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9-5 Headlight connector question

667 views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Mimmi 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, long time, no write! My 2008 Saab 9 - 5 has been excellent for 4 years plus, needing minimal maintenance and work. I did replace a valve cover gasket last week and found the upper end to be looking great, so I'm pretty delighted about it's condition at 177k.

Anyway - sorry for burying the lead - one of the issues that keeps coming up is headlight failure. I have the regular um, halogens, not xenons. The problem is the connectors keep melting and the connection between the blades on the bulb and the connector itself starts to fail. A while ago, I soldered in a new connector, which helped for a while, but inspecting it now it seems like it's starting to melt again.

I guess the bulbs are just drawing too much current and overheating those fittings, and I don't know quite what to do to fix it. The fittings I put in were ceramic but the plastic housing failed and ruined the connection. It's not melting the wire, which is at least something.

Anyone else having this problem, and if so, what have you done to fix it?
 
#2 ·
I can think of two generic ways to mitigate this problem.

I also assume you're running stock bulbs, which appear to be 55W H7.

First, make sure that the bulb base is making firm contact with the reflector housing. This can act as a bit of a heat sink. If the bulb is loose or not attached properly, then it can overheat (and also the filaments can fail quickly).

Also, examine the female connectors in the socket as well. If there is corrosion or burning, it's a source of resistance and will quickly get hot. A 55W bulb, in addition to being hot, draws in the vicinity of 4 or 5 amps, so any resistance in line becomes hot as well.

From my experience with NG9-3 that run H7, the wiring to the bulbs was not very good. The connectors didn't necessarily melt, but the wiring got burnt.

One answer to that is to hit the junkyard. There are many, many car brands that run H7 bulbs, including Mercedes, Audi, and lots of imports. Find a brand where, generally, the connectors look to be in good shape and the wiring appears pretty thick. Cut out a few sets of connectors with as much wire lead as you can get. Install in place of the wiring and socket in your headlamp. Hopefully that will fix your problems.
 
#3 ·
The plastic part of the plug melting shouldn't affect the connection. The connection itself is made by two standard crimp fittings. I had the plastic part break and fall apart on one side on my 9-5. I just plug the connectors straight onto the bulb, and it works fine.
 
#6 ·
Thanks @EdT, that's helpful, I will see if I can find something a little better at the yard and solder it in. I think you may be right that there may be some corrosion that develops in the female connectors that affects the connection and causes additional overheating. Jeremy, I guess I could just remove the connectors from the fitting and plug them in without all the plastic crap around them, actually. I know the plastic doesn't have anything to do with the connection per se but there's something about the housing getting distorted that makes the connection at the bulb get flaky.
 
#11 ·
I can recommend the Philips Xtreme Ultinon led H7.
I tried those with 9-5 H7 headlight before I insert them to my 9-3.
Light pattern is perfect without bright or dark areas. Light does not dazzle and pattern is wide.
 
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