Guest jclay Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hi All, Twice now I've gone to replace what I've thought was merely a burned out headlight bulb, only to find that the actual socket the bulb plugs into is all melted and cracked...any thoughts on why? Luckily it's an easy repair with a new (JY) socket spliced on, but does anyone have any suggestions on a permanent fix? The car is a 97 subaru legacy L, and this has happened with both the standard slyvania bulbs I had before, and the Zenon upgrades I'm using now. Perhaps I should mention that both times (approx. 1 yr apart) it has been the driver's side headlight... All thoughts/ feedback/ advice greatly appreciatted! Everyone have a great 4th! Jared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Once a connection gets a little loose and the contact is bad the resistance of the connection goes up. Power is equal to the Square of the Current times the resistance. So as the resistance of a connection goes up, so does the power dissapted across said connection. In this case the power is disapated as heat. So to sum up, if the connection gets dirty, or loose, or corroded it gets really hot and can melt. I've seen it happen on a few cars before. Like you said it's an easy fix and should be a good fix. You may want to get a little dielectric or "spark plug" grease to put in the connection to help prevent corrosion. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 My 01 Forester did the same thing:mad: Had to clean it and lube it. Then I crossed my fingers. So far so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniberp Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 ... both times (approx. 1 yr apart) it has been the driver's side headlight... Maybe because of proximity to battery electrolyte vapor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I had the passenger side one melt on our MY95 Legacy L. I think the blade of the bulb slid blow the "C" shaped plug and had contact only on the outer edges causing resistance heat. I replaced the whole plug with this aftermarket plug. A NOKYA model NOK9101 plug, you can google for a retailer. Just remember to slide the rubber boot over the new wires before splicing, I didn't and ended up splitting the boot while I tried to stretch it over the splice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manarius Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 The 1995-1997ish years are known for melting the headlamp connectors. I think a good thing to add would be a grounding kit. This helps with the flow of current around the car and can keep those headlamp connectors from getting too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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