NeverSatisfied02
05-07-2012, 08:51 PM
My driver side headlight hasn't been working for awhile. Tried replacing the bulb and it kept blowing fuses so i knew i had a bad ballast or a short somewhere. I finally got off my lazy ass today and pulled the bumper cover off to get the lights out and take a good look. Wasn't too bad removing the cover but def a little time consuming.
Anyway, i got down to the lights and i noticed the drivers side housing (the one with the low beam that isn't working and that kept popping fuses) had signs that moisture was present at one time down in the corner where the ballast is and i could see that the ballast had a rusty look to it. My passenger side (that works) is nice and clean and the ballast looks nice and shiny as it should look. I posted pics of the ballast i removed and the wire that connects to it. Pretty nasty! Now... I can tell it was an old issue because the housing is and has been bone dry for a long time now and it was nothing but rust on the ballast and that dusty residue from previous moisture in that bottom corner.
Anyway... Looking at the light, I don't see any cracks or signs of a leak. It appears to all be sealed as it should be. I called my buddy (previous owner of the car) to ask if he knew anything about it and he said awhile back, he had the bulb go out and started to change it with the bumper cover on the car by squeezing his hand in the little space by the air filter. Said he managed to get the bad bulb out and he couldn't get the new bulb snapped in so he left it out with the covers off the back of the light housing for awhile until he removed the bumper cover to reinstall it. Im assuming moisture must have gotten inside of it then and he never noticed. The bulb he put in worked for a short while and went out again right before i bought the car from him. Im guessing the connection finally got corroded enough that it finally failed and started blowing fuses.
So... needless to say... I obviously need a good drivers side factory ballast and that braided harness that goes from the ballast to the bulb if anyone has one laying around!! :secret:
Or... If an aftermarket HID kit (which i have been looking into anyway) will come with the new ballast and harness for both sides, ill just do that and do away with using the stock ballast all together. However... I see im still going to need the factory ballast in place to keep the housing sealed up so i suppose i'll need one either way unless i use this rusty one as a dummy to seal the housing and just run the lighting from the aftermarket ballasts and bulbs?? :confused:
Or... would i be better off just getting another good stock 35watt ballast and running aftermarket 6k or 8k bulbs off them like i see a lot of you guys doing??
Anyway, i got down to the lights and i noticed the drivers side housing (the one with the low beam that isn't working and that kept popping fuses) had signs that moisture was present at one time down in the corner where the ballast is and i could see that the ballast had a rusty look to it. My passenger side (that works) is nice and clean and the ballast looks nice and shiny as it should look. I posted pics of the ballast i removed and the wire that connects to it. Pretty nasty! Now... I can tell it was an old issue because the housing is and has been bone dry for a long time now and it was nothing but rust on the ballast and that dusty residue from previous moisture in that bottom corner.
Anyway... Looking at the light, I don't see any cracks or signs of a leak. It appears to all be sealed as it should be. I called my buddy (previous owner of the car) to ask if he knew anything about it and he said awhile back, he had the bulb go out and started to change it with the bumper cover on the car by squeezing his hand in the little space by the air filter. Said he managed to get the bad bulb out and he couldn't get the new bulb snapped in so he left it out with the covers off the back of the light housing for awhile until he removed the bumper cover to reinstall it. Im assuming moisture must have gotten inside of it then and he never noticed. The bulb he put in worked for a short while and went out again right before i bought the car from him. Im guessing the connection finally got corroded enough that it finally failed and started blowing fuses.
So... needless to say... I obviously need a good drivers side factory ballast and that braided harness that goes from the ballast to the bulb if anyone has one laying around!! :secret:
Or... If an aftermarket HID kit (which i have been looking into anyway) will come with the new ballast and harness for both sides, ill just do that and do away with using the stock ballast all together. However... I see im still going to need the factory ballast in place to keep the housing sealed up so i suppose i'll need one either way unless i use this rusty one as a dummy to seal the housing and just run the lighting from the aftermarket ballasts and bulbs?? :confused:
Or... would i be better off just getting another good stock 35watt ballast and running aftermarket 6k or 8k bulbs off them like i see a lot of you guys doing??