Boxster Project: Litronics headlight repair
Check the bulb FIRST...LOL!!!
Recently, we noticed that the Xenon headlight on the driver side of our 23 year old Boxster was not “igniting”. It would flash when we turned the switch, but the lamp wouldn’t stay lit. Since it flashed, our thinking was that the bulb was probably fine. And as the problem was only with the left headlight, it was unlikely to be a problem with the switch itself. Those two symptoms made us surmise that something was probably “not right” with the ballast.
Since we have not had to touch the headlights since we installed in 2008, we’ll just have to take them out and see what’s what.
Headlight removal
Removing the headlight assembly from the Boxster is fairly simple. The unit is secured by a latching mechanism accessible from inside of the front trunk. The key with the proper socket size is in the toolkit supplied with the car. For those missing the kit, any 5mm socket with an extension or a deep socket should work.
A small turn is all that’s needed to eject the headlight assembly. Once released, the unit can be pulled out without any further restrictions, but we had to “wiggle” it bit to completely free it from the track.
The first thing we noticed when we pulled out headlight was the “nest” on top of the ballast. LOL, that’s clearly not Porsche approved 🙂 Also, it looked like it caused some rusting on the housing. Other than the big ball of fluff, everything else looked clean and dry.
Ballast Removal
There were no markings on the front side of the ballast, so we needed to get it removed from the housing to see if there are some markings on the backside. The back of the housing was secured by the simple clip. Pressing on the tab released the catch and freed the lid.
With the lid open, the removal of the ballast
Normally we would go to Pelican Parts for our Boxster gear, but we couldn’t find it on the site. We found a bunch of them on EBay and were about to pull the trigger on a salvaged unit when we thought we should probably give Amazon a quick look. Wow…the exact part we needed and can arrive in 2 days w/free shipping AND return! Deal 🙂
Even though the parts looked exact, closer inspection of the replacement part revealed that it did not have the threaded mounting holes. In the end, it didn’t matter because it didn’t solve the problem…because the ballast was not the issue.
Bulb WAS the problem
By NOT confirming and just assuming, we wasted a lot of time and effort, did NOT solve the problem, and generally confused ourselves. After banging our heads for about a week, we stopped, started from the beginning and TESTED the bulb by swapping in the one from the passenger side.
Guess what? The problem moved to the other headlight, confirming that the issue all along WAS the bulb. The fact that it did light up for a second only meant that the circuit was not broken, but the xenon gas didn’t stay ionized.
For the xenon gas to ignited, a high-voltage pulse generates a spark which ionizes the gas. The ions enable a current to flow between the electrodes, the gases are heated, and light is emitted.
Replacing the bulb in the headlight assembly required no tools, but it did require unplugging a few things that were in the way. We found that bulb removal was easier than reinsertion. If things are not properly aligned, the pieces will not lock into place. We had to fiddle a bit, but we eventually got it all back together in the end. However, the point to note is all of the holders will “click” into position and no force was necessary.
With the headlight assembly reinserted into the Boxster, we flipped the switch and BOTH bulbs lit. After confirming that we had solved the problem, we also swapped out the old working bulb and replaced it with a new one. We did that because Xenon bulb’s color changes as they age and we wanted both bulbs to look the same.
Final Thoughts
What did we learn from this project? CHECK the bulb first!!!
Xenon bulbs can last up to ten years, much longer than the typical halogen bulbs. That longevity makes xenon bulbs a lower maintenance option. However, compared to xenons, LED bulbs are more energy-efficient and can last even longer…up to 25 times longer. LED bulbs can also put out a much brighter, whiter light, are much safer as they create very little heat.
That will be a DIY for another day 🙂
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