left and i have a harness for my ctr hid projectors, i want it gone. i just hooked up my hid to the stock wires and works fine, whats the big deal? more forum myth?

  13. #13
    Jezzika Rabbit! SkareKrow's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guardian View Post
    Sooo.. im droping more weight off crap on my harness... from whats left and i have a harness for my ctr hid projectors, i want it gone. i just hooked up my hid to the stock wires and works fine, whats the big deal? more forum myth?
    LoL! Im loving that reply. Would you mind showing us a DIY to stock harness... LoL. Thanks in advance!

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