sleeper36

Morning everybody. I'm new to the post. I just purchased a 2003 Acura TL Type-S. During my inspection I noticed that the driver side headlight was out; both the high beam and HID lowbeam. I also noticed condensation behind the lense.

My question is, why would both lights be out. Last night I swapped what appeared to be the bad high beam bulb with the other bulb to see if it truly was the bulb, but the bad high beam bulb worked fine in the other side. I didn't check the low beam. Does the headlights fuse cover both lights or are they separate? At this point, I'm not looking at the Ballast or Igniter, not unless it controls both the low beam and high beam.

Any feedback will be extremely helpful.

Sleeper36

fsttyms1

Double check the fuses just because they are the easiest to check There is a left and a right in the under hood fuse box (on the passenger side) . Also by that light look for ground wires that are missing.

sleeper36

Fsttyms1

Thanks for all your help. It was the fuse. The high beam works fine but I still have to check the low beam, it's still out. This weekend I will be taking everything apart to swap out to see if it's the bulb before I go out and buy one.

It will also tell me if I might have a bad ballast.

Thanks again,
Sleeper36

01tl4tl

you have water condensation inside the lens- thats death to the bulb
and if moisture is in there a lot- or enough of it leaks down and thru the open hole for the wires then onto the ballast below- thats going to kill it

wear rubber/latex gloves when touching the bulbs= oil in skin is bad for them
Be careful - high voltage at work!!!!

01tl4tl

requires new headlight housing or take yours apart to reseal- see the diy on `clearing or blacking out headlights` for info

sleeper36

01tl4tl,

Thank you. I will be taking it all apart this weekend. I will also disconnect the battery and discharge the unit. Like I said earlier, I'll be swapping the bulbs to be certain first. If its the bulb, I will go ahead and seal the unit around the wiring so it doesn't get wet in the future.

Thanks again,
Sleeper36

01tl4tl

the water doesnt get in thru the wire hole- it drains out and drips on the ballast
The problem is the seal between the lens and the housing
Read the diy on clearing headlights to see whats needed-it has lens removal instructions, basically its:
remove housing- bake (no kidding) in oven to soften sealant- remove lens and sealant residue, apply new stuff- bake to cure- assemble ballast onto housing and install on car

If the wire hole gets sealed up and mositure still gets in from the main seal- water will rise inside the housing- its a pretty cool look ~for a while~

01tl4tl

this is a common gen2 problem, the hheadlight seal and condensation= bulb failure and sometime ballast too

the choice is reseal the lens and risk damaging the end tabs for the mounting in the process- in the oven, get em too warm and oh well= option 2 becomes option 1, looking for a good used one or shell out for a new one from the dealer

sleeper36

Don't want to deal with the baking thing but I understand. I'm almost tempted to just to the junk yard and find me another headlight assembly.

Thanks
Sleeper36