Had to replace a headlight recently that got cracked from a careless driver. Unfortunately, the headlight I purchased apparently has a dead ballast as it does not ignite any of my bulbs which I'm assuming has something to do with the broken upper tab that they siliconed over, so I imagine water got in and killed the ballast. Used the tab repair kit from Lexus to at least get that fixed. I know quite a few people have just cut off the wires and soldered on the new ballast, but has anyone bothered with actually opening the headlight to remove the entire ballast? Going back to my water theory, I can see some marks/residue on the inside of the headlight so I wouldn't mind just opening up the headlight and cleaning it up while changing the ballast at the same time. I imagine it should just pull out with the headlight opened up, correct? Already bought some butyl glue from TRS just in case. I'm just hoping none of the AFS equipment was damaged.

 

The Ballast itself unscrews out the bottom of the headlight. its the wire and the bulb connector that is stuck in there without unsoldering.

 

You can remove the ballast without needing to unsolder the wiring or opening up the headlight. You need to disassemble the connector/bulb holder end and then the wires can be pulled through. That said, if you want to open up the headlight anyway to repair something else, the ballast can then be removed and installed without needing to take any part of it or the wiring apart. It also allows you to easily install the wiring clamp which is inside the headlight.

There are various ways to tackle the problem.

Jeff

 

Jeff, ended up going with the socket removal. Headlight seller sent me a ballast with the part number 85967-51050 (for ref, my part# is 85967-53041). Looks like one of those cheap ones you can get off of Amazon for 40. Weight and build just don't scream Denso so it def looks like a knockoff. Interesting how it also includes D2S/D4R on the sticker with the D4S/D4R even though it says on the sticker 45v/35w. Maybe I should of just bought a used one and had him reimburse me for it instead. No issue running this ballast for the time being?

Edit: Looked to see what TRS was offering and they're selling a ballast that looks pretty much the same as I just got sent for $65. https://www.theretrofitsource.com/oe...o-ddlt003.html

Edit 2: At the very least, I'd like to er on the side of it being fake considering the inside of the ballast has been potted. https://i.imgur.com/ssONYAA.jpg

 

Interesting. OEM Denso is not fully potted like that. Just a few areas but honestly think it's applied to inhibit rework vs protecting it from moisture or vibration.

I have two brand new ones, never installed compliments of the dealership who sold me the car.
IIRC, the DDLT003 ballast has the dual rating. Run them and see what happens!

 

Yeah, gonna get it in tomorrow and see what happens. Already pulled the socket off this one so I'll just not bother opening the headlight. The ballast I pulled out of my old headlight isn't potted, as I would expect. Gonna assume the same thing with the dead ballast in the new headlight as well.

 

Inside a new yoda denso unit.

 

Yeah, compared to the one you posted, it sure doesn't look legit. At the very least, put it in and it works so I guess I got light again. Ended up just fishing it through after removing the socket (which, at the very least, the socket on this one is so much easier to take off compared to the one I removed). Startup time is a bit slower, and the hum is a bit louder compared to my other side. Will have to wait until tonight to determine if the AFS and the leveler is borked or not as I know for sure water got in as the ballast I removed was absolutely full of rust.

... if the price is right, I might be willing to buy one of those off of you if you're willing to sell one.

 

I have 2 Morimoto compact 35w ballasts Id sell but I'll be keeping these as a pair for now.

And if anyone wants some good projectors for their day, some Acura TL projectors. I wish the 2013 had as nice of cutoff as those do.
/end free plug....

 

I found a good youtube video of how to replace the ballast without opening the old ballast or the headlights.

Edit: This only applies to 2011 and up. Mine is a 2007 which has AFS and auto leveling, adding additional circuits etc. so it's not possible to fish the wires. You have to open the lights.