Litronic Headlights

[kbrandsma]

I am thinking of upgrading my OEM HID headlights to a set of Litonics on my 98 Boxster. Does anyone know what it takes to install these or even if they will work?

Thanks in advance!

[1schoir]

I am thinking of upgrading my OEM HID headlights to a set of Litonics on my 98 Boxster. Does anyone know what it takes to install these or even if they will work?

Thanks in advance!

K:

They will definitely work and it's as simple as just popping them in place of the original, although they will not work exactly as if they came installed on the car from the factory.

First, they will not have the automatic headlight adjustment that kicks in when you step on the brakes as in the factory system. Second, you will not be able to diagnose them with a PST2, as can be done in the factory system.

If you want to go to the trouble and expense of installing what can best be described as a "partial factory system", you can install a special wiring harness and a Control Unit. That will make the Litronic beam rotate downwards by 1.5 degrees when you turn on the brights and that will give you a "filled in" light field in combination with the brights. Those parts run about $500 total from Porsche. If you look on the outboard side of the Litronic housings, you will see an extra connector dock with male pins. That is where the special wiring harness connector plugs into. If you don't want this extra feature, you can just disregard that connector dock.

Again, if you don't need the extra filled in light field with your brights, it's a simple as just plugging them in place of the old non-Litronics.

Also, on your 1998, you should find that positions A9 and A10 in the fuse panel (low beam left and low beam right) currently have 7.5 amp fuses. If you turn on the Lits with those fuses in place, you will fry the fuses. You have to replace those fuses with 15 amp fuses, as found on the 1999's and later 986's. 1999 is the first year that the Litronics were offered as an option.

I checked the wiring diagrams for 1997 and 1998 and compared the thickness of the wires for the low beams with those in the 1999's and later 986's, and they are both the same gauge, so there is no danger of melting the wires by putting in the 15 amp fuses into your 1998 fuse panel in those positions.

Note that the positions for the high beams (A1 and A2) have the same situation in that they are 15 Amps on the later cars and 7.5 amps on the 1997 & 1998 only. I don't know how necessary it is (because the high beams are halogen bulbs [H7, IIRC]), but you can change those two fuses to 15 amp as well.

BTW, you will also have to get those little triangle pieces to complete the lower profile of the surface of the lens.

Regards, Maurice.

Edited March 11, 2010 by 1schoir

[geoff]

I am thinking of upgrading my OEM HID headlights to a set of Litonics on my 98 Boxster. Does anyone know what it takes to install these or even if they will work?...

They worked fine in my '01 Boxster. There's a TSB that describes the process. Also see http://www.skylersra...s_Starting.html I followed these instructions and bumbled my way through the installation. Depending on your electromechanical ability, it's somewhere between trivial and brain surgery. If I had to do it all over again, I would have also gotten how-to Tool Pants' DVD - see http://www.renntech....s&do=_9x6_Werks

The Litronics are very nice, although the stock headlights aren't bad

[kbrandsma]

Thanks Geoff and 1schoir!