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Blowing Nearside headlight bulbs

Started by SilverBeast, March 20, 2013, 05:59:54 PM

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March 20, 2013, 05:59:54 PM
I have 4 nearside headlights blow in the last week or so, the last one lasting almost 15 minutes!
I bought a pack of 10 bulbs roughly a year ago and had replaced both drivers and passenger bulbs around then with two of these.  A week or so ago I replaced the passenger one as pit had blown. I didn't remove the headlight and ended up dropping it inside the light casing so may have touched the lens.  Same on the next one about last weekend. Last night I removed the headlight to replace again. This time I removed the headlight and definitely Didn't touch the glass. Bulbs are stored in a filing cabinet in my garage in their original packaging.

1) What could I clean the bulbs with to ensure there is no grease on them - meths?
2) Any suggestions of what else could be causing them to blow?
3) Any reccomendations for a good quality bulb?

They are H1's
April 06, 2013, 05:42:13 PM #1
Changed it again last weekend and cleaned the bulb thoroughly with IPA.  Ran the headlight off a spare battery before I refitted it for and hour and it was fine.  Fitted it to the car and used  it for a week or so now and it's been fine. My Daylight Running Lights is to have dipped headlights on all the time when I'm driving.

I guess the packaging for the replacement bulbs mustn't have been too clean.  All were boxed up though.

At lease it doesn't seem to have been electrical   ;D
April 07, 2013, 12:45:33 PM #2
Interesting. Normally constant blowing is down to a poor ground so it may be you have a dodgy headlight connector?
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April 07, 2013, 07:59:54 PM #3
It's possible, but early days yet.  I did have a good look at the wiring and connectors (on bulb and connector to headlight) and also metered the connections between the headlight input and the bulb connector.   Obviously as I had the headlight out I have 'wiped' both sets of contacts.  I also checked the contact between the individual "females" in the bulb connector to the "spades"  on the bulb by offsetting the connection so only one was connected,  just i case the female had become slack ! :o

My next  test would have been to try a new bulb from a motor factor and then to try and trace the earth point to the chassis
August 16, 2014, 04:57:25 PM #4
This definitely seems to have been down to greasy bulbs.  I always clean them with methalayted spirits now before fitting and haven't had an issue.  They haven't lasted too long, though they were cheap!

Any recommendations for a bright, white 55W H7? (put H1 my mistake in my original post).
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