Cheap Chinese headlights...

283 Views 9 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Mark Eric Roth, 23 d ago

coonmanx

Discussion Starter · 1 mo ago

Last July my ZX2 was totaled for the third time. So I was going to have my body guy do the work to get it back to where it needed to be. But he was too busy and said he didn't have enough people. Ended up doing the work myself in a friend's backyard with a winch and a tree. At that time I also decided to replace the passenger side headlight because the one that was in there was leaking and would get moisture inside the lens when it rained...

Anyway, fast forward to this week when I saw that the new headlight was not working. Thought it might just be a bulb, but they usually last a lot longer than that. And both low and high beams were out, which was unusual. Got in there, pulled of the cap and then was attempting to get the lock ring loose but it would not budge. So instead I disconnected the wire connector from the bulb. And lo and behold, when I plugged it back in the light started working again.

So drove it a couple days and the issue reappeared. Took the cap off again and this time started wiggling that connector back and forth. And yup, it came on again. Anyway, tomorrow I will see if I can figure out a way to make that connector fit tighter so it doesn't do that anymore. Might even try to see if a different bulb fits tighter. But this should not be happening if they simply made it better.

Will also probably go grab a spare unit from the junkyard. Only $25 I believe. Plus they have the fog lights as well. Not really wanting to pull the bumper cover off but I have already done it so I do know how.

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4cylinder

· #2 · 1 mo ago

chances are the connector is melted. Using the wrong bulbs will cause this. If they are melted, fix the plug end by replacement then go back to using bulbs more closely matching what the factory had initially installed

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #3 · 1 mo ago

4cylinder said:
chances are the connector is melted. Using the wrong bulbs will cause this. If they are melted, fix the plug end by replacement then go back to using bulbs more closely matching what the factory had initially installed

There is nothing melted at all and the bulb is the original that was in there when I bought it as a unit off of Ebay. I will take a closer look at it today since last night I was trying to look at it in the parking lot of a grocery store with a flashlight.

But it appears to just be crappy. Not sure why it is not making good contact. This week I will get a different headlight from the junkyard and then it will definitely be "problem solved". But it is a shame since this one looked so nice and clear when I put it in there.

Of course, maybe I will figure out why it is making poor contact and then I can fix that issue. But so far I just don't have any idea since it was working just fine and then one day nothing...

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #4 · 1 mo ago

4cylinder said:
chances are the connector is melted. Using the wrong bulbs will cause this. If they are melted, fix the plug end by replacement then go back to using bulbs more closely matching what the factory had initially installed

Correction. Some char and melting has actually been located. But remember that this came from the original bulb that was supplied with the unit and it is in fact the correct part number at least...

Quality is unknown. I am going to at least swap bulbs to one that was previously run in the car. It works well and is tested. But this is crazy and I still plan on pulling a junkyard unit this week.

Also I busted one of those crappy tabs on the locking ring. Going to need to locate the spare in the closet. Cheap crap...

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #5 · 1 mo ago

Now, got the lock ring off of the spare unit and replaced that original bulb with an already used and tested one. I threw the original Chinese bulb away. Not sure about quality control on that. And the replacement bulb fit fairly snug as well...

But I need to do a more long term solution for sure. Melted connectors are no bueño... I could use the connector from my spare unit and just splice it in there, but I would probably have to pull the whole unit out to do that correctly. If I get a junkyard unit then I can check out the connector as well as the bulb before installation.

Here is a photo of the good connector in the spare unit and I just managed to break off both plastic arms of the connector. Someone once told me that the service manual says to use zip ties as a substitute...

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #6 · 1 mo ago

Ford "engineering"... Here is some brittle plastic that you should bend back and forth...

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #7 · 29 d ago (Edited)

4cylinder said:
chances are the connector is melted. Using the wrong bulbs will cause this. If they are melted, fix the plug end by replacement then go back to using bulbs more closely matching what the factory had initially installed

All I know right now is that with a new bulb in there the headlight is working great and also now seems to be brighter. When I first installed the new unit, it did not look very bright at all. So maybe somehow that Chinese bulb that was in there was defective and caused the issue. It was the right type of bulb but never worked correctly. But thankfully last night when I was driving home in the dark, my lights were nice and bright.

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Joey_Twowagons

· #8 · 29 d ago

I don't see how you can blame the Chinese lamp assembly for the burnt up socket. Unless the prong on the Chinese lamp was super thin so didn't make tight contact with the plug?

As for the broken tabs on the plug, mine have been broken off for twenty or more years, the socket stays on just fine without them.

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coonmanx

Discussion Starter · #9 · 29 d ago

Joey_Twowagons said:
I don't see how you can blame the Chinese lamp assembly for the burnt up socket. Unless the prong on the Chinese lamp was super thin so didn't make tight contact with the plug?

As for the broken tabs on the plug, mine have been broken off for twenty or more years, the socket stays on just fine without them.

The thing is, that is the bulb that came with the unit and it was inside and sealed away from the elements. I don't know what was up with that bulb but I do know that it never really looked very bright. Even had a lady tell me that my headlight was not working right. Maybe it was the prong. Who knows? All I know is that now it is working much better.

And yeah, I figured that the socket would probably stay on just fine with broken tabs. Those things break all of the time.

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Mark Eric Roth

· #10 · 23 d ago

Unfortunately, all of our plastic is now 20+ years old and being exposed to sun light or being under a hood does not help matters any. I usually clean up plastic parts best I can and drown them in Armour all before reinstalling. I don't know if it helps, but it gives me a 'I did my best' feeling. I am also starting to use connector cleaner whenever some is unplugged.

I have had reasonable luck with Eagle Eyes headlights, they are made in Taiwan and last about 3 years before they start getting hazy. About the same as OEM.

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