Litronic problem

[Steves]

Hi,

The RHS litronic on my 2004 2.7 regularly cuts out after approx 20 mins of driving. It tends to happen when I stop at a traffic light on my regular journey home from the office when the engine revs fall to idling.

I find that if I 'gun' the engine while slowing down, I can often 'catch' the light; it gives a flicker, but doesn't cut out.

I guess one solution would be to leave the office earlier (before it gets dark) or find a job closer to home (less than 20 mins drive), but my boss didn't seem too happy with this.

I've read other threads about the ballast and the ignitor, but being a total non-technical person, I'm not sure what to do.

Any ideas ?

[tracke30m3]

I'd try swapping the parts (ballast, igniter, bulb) one by one from the RHS to the LHS headlight to try to isolate the problem. I'm guessing the ballast or igniter is going bad and shuts off when voltage drops below a certain point. It probably happens only after 20 mins of driving because whatever part is malfunctioning starts malfunctioning only after it gets warm.

If swapping the parts from R to L does not change anything, then it could be the voltage going to the RHS low beam is dropping below the normal range. Could be something as simple as dirty contacts on the conector or fuse, broken/frayed wiring.