I have a 2002 R53 with a right side headlight not functioning. Replaced the $$$ bulb. Swapped the bulbs. No dice. Doesn't seem to be a fuse issue unless someone knows something i don't. So the likely problem might be the xenon control unit. Any ideas anyone?

 

The likely problem is the igniter which is integral to the lamp assembly. The control box won't do it. OEM is not cheap. I found a Hella 010071031 left and 010071041 right assembly which is the same as OEM and is cheaper.

At some point I intend to see if I can remove the lens and replace the igniter on the assembly I removed. But that may not be for a while.

Rich

 

Rich, Are you aware of a lifespan with the igniter, like a light bulb, or is it just that some are prone to fail and some are not? Thanks Evan

 

No. From what I have been reading here for 8 years now, it seems that the early Xenons had intermittent igniters AND that for some reason it was the drivers side that went predominantly bad. That to me suggests some manufacturing glitch but there is no evidence of that that I have seen.

In the later models, 2004 and later, the igniter is outside the housing and easily replaced. Clearly Mini knew there was a problem with the old ones.

Rich

 

Actually you can swap the control units from left to right and if that is the problem you'll know.
But more than likely it's the ignitor in the light, which means you need to replace the whole light.

 

Minor hijack here: my wife's 2003 S has been having the same problem, and we've got an inspection to pass this month...The passenger side low-beam headlight had not been working at all lately, although it has suddenly come back to life today (I assume that would rule out a bad bulb?). I've swapped the control units and have confirmed that it isn't the control unit. I'll swap the bulbs tonight. If it turns out to be a bad ignitor (worst case, right?), and the entire headlight unit needs to be replaced, what are the options? Replace the non-functioning one with a new or used xenon headlight unit, would obviously work. How about halogen? Could we replace both headlights with lower-cost halogen units? Also, the current headlights have headlight washers (one of which I replaced last year). If we replaced both headlight units, could we go with washerless units (is there something that would have to be done with the washer hose running to the light unit)?

Sorry for the many questions, and my apologies to the OP for stepping in. This is just one of those situations where NO vehicle should require you to come up with this kind of money just to get headlights working!

 

Not even close. Your post is no hijack at all.

That would be unusual. That bulb is a standard halogen. The connector may be loose and/or corroded. I would check that first.

You are going to have to bite the bullet. A new assembly is the only real fix. I thought about a used lamp but why take the chance that it is bad too. I changed mine to a Hella 010071031 and never looked back. I got tired of the crapshoot each time I turned on my headlights.

Sorry for the bad news.

Rich

 

Yes! I did. The cheapest price I found was $163 at Amazon for part numbers #63 12 6 911 705 and #63 12 6 911 706. That was a few months ago, so check around if somebody else has them cheaper. That's $163 for a pair of complete halogen headlight assemblies, for those used to seeing prices of $400+ for one Xenon light.

They plug right in, no fuss. The hardest part, if you can call it hard, is getting the washers and control units and so on apart. I used a siphon pump to empty the washer tank and I left the washer hoses hanging. I might remove all that later. Or I might bite the bullet and install working Xenons if I sell the car. I know folks love em' but I've never seen actual data saying they're safer. If I saw proof that HIDs would decrease my chances of crashing I might go spend the $900. Not until then.

There is a lot of data on whether Xenons blind oncoming drivers at night (they don't, generally). But in the 1990s the Department of Transportation NHTSA was very worried about that, and put a lot of rules in place. The washers to keep them clean, so guck on the lens doesn't scatter the light and make grandpa coming the other way crash. And the requirement that the whole unit be non-serviceable, lest the lens get to scratched and pitted as the miles rack up. Make people buy a whole new lens every time any part of the thing breaks. And of course the self-leveling. Which was there to compensate for neglecting to have your headlights aimed, and having a heavy load tilt the car up and blind somebody.

By 2000 the NHTSA relented on these tough rules, realizing that worry over blinding drivers was overblown. But the early Minis were designed in the mid to late 90s, and so they started out with 1990s style sealed-all-in-one Xenons. But later they made it so you could replace the igniter and keep the rest of the light. I don't think washers and leverers were mandatory any more either, but they kept those around for some reason. Bling, I guess.


(Note that washer fluid is, in theory, flammable, and you don't want that spraying all over your engine while you're driving around. And you can't just decide to not activate the washers -- your car decides to wash your headlights whenever that little CPU whirrs along to a its happy place and says "it's washing time!" So do siphon out the washer tank and pull the fuse for your headlight washers so the pump doesn't run dry all the time.)

 

Those halogens are still there. If my wife's attitude is what I expect, that's what we would replace with.

Off topic: we've got a Chicco keyfit 30 in the back of our mini, too! Our little one will be outgrowing it very soon, though, and we're going to have to move to a convertable seat. Have you looked at those yet?

 

More than likely the parts are left in place because other countries require it and there is no sense in retooling an assembly line to accommodate just the USA folks. We are not the center of the universe. In Germany if you fit a HID kit without the levelers and washers you will fail TUV. Also, if you are caught driving with an illegal kit you can lose your license and get a hefty fine. Here in the USA we tend to ignore the rules and do what we want but other countries do activley enforce the rules.

As for the washer fluid, how rich do you run it. The premix I use will put a match out and it is good down to -20. Never heard of a car catching fire because of headlight washer fluid.

 

I like the Graco My Ride 65 in our Golf more than the Eddie Bauer in the Mini. It has too many annoying quirks, like a headrest that won't stay up. I'd go for a Graco, Chicco, or Britax, and for sure look for the square clickers that snap into the LATCH connectors. The primitive snap hooks that cheap seats have will do the job but they're a pain. It's really nice to be able to move the seat to another car without having it take a half hour.

 

Once had a fire extinguisher training at a base in Germany where this young fireman had a big metal pan with about 2 inches of JP-8 jet fuel he wanted to demonstrate on. He stood back for five minutes flinging lit matches into it trying to get it to light, but without vapor and an enclosed space to concentrate it, that stuff puts matches out. Even gasoline will put out matches, though there's usually enough vapor hanging around the surface to catch.

I've never heard of washer fluid igniting a car either, but then I've never heard of anybody else leaving their headlight washer hoses hanging above their engine spraying fluid out at random intervals. I suppose it would depend on how hot it got and how much the vapor collected. I'd never want to put it to the test. It usually contains methanol and the MSDS gives it a flammability rating of 3 out of 4.

 

I'm a little tired and missed the point where you were talking about replacing the lights to units without the washers. So yes, it does make sense to do what you were saying by pulling the fuse. If it isn't in use then why have it running?

Having been aviation in the military (Crew Chief) and worked with both JP-4 and JP-8 I do know what you are saying and I have had that training numerous times. You do have to have vapor to ignite it but with washer fluid I don't think you will get it as there simply isn't enough there and it evaporates way too quickly. I guess you could get a small poof but that would be about it.

 

Yes, as far as I know you can't find halogens with washers, so losing the HIDs also means disconnecting the washer hoses.

 

Bringing back and hijacking this thread a little. If anyone has a bad Xenon light left/right or both. I'd be interested in buying them. I have an idea for a custom light but don't want to spend the crazy cash on a good set. Plus if it doesn't work I'll have f'd up a good working set of lights.lol shoot me an e-mail if you have one.

Thanks Joe
jpitchford83@gmail.com

 

Newbie to the forum and feeling out how you folks work. Seems to be a lot like my MVAgusta.net forum

I am having this problem with a 2002 R53 also. It appears to be the ignitor, which I know is replaceable. The headlight must be removed and slightly disassembled.

Is there a place through this forum where I can find manuals or simple headlight removal instructions?

 

Who told you the igniter is replaceable?

I know a lot of times people mix up igniter/ballast with "control unit". The igniter is built into the headlight unit and is not meant to be replaceable. That's the whole basis for all these problems people have with these lights.

If you upgrade to a 2005 or so xenon light, the next generation, then you can replace your igniter (aka ballast) without having to buy a new headlight.

You can take your left and right control units and swap them. If the problem moves to the other side, you know the control unit is bad. If not, then it's not the control unit.

Try here http://tis.spaghetticoder.org/s/view.pl?1/07/13/20 for instructions. Disconnect your battery -- they say the control unit can electrocute you. Those TIS instructions are not very detailed. I strongly recommend buying the Bentley manual.

 

I have already done the "swap-the-ballast" test for the light. If it is, in fact, the ignitor, which is a replaceable unit (I hold one in my hand right now), then one needs to remove the headlight unit (appears to be three nuts) and then remove the old ignitor, plug in the new, and re-install. Pretty straight forward.

Yes, I should, and will buy the Bentley Manual, but that won't solve the problem today. I'd like to know if the headlight removal is a straight-forward: swing the ballast aside, remove three hold down nuts, extract the headlight (after disconnecting the washer unit) from the front of the car type evolution.

The ballast and ignitor can generate around 50000 volts of high energy which will knock you on your a** if handled carelessly. It is, in essence, a high capacitance starter for a high energy light.

I just need to know if I am on the right track for headlight removal from the hood of a 2002 R53.

 

Thanks for the headlight removal instructions, Dennis. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome here.

 

Does anyone here know if the headlight assembly can be taken apart? It appears that the lens is glued in place and the assembly is a single unit. I have emailed the person who sold the ignitor to see if he has instructions.....

 

Put the assembly in an oven at 140 degrees for about 10 minutes. Work slowly and the lens will come off. If you have a heat gun handy and a friend with an extra set of hands that is good too. And cotton cloves so you don't mark the lens.

It's the same procedure as the Joey mod.

Rich

 

I use 200F for 5-7 minutes.

 

Thanks folks...will be trying this today.

 

Yes, Virginia, you can change the ignitor on a first generation (X53) Mini Cooper S Xenon headlight.

The ignitor is about $86.00 on eBay.

It's a good long day of work, but better than $500.00 for a new headlight assembly!

Success! I used the reccomendation of a 200*F oven and the twice baked method...lol
Using a paint can lid opener. I worked my way around the lens. This is not an operation for the feint of heart! Once the lens is off, you must remove the reflector...this is a bit tricky as there are actually three screws buried in the goo at the 2 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. These screws can be meticulously cleaned and removed before or after removing the reflector. I did mine after, simply because I did not know any better. The screws hold onto a "C" shaped leg of the reflector...they are impossible to see unless you remove all the sealent, but there is a tell-tale that they are there if you look at the perimeter of the housing...there is an extension of the mold in the form of a quater inch line at each of the three legs of the reflector. Directly above those lines are the screws. They use a small hex key or torx. I pried my lens legs out of the screw cavity and then cleaned and removed the screws...use heat to keep things flexible.

Now the headlight aiming reflector must be removed. There are two screws that hold the adjuste in place. I drilled holes in th ehousing immediately above those screws in order to effect the removal. I don't reccomend trying to pry the adjuster ball out of the snap clip...they break and you're screwed. With that reflector out of the way, simply unscrew the ignitor from the headlight housing, install the new one, and reassemble.

A word of caution: not all ignitors have the same length cabling! I had to splice my used wires ontothe new ignitor to have sufficient lenght. The cables should be 11.5-12 inches long.

The guy I dealt with on eBay was absolutely excellent and has a good used product.

 

Once I get my photos together, I will post a photo journey through the process.