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High Beam reflector not moving

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Cyl0n, Feb 23, 2014.

  1. Cyl0n

    Cyl0n New Member

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    Feb 23, 2014
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    Location:
    Honey Brook, Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Just bought a 2006 with 80k miles and HID headlights on it and noticed while parking in the garage last night that only the passenger side high beams work. Upon closer inspection and having my fiance flip the beams on and off I could see that the reflector on the drivers side didn't move at all. I've been searching the forums and google for a few hours and can't seem to find a solution (or even anyone else that seems to have this problem).

    Note: This is after i just had a brand new driver side lens, bulb and ballast installed as when i bought it the headlight had a lot of condensation built up inside it. So i'm not really sure if the highbeam was working before this was all replaced because the bulb went out right after i bought it.

    Thanks any help or pointing me in the right direction is appreciated!
     
    #1 Cyl0n, Feb 23, 2014
  2. Priusyipee

    Priusyipee Active Member

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    Location:
    Upstate New York
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
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    N/A
    It is possible that when the new bulb was installed, it was not seated properly. This would cause an obstruction leading to lack of, or no moving of the unit the engages the high beams. There are aftermarket bulbs whose cut outs do not exactly fit as the openings are smaller than on the original OEM bulbs. This can be quickly fixed with a small file to widen the tabs. Try removing and reinstalling the bulb.
     
    #2 Priusyipee, Feb 23, 2014
  3. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Welcome to PC,
    The shade actuators can be jammed by the bulb being fitted incorrectly. They are also fused independently of each other so check the fuses marked HI left and HI right.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #3 Britprius, Feb 23, 2014
  4. Cyl0n

    Cyl0n New Member

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    Location:
    Honey Brook, Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Hmm having one of the fuses go bad seems to make sense as it doesn't appear that the reflector even attempts to move. I would think that if there was a jamming situation i would at least see some movement. Is it possible to test the fuse theory by switching the presumably good right fuse with the bad left?
     
    #4 Cyl0n, Feb 23, 2014
  5. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Yes you can interchange the fuse, but careful inspection of the fuse a blown fuse will usually be seen. Removing the bulb and resting it in a safe place will prove if the mechanism is jammed.

    John (Britprius)
     
    #5 Britprius, Feb 23, 2014
  6. Cyl0n

    Cyl0n New Member

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    Location:
    Honey Brook, Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Just a brief update on my high beam issue. I drove over to my parents house and explained the problem to my father. When I attempted to demonstrate to him how one high beam reflector moved and the other didn't, the drivers side started working. I'm not fully relived at this point, but I'm going to cross my fingers and hope it doesn't fail again. If it does fail I'll post the solution if I find one. Thanks for the quick replies.
     
    #6 Cyl0n, Feb 24, 2014
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