'99 C4 Litronic lights

[dporto]

Is there a proceedure to test the ballast on a litronic light ? I had a bulb out on the passnger side - replaced bulb (Sylvania DS-2) worked for a day or two - I don't know exactly when it went out, but I replaced it two days ago and noticed it's out again tonight.

[Loren]

:welcome: 

It could also be a loose connector where the headlight plugs into the socket in the fender. We've seen that happen a number of times.

[dporto]

First, thanks for the quick reply! I kind of hope that's the case as I'd be really bummed if I burnt out my shiny new $100 bulb :cursing: ... I'm going to pop the light assembly back out later on this afternoon and check it out...

[PorscheServiceThen529Plan]

dporto be careful when you are fooling around with the headlamp connector, on my 01 C4 Cab I somehow (without much effort) broke the plastic tab that holds the female part of that connector (car side of the connection)  to the frame and now have to reach in with fingertips of one hand to force the connection together anytime I need to put the headlamp assembly back- I recommend avoiding that PITA. I am learning the art of not forcing things too slowly. 

[dporto]

Hmmm, thanks for the warning - not taken lightly - old plastic is a pain in the butt ;-) I did get a chance to pop the light out and back in (after using a little De-Oxit D5 on the contacts) a little while ago, to no avail... Bummer! I'm going to pick up a ballast ($60 on ebay for a working oem) along with two new matched bulbs (the one Sylvania that I bought was a slightly different temp/color than the drivers side - the two new ones are Phillips $70 for both...) and give that a shot. I generally don't like "throwing parts" at a problem like this, but short of testing the ballast, I'm not sure there's anything else I can do. FYI - the existing ballast on the passenger side is quite corroded on the outside, leading me to believe that moisture might have gotten inside and done some damage there too.

Edited October 21, 2014 by dporto

[dporto]

So, I received my "new" (old/used but guaranteed in working order - and it looks new compared to the corroded one in my car) ballast and a matched pair of bulbs from an ebay seller on Friday. I popped the headlamp assembly out, installed the new ballast, hit the light switch and... nothing...****! Eventually, I figured out that the edges of the connector had indeed broken/crumbled so when I installed the headlamp assembly it was pushing the connector back in the mount instead of into the socket - hence no connection. I removed the plug from the mounting point and manually plugged it into the headlamp assembly - Viola' ! Let there be light. Now that I was sure that the new ballast was good, I just had to figure out how to get the plug on the wiring harness to stay in the mounting point under the pressure of the headlamp assembly being pressed into it. Unfortunately, because of how the assembly is mounted, you can't just plug it before hand and re-insert the light...the plug HAS to be where it was designed to be - in the mount (I briefly thought about cutting the mounting point off, but decided against it). In theory, it seemed a far more daunting task than it turned out to be, as I was able to simply make a small loop of wire and "tie" the plug to the mounting point without getting in the way of the connection. Phew! Disaster averted... It worked the first time I reinstalled the light assembly and I'm happy to report that I've been out for a few rides over some bumpy roads and everything still works fine. In the mean time I've been able to find a replacement plug here  http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-parts/hardparts.php?dir=996-99-05&section=905-00   ( part # 20 in the breakdown) $13.00 and change sure beats $450 (and a whole lot of work) for a new wiring harness. I ordered the plug just in case I need it in the future...,

Edited October 26, 2014 by dporto