phillyb™

to pass pa inspection, i have to have low beams and high beams as well as a third brake light. basically all lights need to work in order for the car to pass inspection.
the previous owner installed some hids on the car and there are no high beams...
how do i fix this?

my third brake light on the trunk doesn't work, nor do the license plate bulbs...i'm not sure if the bulbs need to be replaced or if it's something else. i can try replacing the bulbs, but are there any other issues that might cause this?

thanks in advance.

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imnatelol

replace the hid's first of all

phillyb™

i don't disagree by any means. since i wasn't the one that did the installation, i have no clue what i'll need. i'll see if i can find some write up i guess.

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1vicissitude

Just get new low beam bulbs. The factory wiring harness should still be there. My guess is they have the harness plugged into the HID module. Unplugged it and plug the harness back into the bulbs. You can even leave the HID stuff just mounted there. This should work unless they totally eff'd up your wiring.

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RedemPhex

The license plate bulbs are the same as the lights in your gauge cluster. They are type 194/168/921/912/T13 (you can find them at any automotive bulb retailer). The third brake light is different on the other hand. Depending on the year it changes. On the 99 it is the same as the front turn signals, but with one contact instead of two. Its a 1156 bulb and can also be found at any retailer. If its 01+, I am not sure but I suspect it was changed...only because I find that everyone erroneously posts that the rear stop light for the 99 miata is a 7440 (which makes sense as the 1156 is an oddly powerful size for a rear light).

The HID problem, well you will have to change out the HID bulb thats up front. Since its likely he did not install a projector or anything, you shouldn't have too much difficult with it. If you are in a 99, you will only need one bulb which makes this even cheaper for you.

And do yourself a favor, rip all HID wiring out once you get this working and do this conversion right. Better than getting a ticket and wasting money just to be cool.

Also, due to the nature of the HID ghetto fit, I am assuming you are in a 99 as 01+ came with projected HIDs standard.

Recap:
2 - 194 bulb (License plate)
1 - 1156 bulb (3rd brake light)
2 - 99 style lightbulbs

and you should be good to go!
If you are confuzzled by my background info.:
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...RG-Results.htm (remember if you own a 99, you do not want to get the 7440 bulb that is listed on this replacement guide, you want the 1156!)

be good

if your 3rd brake light and licenc plate bulbs are all not working i would suspect a lose connection. and wire up some stock headlights

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"Johnny C" Nine lives Racing grip racer. watch my website for...ls1 miata build, upgrades. race video and pics. updated daily-> www.JohnnyCichowski.com

phillyb™

this is the best thing ever written.
thank you.
99 - no retrofit hid projectors...just blinding light for oncoming traffic. thank you.

be good...i'll try and trace the connectors and see if anything's loose. thanks a ton

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RedemPhex

oh! one last hint, 1156/1157 bulbs are twist off bulbs. You need to twist, then pull to get them out. Otherwise you are going to have Hemorrhoid problems trying to pull it out (to make it even more difficult, you can't really see what you are pulling when changing the 3rd brake light bulb and the 1156 bulbs are long as fuck and can get stuck due to the shortness of the wire!). Don't get intimated, I am just exaggerating the situation!

phillyb™

those i'm familiar with. thank you again

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RedemPhex

HA! Thats good, I wasn't familiar with the twisting thing, glad you are though. I gotta say I felt quiet foolish as It took me a good 2 minutes to figure it out lol.

phillyb™

yeah man. thanks a ton for your help.
i'll see if i can grab bulbs soon and keep the thread updated with an actual resolution just in case someone is as dumb as i am in the future

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phillyb™

so i still need some help. i went down to the car today and i don't see the oem bulb harnesses anywhere.
am i missing something?

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jnshk

OEM headlight pigtail >>> I think you're holding it in picture #2.

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"...all the best stuff is made in Japan." Marty McFly, Back to the Future III
Chaste White 1997 NA. My other car is a Ford V6 powered 1958 Volvo moneypit... err, PV444.

phillyb™

indeed. i figured that was the oem pigtail. it's just chilling in there.
wtf do i plug that shit into?
i don't see a harness for the oem bulbs...
am i still missing something?

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phillyb™

oh, the oem harness plugs into the new bulb...
is that right?

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phillyb™

why yes...
yes it is correct.

bought a pair of these bad boys



uninstalled the hid kit and everything is working now - low beams and high beams.

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jnshk

Excellent

Did you get the 3rd brake light and the license plate lights working yet?

If you don't seem to be getting power to the 3rd brake light, you may have a short in the wires where they branch off from the main harness and run along the hinge and bracing of the trunk lid. I had this issue on my '97, where possibly the wires were cut an inch or two shorter than they should have been at the factory when the harness was made, and so there was too much tension on them when opening and shutting the trunk, which eventually caused the wires to fatigue and break within the insulated sleeve. On a visual inspection they looked fine, but I ended up having to splice in a few extra inches of wire to repair the break as well as take tension off the wires so that it won't happen again in the future. I don't think this is a common situation, but it's worth checking, especially if they sometimes seem to work and sometimes don't of if they occasionally blow a fuse.

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"...all the best stuff is made in Japan." Marty McFly, Back to the Future III
Chaste White 1997 NA. My other car is a Ford V6 powered 1958 Volvo moneypit... err, PV444.