djmanu

iTrader: (2)

so just last night i noticed that my passenger low beam wasnt turning on. So i tried another bulb i had around and that didnt work either. So now im thinking it might be the ballast and/or ignitor so i took both headlights out to test them.

When i took the old ballast out, i found a bit of water drop out when i unscrewed it from the headlight housing. Once i unplugged the ignitor from the ballast, a bit more water came out. When i found this i thought then and there it was the ballast itself, but i even found water drop out in the other working ballast when i took it out.

1) I tried just switching the ballasts and that DID NOT work.
2) I tried changing the ignitors and that DID NOT work.
3) I tried changing both the ignitor and ballast and that DID NOT work.
4) I even tried wiring my hid fog ballast to the stock low beam wires by stripping a bit of the wires and connecting it, that does not even work.

But now the weird thing is when i went to plug everything back in to its original spot, NEITHER of the low beams work. everything else such as the HID fogs, parking lights and even high beam shutters work, but NOT the low beam. I need some help on this one since im not sure if its now both the ballasts or something with the circuitry.

I am debating on what to do here since i do not want to dish out the money for new ballasts and it turns out that isnt the problem. I am thinking it might even be the fuse as well since the aftermarket ballast did not even power on. I also do not want to go to the stealership but might consider it as a last resort. PLEASE HELP!

libert69

iTrader: (7)

if water has made its way into the plug area on the ballast for the ignitor, its going to fail. Those little foam gaskets that are around the plug area on the ballast are very shitty and really wont do much for a big shot of water. Did you drive through a huge puddle or something?


Do you know anyone with a TL that you can swap their ballast really quick to see if everything starts to work again?

Was there water on the drive side ballast also?

djmanu

iTrader: (2)

yeah both sides had a bit of water come out of it, more so on the passenger side ballast.

Yesterday afternoon there was a crazy 10 minute thunderstorm that had crazy rain and winds, so im guessing that could be it?

im trying to find someone to help me out on switching the ballasts to test em, but was wondering if it could possibly be the fuse as well?

libert69

iTrader: (7)

well like i said, if water came from the top/inside of the ballast then its more then likely dead. Thats why they come with gaskets. Ive seen the bottoms of ballasts with lots of rust on them and they work fine. But once water reaches the internals, its lights out

what year tl?

check the fuse box under the hood.

fuse #1 is left headlight low beam
fuse #3 is left headlight high beam
fuse #5 is right headlight high beam
fuse #6 is right headlight low beam

djmanu

iTrader: (2)

its a 2005 tl. where is the fuse box located under the hood?

libert69

iTrader: (7)

right behind the stock airbox.

when standing in front the car. its on your right side closer to the rear of the engine bay.

djmanu

iTrader: (2)

alright il try to look at it tonite, if not tomorrow morning. thanks!

anyone else got any suggestions?

libert69

iTrader: (7)

if you decide that you need new ballasts, you can only use 04 or 05 ballasts. 06+ ballasts are a different size and dont mount up correctly to 04-05 headlights. Ignitors are the same for every year.

djmanu

iTrader: (2)

so i checked the fuses today, both low beam fuses were blown. got some new ones and it fixed the drivers side light, but the passenger light keeps blowing. tried 2 new fuses and both blew, got an appt with acura in the morning so il update this once i figure it out.

any ideas on this? thinkin it could be the ballast or maybe some kind of shorting in the wiring? or maybe even the fuse box?

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Sounds like the passenger ballast is shorting out, since it keeps blowing fuses. Try laying it on your air vent and letting it dry out really good.

djmanu

iTrader: (2)

so got a diagnosis of ignitor and ballast going bad today, all wiring was perfectly fine from the dealer. i didnt beleive the ignitor was bad so i tried out another ballast i just got from another member here. fixed the problem right away. but i think il try the drying out of the ballast thing as well to see if i can get it to work again, it would be nice to have a spare one just in case. thanks again!

SouthernBoy

For what it's worth, the 3G TL does not have low beam headlamps. Nor does it have high beam headlamps.