2K3_TLs

A couple of days ago, I noticed my driver side headlight had started to go out. I checked all the connections and made sure everything was plugged in, which it all was fine. I turned my lights on and it was making a clicking noise from what seemed like the fusebox in the engine bay on the passenger side, and the high beam wasnt working either. So I checked the fuses and turned out that 20a fuse popped. I replaced it and the high beam worked, but still no low. I checked the bulb and it looked fine.

Yesterday I had the time to remove the bumper and get further into this issue. I swapped bulbs and they worked fine in the passenger side... so that ruled out the bulbs. Then I removed the ballast, and at that point I realized I had found the problem.

The ballast looked like someone had submerged it in water, which is probably why the fuse had popped. When I'd tap it on the ground, water would come out of it.

My question is this...

What would cause that much water to collect in the ballast like that? An improperly sealed headlight? My lights were cleared a few months back, and I had some condensation in the housing... but not enough to compensate for all that water.

I just left the ballast off and took out the bulbs for both high and lows, to help clear the condensation. Hopefully that helps. Would I be able to just put some silicone or something along the edges so it helps the seal? Or do I have to rebake the light and do it that way?


I'll post pics up later today. That ballast is toast

01tl4tl

call the junkyard or look on Private Sales here for a replacement ballast
ANY moisture inside the light housing then drips down thru the opening and onto the ballast
resulting in said failure

Reseal the headlights correctly- if a fresh bead of silicone was ok - everyone would already be doing that
When done- silicone the hole where wires pass thru into the housing and anything that would allow the ballast to get wet- seal it

Dont use the car wash pressure want around the lights either- thats a killer!

thisisnotdave

I say dont go for a used ballast. It a common problem on our cars for them to die, so I would just spend the extra $80 on a new one. You never know what you're gonna get from a j/y and they'll tell you anything to get rid of it. Its about $180 or so at acuraoemparts.com, your igniter is probably working, but those can break too.

2K3_TLs

I just thought I'd ask about the silicone since I havent read much on here about people trying it.. and its supposed to be weatherproofing. Then again I am using my phone and didnt look into searching atm.

The thing is, it was a good amount of water, and for it to take MONTHS to accumulate and all of a sudden fry the ballast is beyond me. If, like 01tl4tl said, any moisture would kill the ballast... it should have died out weeks, even months ago..

So I guess Im gonna have to buy a ballast... used or new, it dont matter...if the lights work, I'm happy... the cops are happy... and life goes on.


Oh... one more thing. My driver side bulb (now passenger side) flickers when I'm taking a slow turn, as in turning right at a stop sign/light. The other bulb doesnt do that at all. I'm pretty clueless as to what it may be. It did it when both lights worked, in the driver side as well... so its not the passenger side ignitor/ballast.

Any ideas?

01tl4tl

bulb death warning- =possibly related to moisture issue
I didnt mean ANY moisture will cause immediate ballast death-
What I meant was if you are seeing moisture- it goes somewhere- it happens far more than you know- and eventually it will damage other parts

2K3_TLs

then i misunderstood you

but the bulb was doing that before, because they were in MurkyRiversTL's car and they did the same thing but only they'd shut off on his car.

We pretty much did a swap on the lights to see if the stock ones would shut off on his car. they didnt, so we kept them like that and that was that.

I noticed a few days later that when I'd make those types of turns, it would flicker... but not go out at all.

It may be that, but I'm not sure though. Still, I have some stock OEM bulbs on the way that I got off the BM. I'll probably end up swapping them out if it keeps doing that...

01tl4tl

Since you did find water- I would look for corrosion on the ground wires and maybe the hots...check - clean everything you can find.
Remove ground cables at the body and make sure its bare metal to metal ground

Of course- after making sure you have the radio and nav security codes, disconnect the battery cables before playing with the other wires

AZN.M3NACE

I just recently got my ballast replaced a month ago because of the moister and condenstation... now i went the alternative way... ordered OEM stock headlights and going to acura of lynnwood and tell them that my ballast went out on me for some reason and had them on the new headlights haha..