[sailor]

That was part of an answer to a guy trying to figure out his wiring for an HID setup just installed back in January - turned out he had a bad ballast problem.

Thread just got bumped by MartinoBonifaz with an ST and an LED lighting question.

 

[rebelx]

not worth it to put resistor dissipating 110 watts of heat (wasting 1/4 hp on crank and fuel)

Wouldn't the car/harness be pushing 110w regardless if you have resistors or not?

I'm at the point where I haven't completely determined whether I need them or not.

 

[sailor]

That would be ~ 9.16 amps through a ~1.31 ohm resistance, basically a pretty bright light from the glow you get one way or another.

Higher resistances are normally used when simulating a load for the system sensors, reducing the current significantly.

 

[ELCouz]

Wouldn't the car/harness be pushing 110w regardless if you have resistors or not?

I'm at the point where I haven't completely determined whether I need them or not.

Resistor are needed because the load of HID ballast are inductive and halogen bulb are resistive type of load... the BCM will "not see" the ballast load thus throwing a bulb out error thinking the bulb are burned.

But resistor are not needed if you use foCCCus to program the BCM to ignore the load on the headlamp wire.

 

[rebelx]

But resistor are not needed if you use foCCCus to program the BCM to ignore the load on the headlamp wire.

I don't want to use foCCCus on my car. Would not having resistors w/HIDs create an overload load less than having resistors w/HIDs?

Essentially, if the car is still supplying X watts necessary to drive halogens to the HIDs, where does the excess go? Burn off as heat?

Isn't the point (from what I understood in limited conversation from some other folks) of resistors (besides canceling the error code) to safely handle the additional load that the HID system does not need but the car supplies regardless?

 

[ELCouz]

I don't want to use foCCCus on my car. Would not having resistors w/HIDs create an overload load less than having resistors w/HIDs?

Essentially, if the car is still supplying X watts necessary to drive halogens to the HIDs, where does the excess go? Burn off as heat?

Isn't the point (from what I understood in limited conversation from some other folks) of resistors (besides canceling the error code) to safely handle the additional load that the HID system does not need but the car supplies regardless?

The resistors won't limit anything since they are mostly used with a relay harness kit... the resistor are just wasting power at the regular BCM output for beams (making it believe there's left are right low beam connected) you still draw power directly from the battery with the relays thus having the almost double of power per light used (35watt HID + 55 watt resistor, each beam)

 

[MartinoBonifaz]

Yes, check the HID threads, or the DIY sticky.

You either need resistors, or to go into the FoCCCus app with an OBD-II device and change some settings in there.

Hello, can you please tell me where I can find the instructions on how to use Focccus to overwrite the LEDs low beam fault warning?
Thank you

 

[sailor]

Here's the general FoCCCus thread, stickied at the top of this page:http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/mk3-focus/402666-focccus-central-ecu-config-edit.html

Don't know which of the multiple lighting threads gives the best info. otherwise.

 

[CableGuy7556]

No need for that... i have a proper HID retrofit with relay harness ... even if the BCM say bulb out it will work [grinking]

Is that error really that annoying???? message goes off after 5 sec or if you press ok..

That's how I feel about it. Not hurting anything...I don't think 😒

 

[CableGuy7556]

I just want to put this out there and no I don't usually go for the cheap stuff.. I have been using this 35w hid kit for quite awhile. No errors, no hook up to battery, no problems. I have these installed on my 2004 and were on my 2015. They are installed just like these Opt7 LED bulbs; straight to the headlight harness, but are at least 3x brighter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/121142204700

 

[bobakman]

25 watt 100 ohm resistor works no need for relays or high current resistors

Well It works on my 2012 Focus Titanium a 100ohm 25 watt wire wound resistor tricks the BCM into thinking filament bulbs are installed no dipped beam bulb fault Previously I was just using the coil of the Opt7 supplied relays to do the same.
Very little current and little heat compared to the ones Opt7 gives you.

Bob

 

[bobakman]

Opt 7 Supplied resistors just too much wasted power

These are the ones Opt7 supplied 50W 8 Ohm, basically 1.5 Amps about 18 Watts thats a lot of heat and wasted power. Mine are .12 Amps just under 2 Watts I elected for 25Watt just for durability and better heat dissapation they get slightly warm that's about it.
With the newer BCM's it does not take much current to do the "trick".

Bob

 

[Elmojo]

Sorry to dig up this old thread, but I recently had a blown low beam on my 2013 Focus ST, and decided this was as good a time as any to 'upgrade' to some LEDs.
I bought a set of Hikaris from Amazon, which were getting very good reviews.
Long story short, they seem well built, but give the expected "low beam bulb fault" error, and won't run. I bought a USB programmer cable (my BT adapter wasn't fast enough), and used the instructions in the sticky to flash the BCM to the "alternate HID" option, as well as enabling global windows, so I could tell for sure that the parameters stuck.
So now the lights stay on, but I still get the bulb fault error. It's super annoying, and I for one am not willing to endure that pop-up every single time I start the car. I'm also not a fan of the resistor option, since everything in that area is plastic, and by all accounts these things get fairly hot.
So what's the correct way to get it to actually honor the setting from the BCM and ignore the current draw from the LEDs? I noticed that there was another HID-related option in Foccus, but I don't recall what it said exactly. Perhaps that would be an option?