go-types

hi guys, yesterday i tried to put the osram 6000k bulbs to see if it fits our car & the outcome. however, i can't remove the headlight cover coz of a weird screw tighten up the headlight(bulb) cover. can anybody tell me where can i buy that type of screwdriver & what does that kind of head call? also, the owner's manual states that "the voltage can kill" even the ignition is off & the key is removed. how can i make sure it's safe? can i just disconnect the battery?:wow:

TUFF GONG

That type of screw head is called a Torx type. You need a Torx driver....I don't know what size but the fact that they are a Tamper Proof Torx, your average torx driver/bit set will still not work. That "pin" in the center is the security part. You'll need a Torx bit with the center hollow so that the bit can "seat" into the screw head.

Hopefully this shows up. Left is Tamper Proof and right is the norm.
[img]//www.jensentools.com/images/ttorxes.gif[/img]

Typical Torx driver with the different size bits;


But infact, before you go to your local hardware store trying to look for this, go get your self various straighthead's and see if you can find one that fits exactly across the torx head opening. I simply used a small straighhead that fits like I described and gave it allot of presure agains't the screw (so it won't slip) and began loosening the screw. It's basically a "wood" screw with course threads threaded into plastic, so it's not really tight. Remember, I had the screw bit going straight across the center pin and basically grabing one of the "notches" on both sides.

If worse comes to worse, my guess is that you can get a reall tight hold with a set of "VisGrips" and give it a try. If all else fails, try to get your hands on that Torx driver........just don't rip the crap out of the screw.

you never know...say a ballast go goes bad or something. You'll want to bring it back to Acura(if under warranty) with the stock set-up and screw so that they can't give you a hard time...."Ahhh, the "aftermarket" bulbs caused the problem. It's not covered under warranty"

I won't doubt that for a minute

Good luck.

pianoman41

The small square silver box attached to the underside of each headlamp assembly is the ballast or ignitor for the HID lamp. HID lamps require tremendous voltage to ignite, and automotive HIDs even moreso because the warm-up time must be eliminated as much as possible (compared to non-automotive metal hallide lamps). The ignitor provides the approximately 18,000-20,000 volts to excite the xenon and light the lamp (and the bulb itself burns at about 800 degrees and about 440 psi--tremendous pressure). Whenever the lamp is off, the ignitor is charged so that whenever you flick the switch you get instant light. If this unit was not pre-charged (came on when you turned on the light stalk), it would take a while for the lamps to get to a useful brightness. We all see that the HIDs take a few minutes to "warm up" to their final color--without this pre-charge that warm-up period would be significantly longer. So even when the car is off and the key is out of the ignition, the ignitor is always active. Unplugging the lamp from the electrical source is always a smart move, but I do *not* know if the ignitor can still retain a charge even when unplugged, so USE CAUTION around the ballast.

Most other car designers have the ignitor located elsewhere, off the lamp, which is much safer for the owner because changing bulbs keeps you away from it. Just unplug the bulb and the electrical danger is gone. This is why Acura's lights are such a target for thieves--they steal the lamps and get the ballast and bulb in one shot. Steal a BMWs HID lamp and all you get is the bulb and the housing--useless without an ignitor.

USE CAUTION!

NsX Pilot

if it makes u feel any safer,,,,,wear a pair or rubber gloves ok,,,,,,oh and if the bulb burns at 800 degrees it would have melted the housing already and as for the voltage its only about 400 to 600 volts after they are warmed up.

pianoman41

I'm talking about the internal quartz arc tube temperature, which is probably typically around 800 degrees C (1400-1500 degrees F or so). The outer bulb is not this hot, but it is definitely burning hot. And voltage is about 80-90 once they are warmed up. Voltage actually *rises* during warm-up. The bulb requires the starting pulse in the area of 18-20K volts, then it can drop as low as 20 volts when the lamp first comes on, which is why they rapidly grow brighter as the voltage increases.