so when i bought my 2005 xb it had a lot of custom work done already, the headlights are halogen & the sockets are not stock...the stock bulb i believe is "9003" & now my xb has a "9005xs". After i bought it about a week later one headlight went out, i checked it out and the bulb wasnt burnt but the socket was melted a bit...i just put it back in and it turned back on...since then both sides have melted...one is much worse then the other. This is the first care I've had with halogen bulbs...I love them but not if they are going to melt... What is the cause of something like this? What can I do to fix it? Can i switch back to the "stock" sockets & bulbs?

Thanks -Lance

 

You'll need new sockets of course but the 65W (or 55W, I'm can't really tell) is the problem. They don't look like factory plugs so you can either get new OEM-type connectors and just cut the old ones off or get "heavy duty" connectors that can handle the higher wattage. I would say get heavy duty ones >$12 and lower wattage bulb which you can still get different color/temp.

 

Indeed, that harness was probably not "heavy duty" enough to handle the 65w power draw of those bulbs. Another case could be, 65w in that tiny compartment of the headlight could be way too hot and is melting the harnesses...

 

the 9003 is a 60w bulb...which is the stock bulb...would 5w make that big of difference?

does the 9003 control both low and high beam?
right now i have a separate socket for low and one for high
im so confused with this
the people at my auto stores aren't much help either...
isn't there a "plug and play" harness i could get to switch it back to 9003?

 

probably not, I don't think the stock bulb is 60w. But that's just a guess

 

You can get replacement sockets here: http://autolumination.com/headlights.htm
They're towards the bottom of the page.

 

What kind of wiring harness is this? does anyone know? the end that plugs into the car is a 9003 plug. but at the other end is 9005...how is this possible? I haven't been able to find another harness like it.

 

you have aftermarket headlight buckets

 

And that means what for me?

 

I already tried to switch back to the stock bulbs which do work, but do not fit into the headlight housing. I don't really want to keep replacing sockets...I know its easy & cheap but it is really irratating....wwyd?

 

Can you post a pic of your headlights?
Like Johnny said, you likely have aftermarket headlights.

 

Headlights pictures for you....I know they are aftermarket...what I need to know is what my options are so they stop melting...

 

Yea, those are the old Helix headlights.
Here's your shopping list:
2x Ceramic high heat 9005 connectors with pigtails.


Clip off the old 9005 connectors and solder the new ones to the wires coming off of the H4 connector. If you clip the old 9005 connectors closer to the connector, you'll be left with plenty of wire between the new 9005 and original H4 connector, so the H4 shouldn't melt.

Essentially, you'll be modifying the original harness you have with the high heat connectors that shouldn't melt.

If you really wanted to go all out, they also sell bare H4 pins and connectors, you'd need three pins and one connector. Put it all together and you should be all set.

You can use t-taps, but I'd highly recommend soldering the leads together (make sure you have heat shrink tubing to finish it off).

 

Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it! I've been beating around the bush for so long with this. Everyone I ask has some crazy answer for me. This is definitely the answer i was looking for.

 

Glad I could help. Hope it solves the problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Do they sell ceramic h4 male connectors? I haven't been able to find one...I found the female but I don't need that

also would i use the same socket for the high beam? or can i just modify the harness to only run on one bulb?

 

You shouldn't need to run a ceramic H4, most of the heat is generated from the bulbs and if you solder the wiring without trimming too much, you'll have enough wiring between the bulb and the H4 to help dissipate the heat.
Also, what bulbs are you using currently?

 

The low beam is a 9005xs plasmaglow 65w, the high beam is 9005xs 65w standard.

 

A lot of those 'high performance' halogens are notorious for melting harnesses.
Luminics and Nokya are two of the biggest offenders.

You might want to consider a 35W HID kit... better output, lower heat.
I run these in my foglights and have for over a year without issue.
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DD...ast-35W-or-55W

 

If I did consider HID's how would I know if they would fit in my headlight housing? And I would need to order a HID kit for H4 correct? Sorry all the questions, this stuff is just new to me...