Repair of the xenon ignition block with your own hands. Possible damage. Block replacement

The issues of lighting the night road are especially relevant in Russian conditions. In order not to get into unpleasant and emergency situations, it is necessary to have complete confidence in the performance of the headlights of the car. Many today are installing xenon instead of the standard optics. Such light is very effective. But the system consists of several units, including a high-voltage ignition unit. This device sometimes breaks down. Let's look at how the repair of the xenon ignition unit is carried out, what are the typical problems, how to repair the element without having to contact a specialist.

Ignition unit: what is it?

This is called a high-voltage starting device for xenon and bi-xenon automobile lamps. Since the latter are filled with an inert gas, a very high voltage is needed to start them. The parameter ranges from 23,000 to 25,000 V. Such voltages are only needed to start the lamp. Then, stable combustion will be maintained already at the expense of the ballast during the entire period of the work of the lighting device.

Typical malfunctions and their causes

Repair of the xenon ignition unit must begin with a diagnosis.

There are several typical reasons for the device to fail:

• If there is no tightness in the unit or it is weak enough, then moisture or dust gets inside. To confirm the cause of the malfunction, the body of the unit must be opened. On the car, this problem manifests itself in a standard way. The optics will flash or will not light up at all.
• The second cause of malfunction is corrosion. Due to the oxidation of the soldering of electronic components, they can trite to trivialize. The elements themselves simply fall out of the solder. The first and main reason for this phenomenon is a high level of humidity or the negligence of the assembly. The Chinese devices are especially bad for assembly quality. On such a block of ignition (xenon) the price is not more than 700 rubles. Do not buy these devices.
• Also, the control signal from the controller disappears, the windings of the transformer and the multiplier break through. Cases of problems with transistors are not uncommon.

Self-diagnosis

So, the driver sits in the car and realizes that the xenon ignition unit does not work. Repair yourself, you need to start not with a replacement, but with diagnostics, especially since it can be done on your own.

First of all, you need to make sure that the causes of failure are correctly defined. Naturally, it will be done worse by yourself than by professionals, but you should try and you can. The first sign that the unit was out of order is the characteristic smell of burning. It is necessary to find out where the burnt element is. If there is an oscilloscope, then you can diagnose the device more accurately.

With the help of this device we will determine which node of the unit is not working properly. It can be a controller, any of a resistor or a transformer. If it was possible to diagnose the failure of the controller, then in this case there is no probability of a positive repair result. In this case, you will need to purchase and install a new xenon headlamp ignition unit . With everything else, you can handle yourself.

Ways to restore the working capacity of the unit with their own hands

The very first thing that experts recommend to pay attention before starting any restoration work is a simple flushing of the entire electronic board of the device with alcohol or acetone. If the cause of the malfunction is ordinary rust or moisture, then this operation is quite enough. The operability will be restored. If flushing has not helped, it is recommended to disconnect the sealant applied to the back of the board and disconnect the contacts.

Then, the xenon ignition unit is connected and attempts are made to start the device.

Safety precautions before switching on the unit

It is worth noting that the process of switching on and starting must be done only when the element is connected to the lamp. The block must be placed on a surface that does not conduct an electric current. The device is placed away from flammable objects. The multiplier of the device is very high voltage. It can sometimes reach up to 35 kV - do not touch the device with your hands.

When the unit has started, it is turned off and then allowed to "rest" (cool) for two to three minutes. If the device does not work, continue the diagnostic procedures.

We continue diagnostics

First, open all the covers, then detach the sealant. Then, using a multimeter, all transistors must be checked. There are four of them in the scheme. If any of the elements managed to detect a breakdown, you should purchase a new field-effect transistor and solder it to its rightful place.

The standard transistor can be replaced with 4N60. The repair of the xenon ignition unit is now complete. However, if this does not help, you should carry out the diagnosis further. Next, check the resistors - maybe they stayed intact. If this is not the case, then the burned parts are replaced with new ones. The power of the resistor must be at least 5 watts.

Restoration of the block by propaing

Still can help propaiivanie all places where there was a sealant, and the flux was in an inactive state. Remains of the latter must be washed off. If the flux is pink, care must be taken to ensure that no pink spots remain in the process. The gel is well heated. After that, again try to turn on the headlight. If the repair of the xenon ignition unit was successful, then the lamps will burn like new ones. But if all the actions did not lead to success, then we need to look for burned and failed transistors. Often, the reason is in them. If such an element could be detected, it is evaporated and the unit is turned on without it. If the system is working, then everything is fine. After carrying out all measures to restore the unit, experts recommend that the electronic board be filled with paraffin. They choose paraffin - other analogues will not work. Various silicone-based sealants are very difficult to remove during the next repair. In addition, the chemicals that these compounds release during warming up may not have the best effect on the quality, strength and reliability of the contacts.

If the problem was exactly in the transistor, and it was possible to restore the block of ignition of xenon, repairs with their own hands will cost about 45-50 rubles. It's much cheaper than the new unit.

If xenon is not lit

The operation to verify the health of the device is not a complicated procedure. Naturally, you need to be careful and careful. You will need a screwdriver, good lamps and a deliberately working ignition unit. First of all, disconnect the battery negative terminal. Then open the safety block and check the element that is responsible for outdoor lighting. If it is burned, then it is replaced.

At the second stage, check the electrician. Probably, the wires leading to the ignition unit disconnected somewhere. Then check how the contacts are fixed. Due to vibration, they could be weakened. If the system was installed manually, then often in the headlights there are adapters from the base of the traditional halogen lamp to the xenon lamp. It is necessary to check the data of the adapters. If there are no positive results, then it is necessary to replace the xenon lamps without the ignition unit in the headlamp for deliberately working. When all options are checked, and the result is still not there, most likely the problem is in the ignition unit. It must be dismantled and tried to replace it with a worker.

Now there are a lot of products from China on the market. So, the Chinese block of ignition of xenon price is up to a thousand rubles. So it's easier to replace a broken device with a new one. Chinese manufacturers, these devices tightly sealed, and the board itself is filled with compound. Therefore, to disassemble the block does not make much sense.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several options that allow you to repair a broken item. In fact, even inexperienced motorists can cope with such repairs. For diagnostics, you need basic skills in electronics. If you know how to check the ignition unit (xenon or bixenone, it does not matter), you can save a lot on the pay of professional autoelectric.