The right headlight low beam went out for 5 days on my 2003 Acura CL Type S. It started working again on its own now but I notice the right low beam flickers for a second coming on. Once on, the headlight works fine. Is this a sign of the ballast going out or is there anything else to check?

 

you can check to see if the wires are plugged into the socket tightly. Mine was loose and the headlights would flicker or go out sometimes.

 

+1 for check wires

 

Did this flickering happen when it rained or was abnormally moist? Could be a bad connection. But if u cannot find anything it's likely the ballast.

Mine went out on my car and is was cheaper to buy a high end hid complete kit than buy one oem ballast from acura.

First thing I did tho was switch the bulbs to see if there was any change, and there was not. Then a day later the headlight fuse blew so the ballast was grounding out and I needed to do a hid conversion kit.

IMHO the reason they fail is due to moisture. If and when u go in there, u will see the ballast has a circular hole in it with a gasket that seals to the bottom of the headlight housing. So any moisture that gets into the housing is then able to get into the ballast.

The headlight housing is not actually sealed either to allow a bit or air/heat out so moisture inevitably has to get inside the housing. To what degree is arguable, but electronics and moisture are hardcore nemesis. That's why my new ballasts are completely seal with watertight connectors coming from it. What a concept.

I was kinda pissed about the whole ordeal but honestly the lights are brighter and 6000k looks way better than the stock 4300.

I never turn on my headlights unless it's dark outside. So I rarely turn the ballasts on, which I feel will allow them to live even longer. Cause I really don't wanna have to do it again lol