TripnCL

About 2 months back my Headlight had moisture then recenlty the bulb went out.

So I got a new headlight assembly from ebay and bulbs from excellerate group buy. I replaced the bulbs and the headlight assembly, but no light.

So dealership says its the ballast converter and it 438.00...part number 33109S0KA02. Does this sound right? Does the part cost that much to replace?

Anyone got any info or pics...appreciate it.

01tl4tl

Ballast take your 12 volt electric and boost it up to say -1000 volts- just as a number to give you an idea of what High Intensity Discharge means- there are capacitors and such in there- just like the lights in parking lots and the streetlights.

You must be very careful working with ballast as they hold a large electric charge after turning them off

Call the auto wrecker- recycler in your area and ask if they have any
SAVE A BUNDLE!

type-s09

yeah same thing happend to me..just try to find one on ebay or on the black market..i got 2 for $300 maybe you can find a deal

NRobertson

type-s09:

Where did you find the deal for 2 at$300? I am having the same problem but my dealership says that total cost for parts and labor is $860.00.

FYI: I have a 2003 Acura TL S-type

t0ast

ebay is the place to get em. just troll around for 2nd gen TL ballasts since they're all the same for our model years.

As for the labor, search for the bumper removal DIY. If you're comfortable removing the bumper, then you can do swap the ballasts really easily. They're under the headlight housing.

Blazin_TL

iTrader: (1)

i think 99-01 ballasts are different from the 02-03's

t0ast

doh, I think you're right. whoops, my bad, just try to find the ones from the similar model years. sorry!

cyde7399

Thats why people like to steal them off our cars. And also why you can find them on ebay for cheap.

TL Sport

Yeah, I also bought a pair of OE Hella Ballasts with bulbs (from a VW/Audi) for right at $300 awhile back. Hit eBay. They're much cheaper.

And to explain what a ballast does, it's a little more advanced than a transformer, but does basically the same thing. It converts 12 volts to nearly 30,000 Volts! (I'm NOT exaggerating!) Yes! 30,000 Volts. Some cars it's 33,000 or 35,000, but it's still up there! It then quick charges up a capacitor (the reason it initially takes more power to fire up, and explains the slight delay on the lights) and it uses the added power from this capacitor to fire the initial spark. Once the bulb is firing it takes much less to maintain.

Pretty advanced electronics but that is the gist of it.
Also the reason why HID bulbs last so long, is because there is no filament to burn out. It just shoots a spark through a gap of gas (xenon). However the electricity does wear out the annode/cathode over time (just like a spark plug does) and eventually the bulbs "burn" out.

Don't try EVER try to service the ballasts yourself. 30,000 Volts isn't gauranteed to kill you, but it sure as hell won't feel good; and there still is the possibilty (the shock could stop your heart). Have heard stories of some of my friends messing with much smaller less powerful capacitors and the energy discharge is enough to throw you clear across a room!

Interesting stuff this electricity is! Don't play with it!


Good luck finding a ballast!