Spent All Day Replacing Headlight...Still Doesn't Work. Help!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Dbswain91, Sep 30, 2016.

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  1. Dbswain91

    Dbswain91 New Member

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    Hey there,

    I have a 2004 Prius. A few months ago I noticed my passenger side headlight kept fading out. So I ordered a replacement bulb online. I followed instructions on how to install and everything seemed to be fine but when I turned on the lights, nothing happened. The blinker light still works but the passenger light won't even turn on (tried low beam and high beam).

    I tried putting the old bulb back in just to test if it was the new bulb but still nothing happened.

    Anyone have any advice? Is it possible that I broke something during the installation?

    And secondly, can anyone explain how I check the fuse for the passenger headlight? I'm guessing that may be the issue?

    Thanks,
    Dan
     
    #1 Dbswain91, Sep 30, 2016
  2. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Perhaps the issue is with the ballast, not the bulb.
    Do you have HID (high intensity discharge) headlights?

    You'll know because the bulbs are in the neighborhood of $150 apiece at the dealer.

    Otherwise, perhaps you have a broken/cracked/corroded wire?
     
    #2 ericbecky, Sep 30, 2016
  3. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You have HID or halogen? "Fading out" sounds like a dead HID bulb since halogen typically fails and then doesn't turn back on.

    If it was HID what kind of bulb? D2R, D4R? Brand?

    If you have HIDs, there is no "high beam" bulb. It is just a solenoid activated to change the reflector pattern. You should hear an audible click when you turn it on and off though, but it will not be loud. Obviously only with your ear to the bulb and hopefully the car off.

    Blinker light has nothing to do with headlights. It has its own cable.

    If you didn't connect the bulb connector properly then it won't light. If you disconnected the ballast connector, it won't light. If you didn't do something right that caused a short then you could have blown a fuse or ballast or bulb or lots of other things.

    That's not good. It means you most likely disconnected something else or damaged something else. But it is possible that the bulb just truly is dead and won't turn on.

     
    #3 2k1Toaster, Sep 30, 2016
  4. Dbswain91

    Dbswain91 New Member

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    I do have HID. Do you know of any way to check if the wire is broken?

    Thanks for the reply.

    The replacement I bought is a D2R HID bulb.

    Is switching the Ballast an easy operation or is that going to be a process?

    From your experience, does this sound like a fuse issue or a ballast issue?

    Thanks for the help

     
    #4 Dbswain91, Sep 30, 2016
  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Visually inspect each connector/wire harness for breaks.
    While bulb is inserted manipulate the connectors/wire harnesses.

    Most likely issue is the $250-$300 ballast.
    Get if from the dealer.
    Do not buy a counterfeit part.
     
    #5 ericbecky, Oct 1, 2016
  6. BBraun

    BBraun New Member

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    I just ran into this same problem today, do you remember how you ultimately fixed your headlight issue? thanks.
     
    #6 BBraun, Mar 26, 2017
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