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Low beam replacement bulb

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by memento1984, Feb 6, 2017.

  1. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    hi Guys,
    With 2nd gen when I needed to replace low beam bulbs I just went to ebay and found whatever was the cheapest option. When I got those, supposedly 3rd gen fit low beam bulbs I got no donut. I can mount them and connect the connector without any problems. Issue is, beam of light gives me this weird patter - almost nothing in front (well maybe ~3-4 feet in the front) and then "sideways" only look fine. it looks like a shadow in the middle ? Is it possible that there is something wrong with the spec, eg length / width of the bulb itself ? Really strange.
    I wonder if someone had similar problem.
    Thanks!
     
    #1 memento1984, Feb 6, 2017
  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Sounds like you don't have the bulb mounted correctly, it's been installed at an angle. If it's the passenger side, this is probably the case, due to the tight space behind the headlight housing.

    Remount the bulb and make sure that it is mounted straight, before the heat from the crooked bulb melts the plastic mounting area around it.
     
    #2 xliderider, Feb 6, 2017
    xpcman likes this.
  3. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    double checked and it seems fine, nicely sitting in the groove. it seems im not getting any beam from both of them in the middle.
     
    #3 memento1984, Feb 6, 2017
  4. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    is it only "passenger's" side that gives the beam in the middle ?
     
    #4 memento1984, Feb 6, 2017
  5. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    No, the crappy pattern you are describing isn't normal. Take the bulbs out and start over. For the passenger side, use a 10mm socket and remove the bolt holding the air intake hose and release the bracket holding the intake to the front of the vehicle and bend the intake hose out of the way to get more clearance for your hand.

    The bulb should be dead on straight and locked in by turning the base clockwise so that the base is pointing straight down (6 o'clock).
     
    #5 xliderider, Feb 6, 2017
  6. Robert Santana

    Robert Santana New Member

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    Halogen or LED?
     
    #6 Robert Santana, Feb 12, 2017
  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Halogen. If they were oem LED, there's nothing that the owner can replace, other than the entire headlight assembly.
     
    #7 xliderider, Feb 12, 2017
  8. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    just to follow up. It might be a piece of an advice, especially for 3rd gen owners.
    do not use H11 el cheapos from ebay. what worked for me in the 2nd gen, did not work for 3rd.
    it seems that H11 bulb was shorter (maybe 4-5mm), and a little different design even the length of the bulb assembly. that is why this strange pattern occurred - bulb was recessed and the reflection of the light got blocked by the "tip" of the bulb creating that "shadow" light pattern.
    also those crappy bulbs turned "black'ish" on the inside (not sure if that is normal or not since I never took a working bulb out, guess it is not).
    Used Sylvania Silverlight H11, worked like magic.
    Also, remember to install disconnected bulb into the assembly! Then connect. This way You can get away without removing the reservoir.
     
    #8 memento1984, Feb 14, 2017
  9. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    The reason the cheap bulb blackened on the inside is it most likely lacked the halogen gas that's supposed to be inside the glass capsule.

    It sounds like you got one of those olive shaped bulbs that are fatter in the middle area of the bulb. If so, the shape of the capsule also contributed to the darkening of the capsule, because the wider section is farther away from the hot filament, so the halogen cycle can't occur effectively, causing the deposits on the cooler surface.
     
    #9 xliderider, Feb 14, 2017
  10. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    at first you would not notice the difference, but at a closer look, side by side there is a difference (and they were a little bit fatter inthe middle).
    like I said, with my 2nd gen 5$ worked like a charm, this time I had to go with 35$.
    essentially I had no headlights for 4 weeks, ouch!
     
    #10 memento1984, Feb 14, 2017
  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    So they were shaped like these?

    1487087407419.png

    Bulbs shaped like this have very poor beam patterns.
     
    #11 xliderider, Feb 14, 2017
  12. memento1984

    memento1984 Junior Member

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    oh no, straight shape completely, but fatter, evenly along the bulb,
     
    #12 memento1984, Feb 14, 2017
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