Blowing low beams frequently (1 Viewer)

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Montana Cruiser

Montana Cruiser

Joined
Apr 7, 2004
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Hi All, I am having an issue blowing low beam bulbs and not really sure where to start tracking down the problem. 06' GX470 with 233K, owned it since 40k and have had zero issues with regard to the electrical system. About a year ago I started blowing low beam bulbs. It's been both headlights and never at the same time. I've gone as much as 3-4 months between blowing the bulbs to as little as a month. I do run the headlights a lot during the day on the highway, but this seems really excessive. I've mostly been running Sylvania bulbs from the auto parts store. I have not had problems with the high-beams. Any thoughts on what it could be or what to start checking??

Thanks in advance!
 
Can also be a simple harness short too. Check for loose wires and heat damage.
 
Are you sure the bulbs are seated properly when installed? Any contamination or moisture in the headlight? Also be very careful not to touch the bulb with your fingers, any amount of oil on the bulb will cause them to die prematurely, though I'm not sure if that applies to LED's too. The LED's can accept 9-32 volts so if other electrical components are working properly then I doubt it would be the alternators voltage regulator or rectifier failing. Make sure there is no corrosion on the headlight connector leads as well as the body ground from the battery. Hope you get it sorted, electrical gremlins can drive a man to drink lol! :beer::crybaby::doh::cheers:
 
My money is on a damaged harness or some sort of short/ground issue in the wiring.
 
So far I have visually inspected the harness and can't see any problems, but I'll need to dig into that further.

I always wear Nitrile gloves and have been very careful with the bulbs, connections also look clean, no moisture detected in headlights.

Thanks for all the input thus far, will dig in further as time allows and report back! MUD has always been an awesome resource!
 
Are you running brighter than stock Sylvania's? A lot of the brighter bulbs have much shorter run times. Lot of great information and comparisons on YouTube. Try OEM (if it's not a wiring issue or installing them without latex gloves) as they can last 3-4 time longer than the brighter ones. You won't notice the brighter high beams burning out so fast because they are not on constantly.
 
TahoeLX450 said:
Are you running brighter than stock Sylvania's? A lot of the brighter bulbs have much shorter run times. Lot of great information and comparisons on YouTube. Try OEM (if it's not a wiring issue or installing them without latex gloves) as they can last 3-4 time longer than the brighter ones. You won't notice the brighter high beams burning out so fast because they are not on constantly.
Click to expand...

TahoeLX450, hello from Reno!

I have been buying the brighter Sylvania's;

SYLVANIA H11 SilverStar ULTRA Halogen Headlight Bulb, 2 Pack

Upgrade your low and high beam car headlights for a pair of SYLVANIA SilverStar® ULTRA halogen bulbs. Our brightest halogen headlight provides the most downroad visibility to see all aspects of the road better. The patented tri-band blue coating produces a whiter light compared to SYLVANIA...
www.sylvania-automotive.com www.sylvania-automotive.com

I had not thought about there being a difference in the durability with regard to which "grade" of Sylvania's, definitely something to look at as well. Thanks for the input.
 
Hi from SLTahoe!

I think if you go to the Sylvania web site you can find a table of bulb with lumens, light color and run times. It is amazing how short the run times are for the higher end bulbs compared to the OEM rating...like several hundred hours. If I can find the link I do my best to post.
 
I too was going through bulbs fast at one point (aftermarket/ Sylvania). Switched back to OEM bulbs and have not have any issues in almost 2 years now.
 
According to Sylvania, their zXe series bulbs have an average expected lifespan of 9-12 months. That will obviously vary greatly with miles driven per month with the lights on. I use the zXe and zXe Gold bulbs exclusively in my motorcycles as the difference is very noticeable and helpful. The biggest put-off is the cost, but I've never paid more than $30.00/set off of eBay despite the MSRP of $59.99 which is what they want for them at Wal-Mart and the like. A friend of mine swears by the HID kits out there, but he's usually replacing components about once a year with those as well. After my recent incident with the deer, I had to buy two brand new headlight assemblies and loaded both with zXe and zXe Gold bulbs...we'll see how it goes...
 
FZJ80Cruiser said:
I too was going through bulbs fast at one point (aftermarket/ Sylvania). Switched back to OEM bulbs and have not have any issues in almost 2 years now.
Click to expand...
When everyone is talking about "OEM" bulbs, are these literally Toyota/Lexus stamped H11's from the dealer or something? Or are we talking about the standard Sylvania bulbs vs the brighter variations?
 
Montana Cruiser said:
When everyone is talking about "OEM" bulbs, are these literally Toyota/Lexus stamped H11's from the dealer or something? Or are we talking about the standard Sylvania bulbs vs the brighter variations?
Click to expand...

In reference to my experience, OE from Toyota dealer. They are re boxed Philips if it matters.
 
FZJ80Cruiser said:
In reference to my experience, OE from Toyota dealer. They are re boxed Philips if it matters.
Click to expand...
Gotcha, thanks for clarifying .... I'm headed to Lexus tomorrow for something unrelated, so I'll stop by the parts dept and see how much they are asking.
 
I had similar experience with our S60. I put the Sylvania/Osram silver or gold (don't remember) Halogens and they only lasted a few months. I did it again with the same result. Went back to the regular cheap version and they lasted over a year when I got rid of the car. I dont have experience with LED headlights, yet.
 
Well, my Alternator and Voltage Reg all checked out fine, and no signs of issues with the harness or grounds. Picked up some OEM bulbs ($22 each fyi) and will see how it goes, I'll report back.

Thanks for everyone's input!
 
I just put in Hikari 2020 LEDs to replace the other LEDs I ran for 5 YEARS of offroad and cross country hell. Never cleaned them or maintained them. Worked great. The new LEDs have a great beam pattern and cutoff.
 
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