Read Geolabs post carefully!

There are both ballasts .... and ignitors on the OE Litronics: the ballast modules shown in the ebay link are mounted on the inner fender well, seen when the front hood is opened and the carpet lifted away. If that is what was swapped side to side - buy ones as in the ebay ad.

If the headlight units were pulled out to access the ignitors ( small module with a red ceramic cap that plugs directly onto the bulb itself), then you need the latter ...... search ebay, and odds are you can find some.

If any of your pals is skilled enough to change a light bulb, or pull a fuse, the ballast swap will be no challenge: if the ignitor, ~ same skill level, but the headlight assembly must be slid out the front to access the rear cover: one lever inside the trunk - no tools req'd.

The cheap aftermarket kits indeed work extremely well; however, they are designed to replace standard bulbs ( H1 in our case) in standard projector housings ..... the Litronic used a very different bulb mount base - and wiring as Geo noted.

 

Agreed....when I bought my car it had one stnd light and one litronic. You can't modify the light easily. With that said , I just bought a standard light a did some slight wire modification and added an after market kit. I did this because nobody was selling one for less than $600 for the light assembly.

Luckily for me the previous owner figured out how the wires needed To be run.

 

Just asked my service advisor at Porsche if this (http://cgi.ebay.ca/1997-04-Porsche-B...ht_1995wt_1139) is the right unit. If it is, I'm going to go ahead and buy it!

Will keep everybody posted, and thanks so much everybody for all the help!!

 

Hmm...just heard back from my advisor..

Ideas, everyone?

 

Here is the part you need. I replaced mine last week and got the part from LAPD for $300. The ignitor plugs into the low beam headlight and can be swapped out in about 10 minutes. Just pull the entire headlight unit and in the back of the unit there is a cover held on with a spring clip. Release the spring clip, open the cover and the ignitor is in there held on with 2 screws. BTW, the dealer could not even give me the part # for this as they typically sell the entire headlight unit as one part. Good luck

 

Asofine - just so it's clear the factory litronics units have both a ballast and an ignitor, these are two separate units as Garth describes. More modern units combine the two (remember that the Litronics system is now approaching 20 years old - forever in the electronics world). This is why the wiring can get a bit complicated when trying to retrofit a newer HID system to a factory Litronic system. As Scott described it sounds like you need a new ignitor (which is mounted in the headlight) as opposed to a ballast (which is on the side of the truck). It should be a pretty simple replacement once you get the new ignitor. I think trying to retrofit a newer system, although it has its benefits, will be more complicated for you than just replacing the ignitor.

 

I went through all of this BS when I purchased my 993 in '95. Switching sides, ballasts, etc.

In the end, I found that the passenger side Litronic headlight (the one that sometimes failed to come on) did not seat correctly in the multi-prong connector. My solution was to remove the connector from its bracket, and re-install it with the lower portion jutting forward (not in the bracket). Not easy to describe, but in 5 years, I've never had another issue with the headlights.

If it would help, I can take a pic showing how I adjusted the connector.


Andreas

 

As the OPO mentioned, they swapped parts from left to right and the problem followed the swap to the other headlight. This is how I determined that the ignitor was bad also. I also checked my connections and the power at the connectors coming into the headlights were correct.

 

Excellent information, guys!

I was under impression that igniter and controller are a single unit and was wrong.

Geolab and Garth, as usual, provided excellent and correct info. And Scott showed the picture. So... if the diagnosis is correct, you need this small igniter unit. Try LAPD (don't if you can avoid it), Oklahoma Foreign, Weekend Rides and all the standard eBay suspects. Also search on Pelican. You'll find something.

 

Thanks everyone!

Would either of these work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/97-04...Q5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PORSC...Q5fAccessories

 

No and no, the Litronics/ignitors are year specific. 96' is different than 97'. Believe me, I tried every option and the only answer is to get an ignitor for your year 993.

 

*Whew* Thanks.

I've been digging around online but can't seem to find one. Could anybody more tech-savvy than me lend a hand? Thanks in advance!

 

If "shadow993" has an entire headlight assembly for $250, I would buy it. Use the ignitor from it.

 

Thanks

But, per your comment earlier, does it have to be from a 1996 model? Does Shadow993's fit this description?

 

His/her car is a 96' so you should be good. If the ignitor is good, that is a very good price.