Headlight bulb wiring connector is toast - suggestions?

Post by **matthew1** » 19 Aug 2016, 19:16

My buddy's 2001 S60 headlight bulb wiring connector is shot, brittle. What do you suggest? If we get the part from the dealer parts counter (nearby dealer called Rickenbaugh Volvo), is it a matter of crimping the wires to the new connector, or threading them into and seating them into the new connector?

Or should we just forget the connector and crimp the wires to the bulb housing itself and tape the whole thing, and write off the connector altogether?

: s60-headlight-bulb-connector.jpg (62.6 KiB) Viewed 1441 times

What it's supposed to look like:

Post by **abscate** » 19 Aug 2016, 19:40

I think I have a spare from the famous wiring upgrade, which I got rid of on my 1999

I'll check and reply

KurtL · Post by **KurtL** » 19 Aug 2016, 22:15

I bought the connectors on line for $7.50 a piece and threaded them on. A simple fix.

Post by **IdahoBob** » 23 Aug 2016, 22:32

Matthew,
Your photo of what it should look like may be from a later model, not the '01 you are helping with. My experience with the '02 S80 and '02 & '04 XC70's was that they had a pair of flat solder-less connectors that slipped inside a (brittle & cracked after years of hot service) plastic housing and then onto flat post connectors on the bulbs. I think that's what your friend's car has. The bottom photo you posted is the H11 bulb used on later models. My '06 XC70 has the H11 (low beam) and H9 (high beams) bulbs, which use the different plug, as shown in your lower photo.

1) If that brittle piece of plastic can be used, slip the connectors through it, and use it, at least until the dealer can get you a new one. It's providing some separation between the positive and neutral wires. one of the usual better parts houses may have a replacement also.

2) If the car does have H11 lights (I think not) look very carefully at how they go back in that flimsy holder, before you start twisting them in, and make sure that plug is installed correctly when you snap it on. If the bulb goes in crooked, then arcing starts, and it can lead to burning out the contact areas of the flimsy piece and the plug, blowing bulbs, etc.

Happy Motoring!

Post by **matthew1** » 23 Aug 2016, 23:07

Thanks Bob, Kurt and Steve. Bob thanks for the difference clarification on the connector types. Now that you mention it, they don't match.

I just spoke to my friend and he said he managed to attach the spade connector to the bulb somehow, and tape it... avoids the disintegrating plastic connector entirely from what I understand.

So it's semi-permanently fixed. Could be anywhere between "poorly done" and "good enough". It's his car, and I'm not going to say anything else to him.