Mveilenstein

Hello:

This is my first post here, and although I am no stranger to diy mechanics, this is my first Honda. I just got it last week, and I'm still getting to know it. My most pressing issue right now is the HID headlights setup; the driver low beam went out today, and I don't know enough about the bulbs themselves to know which ones to buy.

Is there a standard spec for HID bulbs on CB7 Accords? Will any HID bulb fit? Where should I buy a set that is reasonably priced and not too high end?

Finally, I'm interested in returning the car to stock as much as possible, so what would it take for me to remove the HID setup? I already have a source on OEM lights all the way around.

ChrisF23

If the car has like cheap xenon based HID, probably you'll find the original wire plugged into a ballast, which goes to the HID bulbs, just unplug it and plug the OEM bulb in there. Sizes are 9005/9006

Mveilenstein

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

Are you saying that any 9005/9006 bulb will work with this HID setup?

I did ​​​​find these bulbs, which are reasonable enough. https://www.hidnation.com/products/9006-hid-bulbs

Mveilenstein

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

My other comment was deleted this morning - probably because I put a link in it - but I wanted to clarify a few details. Again, I don't know much about these headlights:

For each HID headlight, there is a ballast attached behind each one. It is from a company I have never heard of (ExtremeHIDs). The original clips are attached to some wiring that leads to the ballast, and it's all held together with zip ties. It's definitely not an application I would have chosen.

So my question is what kind of HID bulb should I buy?

Also, how the heck do you reach the driver side bulb? The brake booster (I think) is in the way, and doesn't leave much room for my giant hands to reach the housing.

toyomatt84

iTrader: (1)

It just wasn't approved yet. New members have to get posts approved when they contain hyperlinks/images, due to possible spambots.

ChrisF23

9006 is for low beam, 9005 for high one.
I've never seen a Plug and Play HID's like the ones you posted before. So you can get rid of the ballast maybe, anyway, theoretically any 35W/12V bulb may work... The ballast as far as I know is for starting them.
I highly suggest you to check LED instead of HID, I did the change recently and it's better due to no heating time, and also the color and aiming for the headlight is easier...
The room is tight always in one side, better to get help if you don't want to unmount the whole unit lol
​​​​

Mveilenstein

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not a fan of HID, so I'd be happy to look at LED when I have the money. In the meantime, I wonder if I can just cut the ballast out and strip/splice the wiring back together, replacing the bulbs with standard halogens. I hate to pay a mechanic for something so basic. Makes me feel stupid.

ChrisF23

You don't need to cut anything, the ballast plugs Into the the stock connector... Unless you have a very old HID system, I guess that's how they work...

Mveilenstein

Thanks for the reply. I'm having no luck uploading pictures here, so I will try linking to a folder in my OneDrive. https://1drv.ms/f/s!AjSbTXQREd1HtXbPD4-uaidL7ucW

My issue when removing the ballast - which comes out easily - is that that connectors on the back of the headlight appear to be two pieces, almost like a male and a female component. The white clip where I think they would normally go doesn't match them at all. Does that make any sense at all? I'm sure I'm missing something.

ChrisF23

Ok... so the white clip is your 9006 connector (stock one), that's where you're supposed to plug OEM bulbs... The 2 connectors that go out of the ballast (male and female) were supposed to be connected to the HID bulbs... So, for returning to OEM Hallogen bulbs, plug into the white socket, that's your 9006 one... I've never seen HID Lights sold separately, but the two little sockets seem pretty standard to me

Mveilenstein

Thank you. I see what you mean.

The connectors that come out the back of the headlights are the two-piece connectors, and I don't see a way to connect them to the stock clip. Is it possible that the HID lights came with separate connectors just for this setup?

Mveilenstein

Update:

I swapped the ballasts on the headlights just to see what would happen, and sure enough, the same bulb is still not coming on. I found a decent set of low beam HID's on Amazon for $12 to swap in. Even though I'm not a fan of HID, this will at least get the car to pass inspection, and I can ditch the ballasts later on.

The next question is how in the world do you reach the housing on the back of the headlights? Do you take the whole thing out?

Mveilenstein

I decided to put halogens back in the car. Also, I finally got the old lights out with a little help from a flat head and mallet. The housing on the back was very stiff and didn't want to move.