bmy986

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys. Tried searching around and didn't find too much info on replacing the HID ballast. It seems like the ballasts go more frequently then the bulbs so I'm trying to get an idea of how easy the swap is through the wheel well. Also if anyone has recommendations on ballasts they purchased. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

bmy986

iTrader: (1)

Ill do my own follow up here incase someone is looking to swap their ballast.
Long story short, my headlights would turn on, and after a few seconds one would turn off . That led me to believe it was the ballast because its not often that HIDs go bad. I bought a used ballast off ebay that had the same screw pattern, and Volt/Wattage ratings. Im sure they are fairly interchangeable. The stickers didn't look identical to my stock one but it works (I have a 2008 G37S). It cost around $60.
It was a direct swap, no additional parts needed. You WILL need to remove your headlight to complete this swap. I don't see you being able to do it any other way. Check the forums for how to remove your headlight.
Once you have your headlight out, remove the two screws in the black plastic bracket covering 1/2 the ballast. The ballast itself is mounted to the bottom/underneath part of the headlight. Next unplug the main wire going into the side of the ballast and then remove the 3 screws securing the actual ballast. This will allow you to pull the ballast out enough that you can disconnect the main HID cable going to the backside. This cable is plugged in, and held down by one screw. Unplug, unscrew and then install your new ballast. Pretty straight forward.
One thing worth mentioning is that there is a large rubber o-ring that seals the interior side of the ballast. Don't lose it, or make sure that the one you bought comes with it. You'd probably run into issues if you don't have it. Ill try and post better pictures of the actual ballast/o-ring etc. Hope someone finds this helpful.

KEG97

iTrader: (2)

I've got an extra ballast from Diode Dynamics. It was a warranty replacement and was never used. PM me if you want to talk about it.

Tachyon

iTrader: (2)

More pictures would be greatly appreciated. I'm about to does this same swap this weekend...

bmy986

iTrader: (1)

I will comment that Im not sure how well these aftermarket ballasts would work if you don't plan on moving the location of the ballast. I've never physically seen one but the bolt pattern looks different, and they're square compared to the round stock ballast. That would also pose that problem that the gasket wouldn't fit, and you wouldn't have a seal. Not sure how critical that is, but living in Ohio with old man winter, I'd prefer to have it sealed. Basically when you remove the stock ballast, there is a hole in the bottom of the light about the size of a tennis ball that it fits into.

bmy986

iTrader: (1)

Did you end up doing the swap yet? If you have questions, let me know.

Diode Dynamics

iTrader: (11)

We will be offering OEM replacement ballasts in the near future FWIW

If you have an aftermarket conversion kit, make sure you are running the same ballasts on each side otherwise the output won't be the same

Nick C.

bmy986

iTrader: (1)

Better late than never... Few additional pics of OEM ballast with required o-ring I mentioned