Headlight Issues

[Bill Kindig]

I have a 2002 Porsche Boxster 986s that I am replacing the headlight bulbs. I have replaced the bulbs, put it back together & now it doesn't work at all. The drivers side works but the passenger side doesn't. I have taken it apart (3) times & checked fuse
B-2. Any suggestions?

[elav]

When this happened to me the bracket that holds the mating connector in the car was broken. If that is the case, pull the connector out of the bracket and plug it into the housing before attaching it.

[Stl-986]

look at the bulb socket. Most likely corrosion there. common on every car. Time, copper & water dont work well together

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by Stl-986

look at the bulb socket. Most likely corrosion there.

Few Fiats and Alfa Romeo's later, I learned about cleaning the bulb sockets with a tooth brush and scrub of a mix of water and baking soda, after everything is dry, you apply a bit of dielectric grease.

[JohnENC]

I have one headlight out. Wires all look good, pin connections in the back of the headlight module and at the plug in the tunnel all look clean. Fuses are good. Is the headlight switch fused, and therefore has separate connections for L/R lights because each side has its own fuse (or if the switch is bad, would both sides be out)?

[KevinH1990]

If you are sure that the headlights are seating properly (it can be surprisingly difficult to make them connect) it is possible that the switch has failed. Before you work on the switch, I recommend that you verify that nothing is working on the light assembly. To do this, check to see whether the turn signals/emergency flashers and fog lights are working. Also check if the rear lights turn on when you switch on the headlights. If nothing is working in the front and the rear lights turn on, I think you should focus on making sure the headlight assemblies are connecting correctly.

Also, if you have litronic headlights, there are two sets of connectors that you need to check.

That said, the light switch is not an uncommon failure item. When mine stopped working, I removed it and soaked it with electrical contact cleaner. That restored it to full operation.

Good luck.