Headlight problem

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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 08:52 PM
  #1  
Be-in my TL's Avatar
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Headlight problem









The highbeam on the driver side is on even with the highbeam off. You can see on the pictures; I took pictures with highbeam on and highbeam off.

Does anybody know why this is? I came home, into my garage, and it was back to normal. I've been getting flashes ever since I bought the car, but I thought it was becase my HIDs are too bright. Now I realized my driver side's high beam is on whether my setting is set to high / low.
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 10:55 PM
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To the best of my understanding there is not actually a "high beam" light and a "low beam" light.

What there is, is a single bulb and a single output. BUT when you flip the high beam switch, a "lens/shutter thingy" in front the bulb lifts exposing more (and wider) light.

So, just a guess, your "lens/shutter thingy" is sticking open.

Look in the "Another Headlight Clearing Adventure" thread by Kennedy to see pics of this "lens/shutter thingy" (that's the technical name, I don't know what Acura calls it).


This thread (post #54 for pics of the "lens/shutter thingy"):

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...5&page=2&pp=40
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Old Jul 21, 2008 | 11:29 PM
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Thanks Bearcat, but I guess I'll have to take it in to get it looked at. Unless somebody knows more about it and can add some input. Thanks again.
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 01:37 AM
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well, can you take a night wallshot of the beam? like 20 feet away from a garage door and with your lights on? then we can tell the beam rather than a daylight picture.

or you can tell from the beam pattern at night if you are about 20+ feet from a wall/garage door.

low beam should be ________/----------------


high beam should be /--------------------\


if your driver side sticks with the high beam pattern even tho you didn't flip the switch, then it maybe your driver side's projector's solenoid is going bad.

hope it helps.
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 08:31 PM
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Do you think this is covered under warranty? 06 TL with 19,000 miles.

I can try to get a night shot, but it is a hard because when I got home, I didn't see that happen. The low beam stayed low and high beam stayed high. I have no idea what is wrong...
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Old Jul 22, 2008 | 09:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Be-in my TL
Do you think this is covered under warranty? 06 TL with 19,000 miles.

I can try to get a night shot, but it is a hard because when I got home, I didn't see that happen. The low beam stayed low and high beam stayed high. I have no idea what is wrong...

it should cover under warranty.
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Old Aug 9, 2008 | 10:14 PM
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Allright, here are some night shots. I finally got around to taking them, but you can clearly see the problem.











These are pictures taken from my Blackberry, and they are on regular, x3, and x5.

You can clearly see how one is brighter than the other in the low beam setting, and after I put it into high beam, they're both the same.

Any ideas? I havn't talked to anybody at the dealer since they're always busy. I havn't even gotten through in the past 2-3 weeks. Fucking lazy service department.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 02:22 PM
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please take a picture against a wall or a garage door, something that doesn't refelect so we can see the light cut-off and decipher weather it's a badly pointed projector or raised shield, or weather it is normal
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 04:44 PM
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Your driver side headlight is aimed too high, even though the pictures are shitty but I can tell that is the problem. At first I thought you had a bad solenoid but realized later that its just a badly aimed headlight.

Here is how you fix it

1) Park your car in front of a flat white wall, your garage door will suffice if you cant find anything.
2) Do this in pitch dark rather then around dawn/dusk time.
3) You would need a long Phillips head screwdriver.
4) Open the hood and on either side of the plastic shrouding inside the engine bay closer to either headlight you will notice a hole and a sign showing "U (an arrow) D". Sign means rotate screwdriver clockwise to lower the beam and anti-clockwise to raise the beam pattern.
5) Adjust both beams if you have to, do this in order to properly aim the beam.
6) Use the following picture with measurements as a guide (picture borrowed from HidPlanet, credit LinuxGlobal)




Following is what your output should look like after you are done.

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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 06:18 PM
  #10  
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looks like your driver side high beam actuator is stuck in the open position.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 07:17 PM
  #11  
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I would have the dealer fix this, especially since you are still under warranty. Good thing you have not been pulled over yet for "Failure to use low beam" or whatever they call it....I know its not your fault and you had no idea, but if the cop is a jerk he can still give you a ticket, I guess you can hand it over to Acura and have them pay for it
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by JnC
Your driver side headlight is aimed too high, even though the pictures are shitty but I can tell that is the problem. At first I thought you had a bad solenoid but realized later that its just a badly aimed headlight.

Here is how you fix it

1) Park your car in front of a flat white wall, your garage door will suffice if you cant find anything.
2) Do this in pitch dark rather then around dawn/dusk time.
3) You would need a long Phillips head screwdriver.
4) Open the hood and on either side of the plastic shrouding inside the engine bay closer to either headlight you will notice a hole and a sign showing "U (an arrow) D". Sign means rotate screwdriver clockwise to lower the beam and anti-clockwise to raise the beam pattern.
5) Adjust both beams if you have to, do this in order to properly aim the beam.
6) Use the following picture with measurements as a guide (picture borrowed from HidPlanet, credit LinuxGlobal)




Following is what your output should look like after you are done.

I agree. I think one is just aimed too high.

These HIDs have a very sharp cutoff point compared to a conventional headlight. They are brighter than a normal halogen bright light but don't interfere with oncoming drivers as long as they're aimed right due to the sharp cutoff. If you have one aimed just a little too high oncoming drivers will be blinded as if you have your brights on.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 08:07 PM
  #13  
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Well, I just did the alignment on my car and saw my rotors are fucked. When I get the rotors fixed, I'll ask about the headlight as well. I see what you guys are trying to say, but it is not aimed too high because if it is aimed high, then wouldn't the highbeam setting aim EVEN HIGHER? just a thought.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 08:15 PM
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could be the actuator stuck open.... when you turn on the brights, you hear that CLICK sound.... its simply a motor moving the lense around to allow more light out
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 08:23 PM
  #15  
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Yes, I hear that, and I have noticed it in the past. I havn't checked lately.. anyways I'll go check that again.

Here are pictures of my rotors. Im fucking pissed!


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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 08:32 PM
  #16  
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Sorry for a bunch of posts, but you can clearly see they are not aimed too high.

I don't know if I mentioned, but it only happens once in a while. I definately see it, but everytime I try to prove it to someone, it stops. I know I'm not crazy, and you can see from the pictures.

Here it is normal again.


LOW


HIGH!!!! MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!! It's aggravating.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 09:28 PM
  #17  
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on the back of the headlight, there are 4 plug connectors... one is for the actuator, i believe it is in the middle betweem the DRL/foglight and the Xenon bulb... try unplugging it (with the car off) and see if it is doing what you say it does sometimes
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 09:52 PM
  #18  
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I have no DRL =P 06
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 09:53 PM
  #19  
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I'm a little confused, sorry Blackura, but you will have to elaborate. 4 plug connectors, middle...DRL / foglight =P. I can go take a look, thanks.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:05 PM
  #20  
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FUck, I am considering myself an idiot. tried to take pictures inside the bay with my fucking laptop. Im gonna try and take pictures of the wires behind the headlight. Think you can go based off of those, Blackura?
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:10 PM
  #21  
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Allright, I took pictures of 3 wires. There is one more going to the side marker. I took these from the passenger sidebecause the driver side has something really big blocking it... looks like a battery =P.





That last one came out shitty.


I'm going to have to guess the 2nd picture is what you're referring to. I took the intake cover off, and I was able to access that plug, but I need to be sure it's what you're talking about.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:20 PM
  #22  
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Bro is your car under warrenty? If it is why not take it in for all these problems you are having instead of trying to fix it yourself.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:26 PM
  #23  
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To be honest, dealers are not my view of a safe-haven for my car. I've run into many problems at Acura dealers. I would rather take care of it myself, being a mechanic, than take it to some oil change guy who's working his way up.
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:34 PM
  #24  
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I'm looking around, Blackura,but I don't see what you're talking about. First picture is light bulb, second is the module, 3rd is fog. Which plug are you talking about?
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Old Aug 10, 2008 | 10:42 PM
  #25  
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double checked the wires, the 1st one is for the actuator and not wires to the bulb itself. I was wrong. Anyways, why would it stay open?
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 12:13 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by Be-in my TL
double checked the wires, the 1st one is for the actuator and not wires to the bulb itself. I was wrong. Anyways, why would it stay open?
could just be a random fault. definitely nothing you can forsee
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 12:56 AM
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can you pull the car back to maybe 10, or 15 feet back so we can see the light cut-off.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 02:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Be-in my TL




.

i think thats the actuator plug.... the one smack in the middle,

make sure thats connected on the other side... tha plastic piece covering it is the top to the air intake.. there are 2 plastic clips, pull outwards on both, and lift the cover... you also can twsit that plastic tube under the cover (intake pipe) and then it will lift out.. you need to twist it, to remove it and replace it.. there is aplastic grove for it to line up

if the plug is connected? that actuator is bad... they'll probably replace the whole headlight assembly for you, since you cant order just the individual components from the headlight
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 04:38 AM
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From your pictures it seems that the bi-xenon solenoid is working fine. I say it again that the problem is aiming, you CAN NOT test aiming at those close distances that you did in one of the ealier post. Compare your beam to the picture of TL beam that I posted above at around 25~30 feet.

Your beam from both the headlights should look like this


__________________/'''''''''''''''''''''''''/'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''

If long distance aiming doesnt solve the problem then you could have a bad relay rather then solenoid. Your solenoids seem to be working fine but it seems like the relay acts up every now and then and triggers the driver side solenoid open, your last resort is to check with the dealers.
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Old Aug 11, 2008 | 11:20 AM
  #30  
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I can try and find a wall, but it's hard being in rural areas. I'll give the aiming thing a try and get back to you guys. It's not so much a bother to me, but to other drivers on the road. I just want a fix
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