msw

turn on lights...go on...drive a bit....randomly driver headlight goes out...turn lights off/on again...light comes back on

local wrench troubleshot at recent service...'no problems'...cleaned connections...still does it.

any thoughts?

tia

budge96

Hey I'm experiencing a similar phenomenon and have changed bulbs once...I think the contact in the
light unit itself is disconnecting and jiggling somehow or the bulb is not keeping the charge itself.
I've found a similar result in that if the lights are shut off and re-energized the pass side will run for a while again then shut off.
I am receiving replacemment bulbs as we speak and trying to check all connections and the ring securing the bulb itself(seems to have come loose once)

911/Q45

When I had this problem it was the connection between the headlight assy and the wiring harness behind it. Initially I removed the fender liner so I could push them together firmly, but my final solution was to put a plastic block behind the harness connector so that when I put the headlight "bucket" in it fit more positively.

msw

thanks for feedback....

just do not see how it could be bulb (thought they either worked or did not)...as you know...they are expensive bulbs and often difficult to 'replace' one and get it's light color to 'match' the other side (same bluish tint)...or at least that's what i was told the last couple of times bulb went bad and light color did not match...which meant replacing BOTH bulbs.

same thing with a loose 'connection'...if loose, why would the light fire right back up when the light switch is turned off then on again...weird.

was wondering if it had something to do with control module or ignition harness...intermittent working to me suggests ?electrical component overheating and/or going bad.

guess for now...the easiest solution is to flip the light switch off/on until something 'new' happens...

msw

update in problem...

headlight flickers and occasionally goes out...comes right back on after switching off/on...to date, has been the 'cheapest' solution.

thought 'loose' connection...?was going to have wrench 'put block' behind as suggested but...

have noticed it will occasionally even happen when car is not moving...almost at regular interval (about thirty seconds)...which seems to go against a 'connection problem'

?make sense to measure voltage at headlight plug before removing fender liner?

any troubleshooting suggestions appreciated.

btw, just passed 270K miles...new s engine sooweet.

tia.

911/Q45

Putting a block behind the connector doesn't require fender liner removal, you can do it through the headlight bucket hole. Connection problems can be real spooky, even engine idle vibration could set it off.

Bradford

Amazing, I am also troubleshooting the same problem and turned on the computer to do a search and voila here it is. My problem is the right low beam works intermittently. I have swapped all the known working parts from the left side to the right and the right low beam still does not work. I have not tried the harness connector plastic backing plate yet. Don, do you have a picture of your repair? Does anyone know the pin out on the connector for the low beam?

Bradford

Swapped out my ballast and that looks to be the culprit.

msw

q45...thanks for feedback...will let wrench know if comes to that...thoguth he said linere had to come out.

scott...is 'ballast' same as:

1. 'control module'
2. 'ignition harness'

?do you have a part number?...seems like ballast (?control module' to limit current?)

tia

Bradford

MSW-Through process of elimination I determined that the ballast (part pictured below) is bad. I ended up swapping everything from the good headlight to the bad one and this is the only part that failed. I even pulled the fender liner off to make sure the connection was good between the headlight and the connector on the bad headlight. The ballast is what plugs into the low beam bulb. I also checked with a volt meter the pins on the connector that the headlight plugs into to ensure I was getting the correct voltage and I was. So I knew the problem was isolated to the headlight assembly. The bulbs were fine so it had to be the ballast.

msw

scott...muchos gracias for all the info...

rector porsche website lists the headlight components as control module (which i assume would be the 'ballast' vs ignition harness.

i would bet mine is the same problem as given it even happens when car is idling...though i suppose as q45 said...could still be do to shaking from idling. but seems to happen a relatively regular (timed) intervals...like something is regulating it (?current).

will have wrench swap out at next service...your picture really helps...thanks again.

msw