How to diagnose the xenon ignition unit?

The xenon lamp ignition unit is a complex electronic circuit that can power the lamp through a flash of a powerful pulse. The block is presented in the form of a metal rectangular box, which is fixed under the headlight of the car.

The functions of the block are:

1. The supply of high-voltage current, on average, up to 25 thousand volts, which ensures the activation of the electric arc and, accordingly, the ignition of xenon.
2. Supporting the burning of xenon and the glow of the lamp due to the supply of direct current with a voltage of 85 volts.
3. It turns out that without an ignition unit, the xenon system will not provide light, since the lamp does not have enough voltage of 12 V or even 24 V of the car.

Xenon lighting is considered the most efficient today and has a number of advantages. But there are no ideal things, and therefore, often xenon may not burn. There can only be two reasons:

1. The xenon lamp is out of order.
2. breakdown of the ignition unit.

How to diagnose xenon ignition units?

If one xenon lamp does not light up, then the reason may be both in the light source and in the device itself, which provides ignition of the lamp. It turns out that if you encounter this problem, you should know how to diagnose the xenon ignition unit for serviceability.

To do this, you need to carefully remove the xenon, make a visual primary inspection and determine if there are any flaws in the form of cracks on the lamp bulb. If not, then carefully disconnect the wires leading to the lamp from the ignition unit.

Two scenarios:

1. Lamp problem. If the cause is a lamp failure, then when the ignition unit is connected to another xenon lamp, it will light up.
2. Ignition unit problem. If you connect the ignition unit to another lamp that was already on and it does not light up, then we can conclude that the ignition device is not working.

It turns out that if the problem is in the block, then you will have to replace it with an identical device.

How to diagnose a xenon ignition unit with a multimeter or tester?

it is possible to diagnose a xenon ignition unit without a lamp, using special tools and knowing the order of work. You can identify breakdowns and repair blocks on your own.

The most common health check device is, which consists of a control unit, complete with a screen and wires.

A multimeter or tester allows you to measure:

• voltage in the electronic circuit;
• current strength;
• resistance.

To check the operability of the device or individual components, you need to connect the tester wires to the sockets of the equipment, with the black wire connected to the negative socket, and the red wire to the positive one. If you connect the device incorrectly, then it will not work to find out the problem that led to the breakdown of the ignition unit.

Oscilloscope, unlike the tester, it is more professional equipment that allows you to determine the voltage, current strength, pulse frequency, phase angle and other parameters of the electrical circuit. The principle of operation of the device and the method of checking the operability of equipment with oscilloscopes are similar to a multimeter, but this device allows you to get more accurate readings, not only in numbers, but also in the form of a diagram.

So, to fully check the performance of the ignition unit, you need:

1. Without removing the device from its place, first of all, you need to rinse the surface of the device with alcohol. This action is aimed at eliminating rust, which can lead to a more unpleasant failure of the unit. If the problem of breakage is corrosion, then after a few minutes required for complete drying, the unit will function normally.
2. If flushing the block did not lead to the elimination of the breakdown, then the next step is to inspect the case for cracks (depressurization). Identified cracks must be sealed and the operability of the equipment diagnosed after complete drying of the used composition.
3. If the result is not achieved after the manipulations, then it is required to completely disconnect the device from the car circuit and open the block housing.

Inside the case there are various devices, the performance of which can be diagnosed with an oscilloscope or a tester.

diagnostics of equipment with special devices is carried out in the following order:

• at the first stage, the performance of transistors is checked (there must be at least 4 of them), which are most susceptible to moisture and dust;
• next, the resistor is checked;
• capacitors are tested.

Detected burnt or broken devices must be replaced with analogues that are fully suitable in terms of operating parameters.

After changing and checking the operability of the lamps, the unit must be closed and filled with sealant or paraffin functioned to increase the service life.

If the work carried out did not help to restore the ignition unit, then you can turn to professionals to conduct a more thorough diagnosis of defects or completely replace the equipment.