Headlight goes off and on
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: NC
Headlight goes off and on
On my 2005 LS 430 the drivers headlight will go off from time to time; when I turn flick the switch from off to on..the light comes back on. Any advise?
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 598
Likes: 109
From: New York
My 2005 with 170k has all original, but dimming... But I am facing an identical issue tonight on a 10 year old Cadillac. Anyway, complete non-mechanic here, but if you can easily get to both bulbs, swap them. I imagine if the bad side flips, it is only the bulb. Honestly, if your car is like mine, it needs new bulbs anyway after 20+ years. Get a pair and replace both sides, Then if not fixed, you may have additional repair. But I had my car at 35k mikes in 2009. The bulbs/headlight pattern and brightness were incredible, and they are not today. When I repair my bumper, I am changing all bulbs (xenons + high beams). Not sure how labor goes, but it is time.
Driver
Joined: Feb 2024
Posts: 60
Likes: 5
From: Ohio
Swap your bulbs from side to side. This way now you'll be able to see if the side that goes out moves it's the bulb, if it doesn't it's the ballast. I was having this issue with year old bulbs, so I switched sides and found it's the bulb.
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Almost 100% sure it is a bulb that is bad. I had the same problem. The ballast seems like a nightmare to replace because the socket is not easy to fish behind the projector housing in the assembly. I tinkered with how to do it on a junkyard car with broken headlight and could not find a way to get the socket in place without breaking something. I figured try the bulb first and it solved the problem. I hope I never have to deal with the ballast.
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Racer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 354
From: Utah
Swap the bulb and if the problem doesn’t move then swap the ballasts. Because u could have a problem with the wiring somewhere, and if you’re trying to just fix the culprit then definitely switch possible culprits until the problem moves. Be really gentle with the HID bulbs. They are very delicate and if you touch any of the glass, the grease on your skin can cause a hotspot and ruin a good bulb. So wear nitrite gloves if possible. And make sure you get each bulb fully seated in it’s the housings before locking it in place, if they are cockeyed at all it can cause other problems.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 503
Likes: 54
From: wa
My wife's 2010 RX350 just ran into the same issue. The driver side would go out once a while (in the last couple of weeks). I swapped the bulbs out from the passenger side and haven't seen the issue in the last few days. I am not sure if it is just a connection issue. Replacing ballast required to have the headlight removed, not an easy task in the RX350. I also has a 03 LS430 that I have been thinking about replacing the HID bulbs due to age.
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