Broken headlight plug

[wgriswold]

Yesterday the right headlight low beam went out and since I am 100 miles away from the dealer I decided to change it myself. How hard can it be, right? So, I got the bulb and read the owner's manual and had at it. The little black plug wouldn't come off the old bulb. No obvious way to release it. I decided that a little pressure from a screwdriver was in order and the predictable happened. I broke the plug. The good news is that that left the two push on connectors intact. I changed out the old bulb and pushed on the two connectors and reassembled the whole thing.

So, what now? Is it ok to abandon the plug or is that risking some sort of short? Can I get another plug? And, just how does one get the plug off the light bulb without breaking the black plug in the first place?

As always, thanks for your help.

[Blackstone]

Same thing happed to me. The pastic becomes very brittle with the heat from the head light. Just like you I installed the bulb without the platic housing. I donot suspect it will cause any problems although was a bit anoying.

[Willy]

I also think there is not much risk involved by leaving the connectors as they are now.
If possible, you could try to cover (most of) the bare metal with a heat shrink hose.
Willy

[tgwillard]

If you are concerned about leaving bare metal exposed, you can buy a roll of coax sealer from Radio Shack. This stuff is a black putty that stays flexible forever and sticks to the metal very well. It can later be removed scraping it off and then cleaning the area with paint thinner.

I use it all the time on outside antenna connections exposed to the weather. A small roll will set you back about $5.00. You will find it in the part of the store where they have the antenna and coaxial cable stuff. Don't rely on the clerk since often they don't know the store has it.

[Stevestikihut]

Old post but I had this problem, the metal bail will short out the bulb, buy a new lamp insulator from FCP. The stupid little plastic part costs $7.99 and I figured if one broke the other will soon too, so I bought two for a total of $15.98, welcome to Volvo...
The computer sits just behind the passenger bulb assembly and I removed the cover to access the light better, it is super brittle and cracked, what is that called so I can replace that?

[Astro14]

http://www.ipdusa.com/products/9336/120689-engine-ecu-box-cover-p2-s60-v70-xc70-xc90

Just replaced mine...

[wgriswold]

I am the original poster on this thread. After 8 years I just changed the bulb again. No problems doing without the plug. With my 03 I don't see any risk of the retainer bail shorting out the bulb. Maybe the geometry of an 06 is different.

I wonder if the brittle plastic is due to Volvo's commitment to recycling?

[BoulderGeek]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I don't really want to start my own, either.

Yesterday, I changed my driver's side low beam H7 bulb. I also found the connector hard to release, but wiggled it free. No breakage as far as I can tell.

But, now, I get an DIM info message that says "Position bulb failure." As I look at all of the lights, none are out. My parking/position lamps are lit on both sides, and nothing seems amiss, other than the error and the hazard triangle illuminated.

Anyone have any ideas how changing one headlight bulb might send this message?

[guymon]

"Position bulb" is in the back taillight assembly. They tend to go out a lot with these cars. Search is your friend. ;-)

[pelagikos]

I once had a bulb out in the front right corner. PIA to replace. If I remember correctly, it is too a "position bulb".