2004 Volvo S60 HID XENON issues

2004 VOLVO S60
71,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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ASHOKP
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I just purchased this car: 2004 volvo s60 awd with the bi-xenon lamps.

Bought it with 1 lamp working and the warning on the dash saying low beam bulb failure.

This car uses the HID bulb.

The easy solution is to replace the bulb that is not working.

Not so fast !-->>>> while I was driving the warning light went out and I noticed that the headlamp that was out was NOW working. (The reflection of the bumper of the car head confirmed this)

Went home and the bulb went out again !

So upon googling I found that solving this is a can of worms.

So where do I start ??

I hear: ballast is gone bad, or ignitor is bad, and there snake oil websites selling HID kits... the bulb is good so something is off.

I am going to reseat/tighten the bulbs again just to make sure that its all secure.

Then what else can I do.. I have no electrical tools.

Dealer stories on forums is $300 upwards upto $1200 to fix a bulb problem....a bulb problem.!!

Need some expert on carpros to give me a solution.
Oct 29, 2010 at 3:00 PM
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CARADIODOC
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Hi ashokp. Welcome to the forum. Yes, besides being a severe safety problem for oncoming drivers, these systems are very expensive to repair. My personal opinion is they should be left in parking lot and street lamps. $300.00 is a real good deal. On some cars, the bulb and the ballast are each around $700.00 although I think the cost of the bulbs has come down a lot for some models. Either the bulb or the ballast can be intermittent, and I've read about corroded ground wires for the ballast.

The place to start is by switching the left and right side bulbs from side to side, then see if it is still the right one that goes out intermittently.

caradiodoc
Oct 29, 2010 at 4:41 PM
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VOLVO SERVICE ADV
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MY SUGGESTION IS REMOVE THE BULB AND LOOK AT THE BULB; LOOK FOR DISCOLORATION AND SIGNS OF WEAR. IF THE FILAMENT LOOKS ROUGH, THE LIGHT MAY BE GOING OUT. MAYBE IT JUST NEEDS A NEW BULB. START WITH THE BASICS. I HAVE SEEN BULBS FLICKER ON AND OFF WHEN THEY ARE GETTING READY TO FAIL.
Oct 29, 2010 at 5:46 PM
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JIS001
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I agree with both of the replies but the BI-XENON bulb can be pretty expensive so I would do what caradiodoc
recommends doing. If you swap the bulbs from one side to the other and it starts to flicker on the other side, then you now know the bulb is faulty. Keep us poted.
Oct 29, 2010 at 11:03 PM
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ASHOKP
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I swapped the bulbs. The bulbs are OK.

The problem persists with the passenger bulb not working.


So now the question ?

1. Is it the igniter on the passenger side
2. Is it the ballast passenger side
3. Is it A weak battery. Its a 2004 S60 looks like the original battery, this is a the easy fix.

If its the ballast, how do I replace it? I am reading removal of the bumper to get to the head light assembly.

Volvo's bulbs replacement is a piece of work, For the driver side i had to take out the air filter housing.
Nov 8, 2010 at 9:27 AM
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CARADIODOC
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I'm afraid you're out of my area of expertise now unless I had a car to look at. Can you find the ballasts and switch them side to side? I've been reading that they cause just as much trouble as the bulbs. That pertains to any brand of car, not just Volvos.

caradiodoc
Nov 8, 2010 at 2:50 PM
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JIS001
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There was an old tech net note about a faulty ballast. Here you go. NO: 35-14 DATE: 3-8-2004 MODEL: S60 / V70 / XC70 / S80 / XC90 M. YEAR: MY 2003-2004 CHASSIS: See below SUBJECT: Bi-Xenon Headlamp Ballast REFERENCE: VADIS DESCRIPTION: Under certain conditions, ballasts in vehicles equipped with Bi-Xenon headlamps may not function. The ballast functions as the voltage regulator and generates alternate current. It transforms the vehicles current from 12V to 1,000V during start-up. Once the bulbs are lit, it then reduces the voltage to 100V. Its main tasks are to light the bulbs and to control the light during operation.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/337695_113654313_1.gif

A new improved ballast has been introduced into production from the chassis break shown. SERVICE: When a vehicle with Bi-Xenon headlamp is not functioning properly and it is below the chassis break listed above


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/337695_113654314_1.jpg

First check the ballast in the vehicle to be sure that it is Rev D as shown in the photos. If it is not a Rev D ballast, replace it with the new spare part, P/N 30674786. So check the last six digits of your VIN and compare to the list above for the S-60 If you are withing that chassis break then this applies to you. You will need to remove the headlight assembly to access the ballast. The ballast is under the headlight assembly. To remove the hadlight you will need to remove the bumper skin. Once you have removed the headlight from the vehicle, check the ballast tag. If it says REV B then it is faulty and you will need to replace. If it says REV D then the updated one is already intall but does not mean it is still good? You can swap the ballast with the other side and see if it follows the problem. If it does then the ballast is faulty. Let me know what you find.
Nov 8, 2010 at 8:28 PM