KeninBlaine

I had to remove the passenger side HID headlight a few days ago to replace the ballast resistor on my oil cooler fan. After re-installing the headlight it hasn't worked. Not sure if the connector isn't aligned right or what. Any suggestions?

jg291446

There is one wire with an oval plug that comes from the car (not the HID). This plug will fit in the headlight assembly one way or the other but the headlight will work only if it is plugged one way only.

KeninBlaine

Thanks for the suggestion. In this case, the connector from the car is secured in a retainer, and it wasn't removed when the headlight assembly was removed, so I assumed that everything would line up properly when I re-inserted the assembly. Wish I had re-installed the headlight when the fender liner was still removed so I could try to ensure proper alignment by looking from the rear of the headlight. If all else fails, I'll have to remove the wheel and fender liner to check it out.

Ed Hughes

Have you tried simply removing it and re-installing? That is the first thing I'd do, and peak at both sides of the connection too.

P-daddy

Yes, try re-installing the headlight bucket and checking your fuses.

mpruden

Agreed. While I haven't had this problem, others have reported the headlight plug can get misaligned.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...ck-to-fix.html

KeninBlaine

I did re-try 3 or 4 times, even moving the plug laterally a little. The fuses also checked out ok. I'll give it another try tomorrow. I assumed that if the plug wasn't properly aligned, the headlight unit wouldn't be able to be inserted all the way in. If necessary I may have to try removing the plug from the retainer and connect it manually to the fixture. Thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like I just need to persevere.

P-daddy

Is your hid oem litronics or aftermarket? Next I would open up the headlight bucket to inspect the wire connections including the flimsy wire clip securing the bulb. May have gotten knocked lose during headlight removal.

kjr914

Kevin,
These guys are right on with:
1. remove, reinstall (with often fixes bad/oxidized electrical connections)
2. check alignment with connector
3. If HID installed, check all those connections and swap in the ballast from the other side to see if that fixes it.

I'd add, that to combat the first, you can spray some Electrical Contact Cleaner (formerly known as TV Tuner Cleaner when TV's had *****...) on the connectors on both sides. I've had it happen that I could "Fonzie" my right light when it went out... A nice tap on the lens would cause the connection to "self heal" and presto...light on.

KeninBlaine

Keith: I've done most of those things. Next step is to swap ballasts to see if that is the problem. The one on the passenger side is made by OSRAM. Curious to see what brand the other one is.

Knight

If your running factory HIDs I believe ballasts should be Bosch.

So are the high beams working? If not this likely is a connection issue. If working, this would be a ballast or igniter issue. I had an igniter issue last year and ended up swapping out the factory HID system.

KeninBlaine

Thanks. Both high and low aren't working, so will continue tracking down where the connection problem is. One time yesterday I did get a short flicker from the low beam, suggesting there is an intermittent connection problem somewhere. Curious what you swapped out your factory HID with. Did you use Bosch?

berni29

Hi

I had the same problem once which drove me mad. This is what I did to fix it.

Check for gross misalignment due to a broken tab on the connector.

Try some WD40 on the orange rubber so that the connector slides in more easily.

Unhook the connector wire so that you can pull it forwards and out so that you can connect the headlight without having to slide it into the bodywork.

The last suggestion will allow you to push the connector fully home.

Best of luck

Berni

Knight

Cost to replace one side would have been in the $600 range (ballast + igniter) from Porsche, you must buy as a set and cannot get them in pieces from say Bosch. I'm going to assume with 993 part prices it's most likely gone up by now.

My thought is if one side goes, you can count on the other side failing eventually too. As well, one new ballast on one side vs say a 20 year old ballast on the other, the difference in light output is noticeable too.

Ended up with an aftermarket unit called Hyperion sold locally with a warranty and substantially cheaper. And with the new setup the improvement in lighting was a huge leap forward. Most have been very happy with Tore's products, so I would strongly consider him as an option too if replacement is required.

shiraz

+1 for Tore's kit