LAMPF with HID - help!

[Nutty]

We installed one of Les' HID's on Friday night, connected it up, and got the dreaded LAMPF. Also, dip and main beam were the wrong way round, so I had to ride all weekend with the light on main, although it was actually on dipped.

I reported this to Les, and he sent me another ballast, which should eliminate the LAMPF warning, and reverse the dip/ main beam issue.

Last night I set to work, removed all the panelling and swapped the ballast over. Still LAMPF, and still dip and main are the wrong way round. Under instruction over the phone from a BMW technician, I then swapped the white and yellow cables going into the black box, which have now sorted the dip and main the correct way round. But still getting LAMPF. Now, when the bike is switched off, and the ignition is on, I'm getting a buzzing noise when flashing the main beam (but not the rest of the time when the engine or ignition are on).

I also have the LED sidelight bulb fitted, which we thought may have been causing the LAMPF message, but I'm still getting the message even if I reinstall the original regular bulb.

Does anyone have a fix for this, as I'm out of ideas?

 

[Beemerman59]

Is it a 35watt HID or 50watt?

And if you have Aux lights fitted, are they on or off when starting the engine?

 

[Nutty]

Is it a 35watt HID or 50watt?

And if you have Aux lights fitted, are they on or off when starting the engine?

It's a 35 watt, and I don't have Aux lights fitted.

 

[cookie]

i'd have thought that the ECU is looking for the draw of a 50W bulb

 

[ghiribizzo]

I regularly got LAMPF with HiD (also from Les) because after turning off the bike, the Satnav draw on the battery was taking down the voltage just enough to cause that.
Changed to a Motobatt and it's gone.
I'm surprised about the dip/main hassle. I got a full set off Les, dip, main and aux lights. A bit of RTFM and it worked as advertised.
But consider the battery condition.

 

[Beemerman59]

It's a 35 watt, and I don't have Aux lights fitted.

I also had Lampf issues with a 35watt HID in the dip beam. I switched to a 50watt (been fine for 3 years now) and put the 35 watt HID's in the Aux lights instead. As Cookie says, I think its on the edge with the can-bus which thinks its not pulling enough power and switches it off.

 

[Nutty]

Thanks guys. Not sure if the bike could handle a 50 watt ballast. Someone mentioned fitting a resistor. Would that do the trick? Does everyone else get the "buzzing" when flashing the main beam while the ignition is on, but the engine off (only applicable to those with an HID as dipped and main)

 

[Beemerman59]

I have never needed to add any resistors for a 50watt HID replacing a 55 or 60 watt halogen bulb.

I bought some cheapish 50watt ballasts for the FF50 spots I have and they "buzz" a lot for about 15 seconds while warming up but otherwise they work fine. The more costly ballasts I have are virtually noiseless.

The reason I asked about the aux lights is I find if those are switched on when trying to start the engine I will often get lampf and the HID won't light - I assume because of excessive draw in the system. But if you just have a 50watt HID on dip then the bike should handle that just fine.

 

[Nutty]

I think that I may have worked out the problem. The ballast is a 35w ballast. In the manual, the spec of the bulb is H7 55w. Will a 50 watt ballast solve all these problems?

 

[ghiribizzo]

Which manual? BMW? Telling you it should be a halogen 'filament' bulb?
Speak to Les. I don't want you to take this the wrong way but I get the impression you're struggling a bit with this.
Les' kit is normally almost plug and play. I'm sure he'll get you sorted if you can tell him what's going on.
Don't understand how you had a problem with the dip/main beam being other than the person that fitted them connecting to the wrong wires...

 

[Nutty]

Which manual? BMW? Telling you it should be a halogen 'filament' bulb?
Speak to Les. I don't want you to take this the wrong way but I get the impression you're struggling a bit with this.
Les' kit is normally almost plug and play. I'm sure he'll get you sorted if you can tell him what's going on.
Don't understand how you had a problem with the dip/main beam being other than the person that fitted them connecting to the wrong wires...

I am struggling with this. I've PM'd Les, but can't get hold of him. Does anyone have his number? There's physically only one way to connect everything, so I don't understand why I'm getting the LAMPF.

 

[rudiemoto]

hi nutter
check the cranking volts on your battery
if its low that can do the lampf
also change the side light
some can also lampf
put std side light in
if it goes then new led side light needed

 

[Nutty]

hi nutter
check the cranking volts on your battery
if its low that can do the lampf
also change the side light
some can also lampf
put std side light in
if it goes then new led side light needed

How do I check the cranking volts? I've swapped the sidelight back to the original standard bulb, and still get the message. Any thoughts on the buzzing noise when flashing main beam, or turning on main beam while the ignition is on? It only buzzes with I press the button, not all the time.

 

[ghiribizzo]

Good points @rudiemoto. I re-read the post. Yep - Nutty GSER said that the sidelight LED had been removed so not that causing LAMPF.
Still put money on the battery for causing LAMPF. I put the 4 HiDs on mine when the bike was a couple of weeks old. No problem ever in starting the bike and from (my) workshop experience reckoned that going back to BMW would mean them griping that there's nothing wrong bar the lights I fitted.
I put up with the LAMPF issue on warm starts, having to restart again after a mile or so - it never produced LAMPF from cold.
After one season of that I put in a Motobatt. Problem solved. An Oddyssey battery would do the same!
Still not sure about how the dip/main were the wrong way. That has to be as simple as getting them mixed up. If the destructions were followed implicitly, then they have an error.
Dunno where you are, I'd lend you the Motobatt for the weekend!

 

[Nutty]

Good points @rudiemoto. I re-read the post. Yep - Nutty GSER said that the sidelight LED had been removed so not that causing LAMPF.
Still put money on the battery for causing LAMPF. I put the 4 HiDs on mine when the bike was a couple of weeks old. No problem ever in starting the bike and from (my) workshop experience reckoned that going back to BMW would mean them griping that there's nothing wrong bar the lights I fitted.
I put up with the LAMPF issue on warm starts, having to restart again after a mile or so - it never produced LAMPF from cold.
After one season of that I put in a Motobatt. Problem solved. An Oddyssey battery would do the same!
Still not sure about how the dip/main were the wrong way. That has to be as simple as getting them mixed up. If the destructions were followed implicitly, then they have an error.
Dunno where you are, I'd lend you the Motobatt for the weekend!

Cheers for the offer. I'm at the other end, in Surrey! My biggest concern now tbh is this buzzing noise I don't want the thing bursting into flames

 

[ghiribizzo]

Put a voltmeter on the battery terminals. What does it read when it's starting. Fancy dan ones will be able to record what it drops down to, but hard to tell as it'll likely start up the bike really quickly and you'll not really be able to tell looking at a fluctuating digital display.
Okay - put it another way: If you start the bike and get LAMPF... If you run it for a few miles, turn off and restart...does the headlight illuminate and LAMPF disappears? If so - you're buying the drinks cos it's the battery.
If it's still LAMPF there's more to it.

 

[Nutty]

Put a voltmeter on the battery terminals. What does it read when it's starting. Fancy dan ones will be able to record what it drops down to, but hard to tell as it'll likely start up the bike really quickly and you'll not really be able to tell looking at a fluctuating digital display.
Okay - put it another way: If you start the bike and get LAMPF... If you run it for a few miles, turn off and restart...does the headlight illuminate and LAMPF disappears? If so - you're buying the drinks cos it's the battery.
If it's still LAMPF there's more to it.

Thanks. Will try that in the morning.

 

[Nutty]

Ok, I got it up to temperature this morning, turned off and left for a minute. Then turned it back on and LAMPF! Interestingly though, the yellow warning triangle has disappeared, so it's just the message without the annoying light. What is going on?????!

 

[Beemerman59]

Your're still running a 35 watt ballast with a 50watt HID bulb, replacing an OEM 55 watt halogen bulb? There are a variety of possible reasons for your problem but I think you need to start with basics. The Can-bus expects a 55 watt current draw and your giving it a 35 watt current draw. some bikes (mine included) see that as a problem and shows a LampF. Some bikes might not as this might be close to the edge of the can-bus parameters - I don't know. But I would try a 50 watt ballast.

Sorry, I know its basic, but have you actually tried replacing the HID with the standard bulb to make sure you don't get a LampF with that as well?

The other thing to note is that if your ballast is duff you will also get a LampF.

 

[Nutty]

Your're still running a 35 watt ballast with a 50watt HID bulb, replacing an OEM 55 watt halogen bulb? There are a variety of possible reasons for your problem but I think you need to start with basics. The Can-bus expects a 55 watt current draw and your giving it a 35 watt current draw. some bikes (mine included) see that as a problem and shows a LampF. Some bikes might not as this might be close to the edge of the can-bus parameters - I don't know. But I would try a 50 watt ballast.

Sorry, I know its basic, but have you actually tried replacing the HID with the standard bulb to make sure you don't get a LampF with that as well?

The other thing to note is that if your ballast is duff you will also get a LampF.

Ok, that was the conclusion I came to. I'm trying to get hold of Les to get his thoughts but he must be away. I wonder if a 50w ballast from another supplier would work with the rest of his cables?