Normally, I am fairly mechanically adept. Changing a bulb in the headlamp would be a no brainer and is pretty straightforward...or so I thought. This is not so with my Porsche. Maybe I am an idiot, maybe not, but I have a couple of problems. I have Bosch H4 headlights. I simply wanted to change out the bulbs. Well, this proved to be much more than I ever bargained for...and after wasting an entire afternoon (that is not a misprint), I gave up and decided to ask for help.
Problem #1, I removed the driver side headlamp assembly easily enough. Getting it back together is another story. I do not know how the reflector portion of the assembly attaches to the ring/housing. As a result, I have a lose reflector that is aiming off into the sky and every other direction. I do not see how this fits together. Do the two long screws for the housing ring somehow attach to the reflector? If so how?
Problem #2, I cannot even get the housing ring off the passenger side. It appears that the reflector is loose in there as well. I can get the assembly loose enough so that it wiggles back and forth slightly but that is all. It doesn't budge forward. Any ideas?
I have looked everywhere I can think of for diagrams of the replacement process or anything relating to H4's on the 911 but without any luck. I don't have a manual yet, one is on order though. The best description I could find was under Pelican Parts 911 Tech Questions - however, the description of the process was far less detailed than needed, and thus not helpful.
Changing headlight bulbs should NOT be this hard! I am at a loss! PLEASE HELP!!!

[ 12-06-2001: Message edited by: J-RAD ]

 

remove only the bottom screw that holds the unit into the fender. don't touch the others. lift out the complete unit, pop the clip that holds in the bulb, swap bulb, and reinstall unit onto fender. 5 minutes at the most.

 

John:

Thanks for the reply. Here is the issue though. The reflector unit is already loose (it is not connected to the headlight ring). I do not know how to get it connected. The second issue is that the passenger side assembly won't even come off (but that appears to have the same problem - also a loose reflector).

 

the housing that the reflector sits in is secured to the inside of the chrome ring by a handfull of L shaped clips. the reflector is then held steady in 3 places inside that housing. one point is a rubber tit that pops into a slot. the other two points are the beam adjustment screws, each having a threaded 90° point that pops into a rubber sleeve on the edge of the reflector.