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Bulb or Ballast

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by brjafa, Nov 20, 2014.

  1. brjafa

    brjafa Junior Member

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    After reading through many threads on PC, I realize that my bulb issue is most likely related to the bulb and/or the ballast.

    Is there a way to diagnose the issue to see if it is one, the other, or both?
     
    #1 brjafa, Nov 20, 2014
  2. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    What is the issue? Some issues themselves will tell what the faulty component is. If problem is always on you can swap bulbs and see if fault changes side with bulb.
     
    #2 valde3, Nov 20, 2014
  3. brjafa

    brjafa Junior Member

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    The passenger headlight shuts off or flickers. I have noticed this happening a lot when accelerating from a complete stop. On occasion, both headlights have shut off while driving, but it is mainly the passenger headlight. Quickly switching the headlights off and on (only once) turns both lights on again. I have noticed (or at least it seems) that the passenger headlight dims more than the driver headlight when first powered on.
     
    #3 brjafa, Nov 20, 2014
  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Change the bulbs from side to side. If the problem goes to the other side it's the bulb. If the problem stays where it is it's the ballast.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #4 Britprius, Nov 20, 2014
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  5. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Labor for switching HID bulbs can be prohibitive.
    This is always a tricky prospect if you are paying a shop to change your bulbs as opposed to doing it yourself.
     
    #5 ericbecky, Nov 21, 2014
  6. brjafa

    brjafa Junior Member

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    Thank you. If I do decide to switch from side to side, I will do the labor myself.
     
    #6 brjafa, Nov 21, 2014
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