Headlamps out - sort of, sometimes

[calvinhc]

The other day when pulling into the garage with the headlights on, I discovered that the right one was out as the light hitting the rear wall was not even. We usually leave the headlights in automatic mode, so I played around with the switch to turn them off and on a couple of times.

It seemed that some of the time when I turned them on again, the right one came on briefly before going out again, so it is not exactly like the bulb had failed, at least not totally.

Yesterday, when I was showing my wife that it was out, BOTH lamps were out, but this time fiddling with the switch got the left one lighted up again.

Do I only have to replace the bulbs, or is there something more serious at play here? Thought I would ask before having a dealership take a look only to find I could have fixed it myself. :roll:

 

[davideos]

When my headlight went out, I had the same problem. For the most part, the light did not come on, but sometimes, it would come on. I ended up replacing both bulbs...a few years ago.

You should be able to find the model of light and purchase it; however, there are some that might appear to be similar. So as it turns out, I got a set of bulbs for a significantly lower price than the exact model number of the original bulb. The number was off by 1 and the only spec I could find that was different was the color temperature of the light...slightly warmer.

When I received it, I found out there was a non-specified difference...there are keys on the bulb that prevent the bulb and the socket mating. I was able to get past this with the use of my Dremel tool. Everything worked out and they are still working great on my Focus.

So if you want an exact fit, then be sure to get the exact same number. I don't have the numbers at my fingertips, but I can look them up and post if I remember.

 

[calvinhc]

Thanks for the information.

I have a maintenance/protection plan that is still in effect that covers bulbs, so if that's the problem, it won't cost me.

I'm concerned it might be something else because my extended warranty that might have covered some other issues is done due to distance (why I didn't notice it was for 6 yrs/100,000 km instead of 6 yrs/150,000 like our last car had is my bad - I'll be insisting on it with my next purchase if they want my business).

 

[davideos]

So for anyone else who is looking, the bulbs I got were OSRAM 66548. They are 25W 4300K white. I paid $90 for the pair 3 years ago. Now they are on Amazon for $145/pair. I think the original bulb is OSRAM 66549. There are videos on YouTube on how to replace them....but for the 66549. If you get the 66548, they can be used with a slight modification as I mentioned earlier.

 

[calvinhc]

Had a dealer look into this, as the bulbs are covered under the maintenance and protection package.

At this point, they believe that it appears to be a problem with the ballasts, but there is a small possibility that there could also be a problem with the Body Control Module (BCM). Seems there is a possibility that a ballast could be just confusing the BCM, so it is shutting off and trying to turn the lights on again, but there is also a tiny chance that a bad ballast could do damage to the BCM.

Does this sound plausible?

At this point, the next step they are recommending is to replace the ballasts and hopefully the problem will be solved. If not, the BCM may need replacement. I'm not fully confident - seems more like speculation than an actual diagnosis.

 

[Anti_Climax]

I don't see the ballast in the wiring diagrams, so I can't really comment on it impacting our damaging the BdyCM. I'd hope they'd manage a design that couldn't fail that way.

The behavior you described certainly sounds like something you'd expect from a ballast problem.

 

[calvinhc]

I believe the ballast is a part of the headlamp assembly, so the wiring diagram probably shows the whole assembly as a "black box" in a sense. I believe it is the item on the bottom of the assembly with a metal cover (and a warning about 1kV voltage levels!).

I find it difficult to believe that a failed ballast would damage the BdyCM, and its design should have take into account any needed protection from that, but I've seen enough things that "should" work or not work a certain way that I feel like needing to use "TM" every time the word "should" is used.

On a related note, my owner's manual states that BOTH the low beam and high beam headlamps are D8S HID bulbs, and given there is only the one ballast in the assembly and the high beam lamps are working fine, it had me wondering if the technician followed the first step in the service manual of trying another bulb.

Turns out, the manual is wrong. The low beam lamps are D8S, but the high beams use H7 Halogen bulbs. As someone who writes maintenance manuals for a living (railway signalling industry, not automotive) the error irks me to an extra degree. :x

 

[Anti_Climax]

Funny you would mention that. I was just dealing with an electronics problem brought on by the fact that a power supply is marked as outputting 5V when it actually outputs 12V. Literally stenciled on the PCB.

 

[calvinhc]

The dealership that diagnosed the "probably the ballast but maybe the BodyCM" problem was to order in two new ballasts for early last week. When they didn't call me to tell me they were in, I called last Thursday (Aug 25) and was told they should be in on Friday or Monday. With no call by end of day on Monday, I thought I would do a little investigation myself.

The right headlamp was pretty much always out, except for the occasional short blink when first turned on. The left worked some of the time, but usually would go out before completing a trip. I figured if I swapped the ballasts and the problem swapped, it was likely the ballasts, but if the problem remained the same, it would be more likely the BodyCM.

Swapping the ballasts swapped the symptoms. I called the local dealership to cancel the service after ordering two new ballasts from another dealership I recently ordered something else from. Their online sales have better prices than I can find anywhere else (by 20% or more, plus I had a 5% off coupon code from my last purchase!). They are an hour to hour and a half drive away, so I would usually just have them ship for about $20, but with the long weekend coming, I decided to make the trip to get them now.

Just got done replacing them and both lights appear to be working fine.

 

[Anti_Climax]

Great to hear.

 

[Heima]

Yes, good to hear.
But can you get reimbursed, because you have that headlight protection?
Shame the dealership couldn't do what you had to do yourself.
I bought a Ford platinum extended warranty so that.....
Oh jeez, I just realized, I could have used the warranty to get the modem update. Dammit.
Oh well.

 

[Anti_Climax]

Check in with them, you may be able to get a check

 

[calvinhc]

Unfortunately, all is not solved. Though the headlights usually cone on, I've noticed that sometimes the left one does not initially. Switching them off and on again works. Even so, I find that once on, they will go out after awhile, sometimes one or both.

When I took it into the dealership that diagnosed the ballasts or possibly the BodyCM, I had asked that they change the bulbs as I have a maintenance plan that covers them. There was no indication that they even did that. They charged me for the diagnosis but the paperwork did not indicate that new bulbs were installed.

I'm thinking of taking it to another dealership and insisting the only change the bulbs under the maintenance plan.

 

[calvinhc]

But can you get reimbursed, because you have that headlight protection?

No - the maintenance and protection plan only covers bulbs (non-LED), which the should have at least replaced since they are covered.

I bought a six-year bumper-to-bumper warranty that would have covered the ballasts and, if needed, the BodyCM. Trouble is, it expired at 100,000 km. My bad for not noticing that it wasn't 150,000 km when purchasing it like we had with our last Ford vehicle.

It cost me $300 to replace the ballasts, which is better than the $600 the dealership would have charged. I knew there was a small chance the BodyCM could be the problem, but expected they would have at least tried new bulbs. At this point I want to have the bulbs replaced before exploring the BodyCM.

 

[Anti_Climax]

Swap the bulbs like you did with the ballasts. If it moves, you know it's just the bulbs.

 

[calvinhc]

Swap the bulbs like you did with the ballasts. If it moves, you know it's just the bulbs.

I'll give that a try next.

After doing some checks the other day, I found that both lights will turn on, though the one on the left occasionally needs a second try (shutting off and turning on again) when cold.

They stay on for only a short period. The left will go out after about 1.5 to 1.75 minutes, while the right will go out about 15-30 seconds later. Switching off and on again will re-light them, but for about the same duration.

It turns out that the maintenance plan does not cover LED and HID bulbs, so replacing them will cost me (the bulbs are more expensive than the ballasts!).

 

[calvinhc]

This is nearly finally over.

The latest dealership I took it to on Wednesday (Sep 7) ordered one new bulb, and installed it this morning. I had them replace the left one as it was beginning to glow pink after warming up. They only ordered one so I wouldn't have to pay for two and then find that the problem was something else - a good strategy as far as trying to save me some money.

If I had realized that HID bulbs were not covered in the maintenance plan I have (some newer plans do now), I would have just done the bulb change myself. Since they didn't charge me a diagnostic fee (I could rant about how these are used, but that's not for this thread), I had them do the bulb change. Drove home with the lights turned on and the left one is working fine.

I have ordered the other bulb and will change that one myself when it arrives next week.