What is going on with my headlight? Sometimes it works, other times not.

[cat171]

I noticed a few days ago that the passenger side dipped beam doesn’t work, the bulb is new & only been in since June.
When I touch the back of the light it makes a sort of electrical noise (like a motor noise) & the light comes on, the back of it (the black plastic plug part which I touched) gets pretty hot though, a lot hotter than the drivers side one.

Often though after turning the lights off & back on again it won’t work, but if I touch the back of it again it comes on.
The light works fine when it’s not in the bulb holder, even if I move it around it’s fine, but when I put it back it doesn’t work. I have not unclipped it.

What is up with it ? dodgy wire? or the connection? as I say I've not unclipped it & when I moved it around not in in the holder it was fine.

 

[Bobby.]

Sounds like a bad connection, have a look at the connector for corrosion.

That motor sound you can here when playing with it is the head light adjuster, it's operating as your moving it.

 

[cat171]

Yeah that noise makes sense, thanks.

How do I go about cleaning the connector? it looks really small, I don't think I can get a wire brush on it, what else can I use? (assuming it's corroded etc)

 

[Bobby.]

You can use something like a little screw driver or a pick. Just scrap the corrosion off if theirs any on it.

What model have you got anyway?

 

[cat171]

Mk1 V6.