Headlight not working

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Aug 4, 2021 | 08:33 AM

drb9

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Headlight not working

I have been having problems with my passenger-side headlight lately. I have neither high nor low beams on this side. Both bulbs work, because I switched them to the other side to confirm. As I have read with respect to others, the insulation on the wires in my headlight assembly are cracked and missing, and I have put some electric tape over the missing insulation.

I have two questions: (1) What might be causing neither light to work on this one side? (2) I have seen aftermarket lights on ebay, and am wondering if, since the wiring and assembly are 20 years old at this point, should I just replace the entire assembly?

Thank you for any thoughts here.

Aug 5, 2021 | 04:46 PM

drb9

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I disconnected the 5x2 connector to the passenger headlight and found power to pins for fog, low, and high beams. It would suggest that the headlight assembly itself has some problems. Also, the headlight started working when I put it back together. It has worked intermittently in the past. This would appear to continue to point to a wiring problem with the headlight assembly. I’m still thinking about replacing the headlight with an after-market (which would necessarily involve removing the bumper. Ugh) but I need to make sure I find one with the right connectors.

Aug 5, 2021 | 11:48 PM

03_AR_CO

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From: Colorado

This fellow in WI may have something you need, worth checking into:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...k&tab=listings

Aug 7, 2021 | 10:26 AM

dh53

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I'm cheap, I would disconnect that connector again and get some sand paper on any of the contacts you can, gently so you don't bend them. I will glue a tiny piece of sand paper to a small popsicle stick or similar. Not trying to make them look new, just get a little of the years of corrosion off. Then spray them with electrical contact cleaner and reconnect. You might get years out of them. Since you say it is all lights at once I would also check the ground connections, they likely all tie into one ground at some point. I have a 2001 with Xenon headlights, the manual says the headlights all tie into the same ground at the engine compartment wiring harness.

car-part.com has over a hundred front right TT headlights listed, maybe one near you. New replacements are listed on rockauto for less than the eBay aftermarket one. If you go the aftermarket route you'll end up buying 2 because the car won't look right with one OE style light assembly and one aftermarket.

Aug 7, 2021 | 01:49 PM

drb9

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Yes, thanks. I tend to think of myself as cheap as well. Although I can clean the contacts, I’m more worried about the flaking insulation on the wires inside the assembly and the possibility of them touching. I don’t think I can get electrical tape on them without removing the headlights, which would involve removing the front bumper, and if I’m going to go the hassle of removing the bumper, it just seems to make sense to replace the headlight assemblies with new ones. I’m letting this project domino into a bigger one. And, I have no sense of whether aftermarket headlights are any good. (New, OEM headlights seem to be around $1,200 each. Ouch.)

Aug 7, 2021 | 02:31 PM

dh53

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Have you had the front bumper off yet? I was reluctant to do it the first time but it was easier than I thought. Recommend you put an old blanket or some cardboard down under it. Trying to convince mine to slide out the whole thing popped out at once when I was standing to one side so it got a little scuff from hitting the driveway on the side I wasn't holding, but otherwise no problems.

Like I say I have the Xenon headlights, sounds like you have the halogens so not sure what the issues are. Is there any access at all to the wires you are worried about? Can you get a little paint brush in there and put on some liquid electrical tape? Or use spray-on varnish? All you need is to get the little spray straw in there. Dielectric strength is thousands of volts per mil (1/1000 inch of varnish) so a slight mist of this stuff will be fine at 13-14Volts.

example: spray insulating varnish

Aug 7, 2021 | 02:37 PM

03_AR_CO

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From: Colorado

The ebay aftermarket lights you referenced in the OP are not a replacement for TT's that came with Xenon, reading through the description the are for cars that came with halogen H7's. Might be some way to get them to work for you, but won't be plug and play.