Asterisk is because the HID HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY from a USA body does not fit a Canadian one, even if the same year and model

But the junkyard recorded that the body they got was a 2004 Canadian TL.
I remember looking and double checking the vin and location of manufacture, but now I wonder if I wasnt sloppy and missed something. The wax marker notes on the window DID CONFIRM the proper info I needed, but if I found a driver door sticker saying it wasnt the right year I woulda walked away when theres only ONE YEAR AND COUNTRY narrowed down for the headlight stuff... no cross year adaptability etc etc

Good news is the assembly fits perfect like new; the headlight restore kit I bought took that yellow haze the hell off there and its crunchy new shiny clear. That was the primary purpose for the smashed headlight assembly I replaced.

ANYWAYS...

Here are two pics of the connectors and the ballast specs., since the junker was less rusty and gross I wanted to keep my WORKING OLD BALLAST on the side and try the new until fail (if it actually worked)

MY still working ballast is the rusty gross one (the serial no. ending 3x16) and the cleaner one is from the scrapyard.
The black connector is the OEM original ballast and the white one is from the scrapyard.

everything matches EXCEPT the connection.
The 2004 original has two horizontal electrical contacts and a vertical black plastic divider in between.
As you can see by the mystery meat plug, it has extra plastic parts that stopped me sliding the plug all the way in... 'chicklets' top and bottom the horizontal brass contacts.

WtH is up do ya think? does any 2003 or 2005 TL owner recognize 'their plug' will all the extra plastic?

And IF YOU WERE ME would you spot melt the extra tabs off and try the scrapyard unit? All the specs look exactly the same but the serial no. of course... is it a bad idea?

I havent decided to test the replacement ballast yet; I usually like keeping all the parts of soemthing together, be it a scrapyard find or new... and keep the working others on the side as backup. But in this case, before deciding to melt sht, I put the old ballast on the 'newer' but fine fitting headlight assembly.

Thoughts?

'newer' connector from scrapyyard

original OEM connector

'newer' ballast from scrapyyard

original rusty OEM ballast still works

 

They're the same connector. One just has the plastic insert from the wire harness plug sitting inside it. If you grab it with a really small set of pliers, it'll pull right out.

There's also supposed to be an accordion-like seal with that white plastic insert. Both live inside the plug on the wire harness, but they like to fall out or stay with the ballast when disassembled.

 

wow makes sense...
junkyards, ppl dont gafk if they wreck things digging in for something (every wire and connection destroyed just for the HID bulb, for eg.)
Me, I bring tape and stick screws/bolts back onto parts I have to take off to get to something else (like the wheel well liner to get to inside for the headlight assembly. Bet whoever winds up wanting in behind the dash when I was looking for a WORKING 6 disc CD changer liked my approach...

Yes I see it now... thanks... will try it in daylight.

sometimes, too tired to see the obvious.
Good to have a spare ballast now