Passenger Side Headlight Burning Out

Ok, folks - help me out. I'm replacing the passenger side bulb about every 3 months. I have yet to burn out a driver's side (though I usually replace them in pairs). What's the deal???

Completely stock 2008 DCSB V6 except for some suspension upgrades. Yes, I wear the gloves when I replace them, etc..... I've read other people having this problem, but haven't seen the solution.

What's the go-to solution for this annoying problem?????? And I don't want to go HID or something illegal / annoying. I want something that works within the law and is safe for oncoming drivers.

 

Could be loose fitting terminal and/or bad wiring to specific lamp.

 

High resistance in one or more of the circuits to that bulb is most likely causing the reduced bulb lifespan. Or it could just be 'bad' bulbs (even good brands have bad days on the assembly line).

Voltage-drop test the circuits to the headlamps to determine where the fault is. Inspect the terminals in the related harness connectors for loose/bent pins, corrosion, and/or fretting. Use the wiring diagrams and connector location diagrams as your guide [factory service manual].

Let us know what you find.

 

You can pull the wires and connectors out of the plug with a small screwdriver and gently bend the connectors to clamp tighter to the bulb blades. This worked for me. Just remember which wire went where in the plug.

 

Is the connector "burned out" or the bulb filament?

When bulb is working, is it the same brightness as the other side?

 

I'm assuming that you're you just replacing the passenger side. Bite the bullet and replace both driver and passenger. The difference in voltage/resistance although minimal can be the culprit. Make sure the connectors are clean, get some dielectric grease. Volvo's were notorious for having to replace both sides no matter which bulb it was. Good luck.

 

I haven't seen a connector burned out. Just the filament burned through..... And yes, it seems to be the same brightness on each side.

 

I've always replaced them in pairs. So that's not the issue.

 

You probably just got a run of poor quality bulbs all in a row. If you had a wiring problem that was causing extra resistance there would be less power making it to the bulb filament. If anything that would extend the life of the filament, not shorten it..

I wouldn't worry about a wiring problem, get some good quality bulbs I like Osram or Sylvania ( they might even be from the same company LOL)

There is some good info regarding headlight bulb quality in this thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

Great thread, btw. I've read it before.

I have been getting Sylvania Silverstar in various levels over the last two years. I seriously doubt that I got unlucky on 5 different bad runs.