DIY HID Projector Install instructions
 

I saw others had installed HID projectors with bi-xenon lamps in their Boxsters, but they didn't provide many specific instructions, parts, etc. Well, I figured I had nothing to lose because my headlights were pretty bad anyways, so I invested $300 in HID projectors and embarked on my DIY HID journey. Hopefully, you can benefit from my mistakes and from what I learned.

First of all, simply putting HID bulbs in your H7 sockets is NOT the way to go. The light discharge is too intense and unfocused, which is dangerous to oncoming drivers.

Secondly, I'm not a professional, so if you see that I did something stupid, don't be too hard on me. Gentle correction is always constructive.

Thirdly, I'm told that altering headlights is not legal in most parts of the country, although the HID projectors will pass safety inspection.

Things you need.

I ordered from BlackFlameCustoms : HID Projector Headlight Retrofits, Retrofit Service & Parts

• Mini-Morimoto MH1 bi-xenon projector
• H1 HID Bulbs (4300/5000k/6000k- your choice)
• All Digital Morimoto Ballasts
• Shrouds (to cover the new projectors)
• Plug-and-play wiring harness

Also other than basic hand tools, you will need a Dremel tool, silicone adhesive sealant, an Xacto knife and an oven.

1. Follow the instructions to remove the headlight assembly from the car.
2. Clean the headlight assembly and prepare the oven for baking. After reading various posts and viewing a number of YouTube videos on this process, what seemed to work best is to preheat the oven to around 225 F.
3. Remove the rubber gasket around the assembly, remove the back cover, and remove all bulbs. Also if you have a Headlight Corner Trim, remove that too, as that piece warped easily in the heat. I had to purchase a replacement.
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330305578.jpg
4. Put the assembly in the oven, but not directly on the wire rack. Put some strips of wood on the rack, then put the assembly on top of the wood.
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330305770.jpg
   
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and us a flat bladed screwdriver to loosen the silicone adhesive. If you don’t feel that its going to give, put it in the oven for another 10 minutes. I found that the side opposite of the flood light seemed to be the easiest place to start. You should hear the adhesive start to lift. Be patient and never force it. Repeated trips to the oven may be needed, but eventually the lens will come off. Wear gloves as the plastic gets pretty hot.
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330305879.jpg
   
7. Remove the outer lens and the plastic inner lining and set them aside carefully.
8. As the adhesive is still soft, use the screwdriver blade to scrape off as much adhesive as possible from the main assembly.
9. The inner lens was melted on my headlights, so I was eager to trash them. Using a pair of pliers, the lens comes free. There are plastic tabs at 9, 12, and 3 o’clock so those are the points you may need to pry a little. I used a mini pry bar with an angle to get behind the lens to pry it free.
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330306036.jpg
10. The upper hole on the chrome reflector is for the low beam bulb, and the lower for the high beam. In front of the low beam opening is a bulb deflector that needs to be removed. Looking at the back of the assembly, you see the tabs that hold it in place. I used a pair of wire snips and needle nose pliers to cut and bend the tabs so that it the bulb deflector came loose.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330306106.jpg
    Remove it from the front side.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330306181.jpg
11. Using the Dremel tool, the square base that held the bulb deflector needs to be cut away. The back of the HID projector needs that space to sit flush against the headlight reflector bowl. Run your fingers over that area to make sure you remove all remnants of the square base. This picture isn't very focused, but the red arrow points to the thing I'm talking about.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330306601.jpg
    
12. You will discover that the back of the reflector bowl has a little shelf. You may also need to cut away part of it to get a good flush fit.
13. Use the drum sanding bit on your Dremel tool to make the bulb opening a bit larger to the projector can fit in it. I took a Sharpie pen and drew a circle just around the opening, and then shaved away the markings. You don’t want to make the opening too large.
14. Next, use the Dremel tool to cut away the rim of the low beam bulb opening. This is necessary for the nut to be able to grasp onto the projector threads. The wire clip assembly that holds the H7 bulb should come right off.
    
    
15. Make a notch on the top of the bulb opening. This will be used to align the projector and will keep it in place.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330307282.jpg
    
16. Clean the whole headlight assembly well by using an air compressor or clean rag to remove all the dust particles. Shake the assembly upside down and sideways to make sure you get all the dust out. Remove any fingerprints
17. Install the projector by placing the silicone washer on the projector first. Place the projector in the low beam opening. On the threaded side of the projector, put the H7 adapter place on, then secure the projector with the lock ring.
    
18. At this point try to fit the shroud on the projector. It will require some cutting to fit it. There were two cuts I had to make, one at the top and another at the side to accommodate the “shelf” in the middle of the reflector. Use the Dremel tool on the shroud, cutting and measuring carefully in an iterative fashion to make sure you have a good fit. I cut the shroud too much on the top, leaving an gaping hole. Fortunately, this wont be noticeable once I cover it with aluminum tape. When the headlight lens covers the assembly, it will cover the top of the shroud anyways. No one will notice it unless they really really look for it.
    
19. If the shroud is attached to the projector with screws, then you may need to remove the projector. Mine had a slip on collar so I was able to install it once I got it to fit.
20. Attach the bulb holder and the bulb clip.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330307073.jpg
    
21. This might be a good opportunity to replace all the bulbs. The H7 fog light bulb is easy to get out since the assembly is apart. Also, I removed the amber turn indicator reflector and replaced the clear bulb with an amber bulb (Sylvania 1156A) to give the headlight assembly a clear, clean look.
    
22. Drill a 7/8 inch hole in the back cover and run the wires through it. The Morimoto HIDs came with a grommet that will fit in a 7/8 inch hole nicely.
    http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330307159.jpg
    
23. With that the headlight assembly is almost done. Before putting it all back together, it’s time to test that the wiring is all done correctly.

DIY HID Projector Install instructions: Part 2 Wiring
 

The wiring harness looked a bit overwhelming when I first looked at it, but after a few email exchanges with JB at blackflamecustoms , it was easy to figure out.

• Connect the blades from the wires from the projector to the high beam connector. Brown is negative, so connect the black wire to brown, and the other to red. I ran the projector wires through the high beam hole which is the lower hole.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330385810.jpg

• Plan the installation of the wiring harness. I had to extend some of the cables to because I wanted to install the main relay on the harness to the nut that secures the amp. The harness connections are simple.
• Red wire with the brown fuse casing: to positive battery terminal
• Black wire : to negative battery terminal
• Two ballast cables will go to the ballasts.
• Remaining cable with two blades (headlight connector) will go to the low beam connector on the headlight assembly. The brown wire on the low beam connector is negative, so I connected the negative blade to it. You only need to connect the headlight connector on one side of the car.

Before the final installation of the harness and before sealing the assembly, insert the headlight assemblies into car and test the lights, high beam, low beam, indicators, fog, parking lights, and side markers. Also test the beam of the projectors to make sure they aren’t aimed too high or low. At this point, you just want to get the aim in the right ball park. One mistake I made was that although the projector was secure, it was not flush with the back of the reflector bowl, so the aim was way too low.

Installing the Wiring Harness in my Boxster.
I didn’t want to drill any holes in the car, but I needed to run wires from the front trunk compartment to the headlights.

1. Mount the harness relay to the amp nut.
   
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330385979.jpg
   
2. Extend the short ballast wire and the light switch connector so they are long enough to reach the headlight assembly.
3. There is a large grommet on the right side of the trunk. Using an Xacto blade, I slit an X opening in the rubber grommet to run the ballast and the headlight connector.
   
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330386075.jpg
   
4. On the opposite side, I used the vertical headlight adjustment opening to run the ballast wire. Since this was one ballast wires that I extended, I threaded it through the opening before I terminated the cables.
   
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330386122.jpg
   
5. Secure the cables behind the trunk liner and secure with zip ties as needed.
6. Mount the ballasts on the side. There is plenty of space there. Secure with industrial strength Velcro.
   http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330386189.jpg
7. Use zip ties to make sure the cables don’t interfere with the main connection from the car and the headlight assembly.
8. Lock the headlight assemblies in place. I found that the tool that came with the Boxster was useless. A 5mm long neck socket I got from Sears is a lot more effective.

DIY HID Projector Install instructions: Pictures
 

Before:
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330387941.jpg

After:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330387977.jpg

Finshed product:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330388009.jpg


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1330388162.jpg

Well done, well done! Appreciate the effort with your detailed how to guide. I have xenons but just enjoy a good write up!

Very awesome post! Thanks for posting this! takes time and patience! but makes me want to do it to my headlights. Thats why I like this forum. :cheers:

............................

Madmods-

I was actually inspired by your original post on another thread.

:cheers:

...................

Wow what a difference!

My lenses have a similar problem, former owner must have put in bulbs that were too powerful, so I'm very eager to do a HID mod.

Can you take some night photos? I wish you had left one normal and took some night photos of the difference between the two but any photos would be better than nothing.

I'm thinking I might wait until I buy two new headlights so if I mess-up this mod at least I'm not left with no functioning headlights.

what kit?
 

Was this a complete retrofit kit bought from blackflamecustoms or were these parts bought separately? I am very keen to do this mod!

No, it wasn't a kit, but Blackflamecustoms basically provided everything I needed except the tools.

HID parts
 

Thanks,

Did you buy H1 bulbs and get the appropriate plug and play harness for the H1, as blackcustoms are telling me it should be a H7 bulb. I also like your shrouds you decided on, which ones were they?

The Morimoto Mini bulbs are called H1. The stock Boxster bulb type is H7. This link describes exactly what I got.

BlackFlameCustoms Inc.

In addition, I got IRIS shrouds, which were extra. Once I had them on, they fell off in about a week, so be sure you glue them on before you seal the headlight assembly.

I still don't get the installation of the projector. Do you have more photos of it going in? How do you install the high beam HID? Thanks for the info, want to get it right before tearing mine apart.

Sorry, I dont have any more photos, but I'll try to answer your questions. For starters, there is no high beam HID. The bi-xenon projector serves both high and low beams. I ended up installing the original high beam H7 bulb back in its place, so when the high beam is activated, the H7 bulb turns on in addition to lowering the high beam shield in the projector. This way, I can flash my high beams without turning on the HIDs.

Very nice write-up and great photos. The projectors really update the look of the front of the car. Well done!

Brilliant post well done for the photos and the write up, not sure why you didn't put chrome indicator light bulbs in your turn signal lights, as you wouldnt see any amber colour at all, as it is now you can just still see some amber in the background, I just thought "icing on the cake" but that doesn't take away what a good post this is, well done again.
Guvs.

what sealant would be the beset to use? anyone knows what bosch/hella OEM sealant they use?

a guy from my area who's been retrofitting headlights for a couple of years told me that those silicone sealants which is grayish in color shouldn't be used as per his experience. i've seen some of his work and noticed the sealant he uses are black in color. he wouldnt say though what brand it was. lol

Greta job!
Do you have a link to where I can buy the projectors? I swapped out my old yellow ones all ready to this would be fun to try.

I installed the same Morimoto HID kit in a BMW E46 I used to own. It is a 100% improvement in lighting. I did not have to bake the lights, though.

Check out: The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications

They sell several different kits, different HID bulbs, shrouds and separate components.

Bi-zenon retrofit is awesome
 

I enjoyed the nice step by step post on the HID projectors retrofit. And I agree....at first the project seems a bit overwhelming. But once you get into it and take your time things start to fall into place. I don't own a Porche(yet) but I have done several HID projector retrofits, the most recent on my future son-in-law's Saturn Vue. I had already upgraded his headlights with HID's but as most everyone finds out after they do this, the HID output is so intense that it creates terrible glare and scatterted light coming out of the factroy reflector housings since they were never intended for HID's. You will love the way they light up the road but the poor souls you come upon in the opposite direction will really not like you and usually flash you. It can actually creat an unsafe glare which could actually be dangerous. So we went ahead and did the bi-xenon projector retrofit.

I think there are some folks who don't completely understand how bi-zenon projectors work. The term bi-zenon basically means two beams; low and high. Zenon refers to the HID(High Intensity Discharge) bulbs that are used which are 2- 3 times as bright as halogens. The projectors are engineered to focus the light to give a much better light field than halogen reflectors. The projectors are engineered with a shield inside the projector that blocks the upper part of the beam which creates a flat line across the light field in front of the car. This focuses the intense HID light in front of the car but below the sight line of oncoming cars. When the high beams are activated a solenoid inside the projector unit drops the shield which releases all of the focused light from the projector and fills the area above the cutoff line delivering phenominal high beam coverage.

What I have learned from the retrofits I did is that the most important step is the alignment of the projectors inside the headlight housing. Since the projector beam has a flat horizontal cutoff line it must be aligned absolutely level. If not the beam will be higher on one side than the other creating either blinding glare to oncoming drivers if the left side(left hand drive cars) is too high or reduced light on the road in front of the left side of the car if the beam is high on the right. Also, the alignment of the centerline of the beam is very important, although some adjustment can me made with the left to right headlight adjusters if your car has them. Our saturn has only vertical adjusters so the beam alignment was critical. When aligned properly the horizontal cutoff lines of both projectors should match perfectly.

My first couple of retrofits were done using Morimoto Mini's. Because of their design they are a little easier to retrofit but don't offer quite as good of a beam coverage because of there smaller 2 1/2" lense and smaller reflector bowl. My latest install was done using FX-R II's which have 3" lenses and a bigger reflector bowl. Because of their larger size the FX-R's won't fit in all housings. They are more difficult to retrofit because the original headlight reflector housings must be cut to accept the projectors. When the fit and alignment is confirmed the projectors are epoxyied into place. If you are prepared for the extra work the FX-R's will reward you with amazing beam coverage that rivals factory projector headlights. We also went with the 55w HID's instead of the 35w for even a little extra punch.

Once you convert to bi-zenon projector HID's you will never be able to drive comfortably with halogen headlights again. The extra light output adds a level of confidence while drivng at night and in the rain that is difficult to explain to halogen users. I would consider some halogen headlights to be downright dangerous. If you want to feel safer while driving at night you really should consider doing a bi-zenon HID projector retrofit. If you don't feel comfrotable doing it yourself there are companies that offer the service but expect to pay upwards of $700 for the package. Considering the added safety they offer the investment would be well worth it.

Black Flame Customs(I think they have changed their name but you sould still be able to find them) supplied me with a butly rubber sealant that worked awesome. It is black and is very moldable and softens at a lower temp than the factory sealant of most newer cars. It comes in a roll that will do quite a few headlights. It is about 5/16' diameter and a little too thick for the groove in the housing so I stretched and worked it down to a smaler diameter before forcing it into the groove in the headlight housing.

Hope this helps,

Hugh

I have a pair of headlamps that have burnt lenses (like these started off) in the shed if anyone wants to buy them for a project.

They are UK (RHD) but I doubt that would be an issue if you are retro fitting new units into the casings.

Get in touch if interested.

James

Let me try this again! LOL

Just got finished with this install! Didn't have to drill out the hole or make a notch for the bulb. I did have to trim the "shelf" and remove the light shield. I bought a different set of projectors. I might catch some grief for it but I went with the blue angle eye and the red demon eye centers.

I also managed to fit everything in the head light assembly. So its a plug and play like the factory headlight assembly.

Here's a pic of a test of the lighting. It doesn't really do it justice. It's a bright red and blue.

The HID's are the stuff! My wife's Acura has them and I've owned a few BMW's with them. I missed them so much! Not any longer!! Thanks so much for the step by step 986_inquiry!

I'll get more pics up as soon as it stops raining and the sun comes up! LOL!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1356752817.jpg

Anyone having any issues with the Morimoto Minis? According to this site they are plagued with quality problems. I'd love to do this retrofit, but not multiple times and with unsure end results.

How To: Pre-Install Morimoto Mini Tips

Red HID projectors? How's the visibility?

There only red when the driving lights are on. There normal projector HIDs when I turn the lights on. So visibility is great! Actually better then my wife's factory Acura projector HID.

I'd love to do this, but 1) I want to keep it plug n play, and 2) I have the stock daytime running lights that run on low beam.

Anyone in Canada done a xenon project retrofit?

Click,
Ditto on trying a project like this. I have my original (scorched) amber headlights to practise on. Just gotta get off the couch and buy a set of bixenon projectors and get at it.
Particlewave posted this thread http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/44045-fyi-headlight-connector-pinout.html outlining the headlight stock pinout configuration, so it looks like p&p is a possibility.

They are not cookies, but I could even handle 225 degrees for 10 mins. recipe for great looking headlights!

Ahhh! You KNOW it is GOOD writeup - when you think to yourself, "I can do that!"

2 thumbs up!

Nice write-up! Looks great

FYI: I would not suggest mounting ballasts inside of the headlight enclosure. I did this and one of my ballasts died after only 45 minutes of night driving. I pulled over, popped the headlight out, and removed the back cover to check the ballast. It was so hot that it softened the insulation on the wires.

Mounting them to the back of the cover like the OEM litronics seems like the best way to go. Keeps it all as one single unit and allows air to circulate around the ballast. ;)


EDIT: ballast is ok. It just went into thermal protection. I have since mounted the ballasts to the rear covers like OEM. ;)

Is there any group buy event going on that you know for TRS?

Question for the electrical gurus out there

I have a set of can bus ballasts, but given the headlight connects straight into the back of the light connector how do I connect the canbus connector?

I've searched the net for a canbus lead that I can wire into the existing projector leads in the headlight, but can't find any.

I don't want to cut the canbus tail on the ballasts.

What I think I need is a test lead, which has a male end on one end and loose wires on the other.

Thanks

I am not a guru in anything, but my wife says I am ;)

Whatever Canbus, AC or DC ballasts, they all comes with a POS and NEG terminal. To my knowledge there are no specific canbus end connector. Mine simply came with loose ends +/- wires.

Strip both ends, get rid of the (now useless) plastic H7 headlight connector, twist the wires together and use lead & soldering iron to secure the new wire connection. I am using heat shrink wire wrap but you could also use electrical tape to cover the set-up (it's always dry there).

Snap plugs (see pic below) could also be an easy-1-2-3 option but I personally prefer to have all my connections welded... especially where there are vibrations and all.

hope this helps and congrats on your conversion. I bet, like myself, you regret to have waited a decade to upgrade those fugly stock headlights ;) So simple to do.

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/prod...P-SNAPMALE.JPG

Thanks for the advice

I was reluctant to cut the canbus tail but I don't appear to have any other option.

Have had some replacement led units fitted after the first lot burnt out and cracked. Updated version appears to be better. With the hid projectors fitted should be a lot less heat than the halogens.

Will post some pics when finished