how do I change the headlight bulb in a 99?

Hello newsgroup!

I need to change the headlight bulb on the passenger side in the
LISPmobile. On the plus side, it seems to be a standard, cheap part.
On the minus side, it isn't immediately apparent to me how to get the
old one out, and I don't have an owner's manual. I tried tugging on the
connector at the back of the headlight assembly, and the bulb wiggled
around some but seems to be held in place by something. I didn't want
to yank it so hard that I break the headlight casing. Has anybody here
got any experience changing the bulb in a M2? Do you have to unscrew
something? Also, would you recommend any other bulb than the generic
replacement? Thanks!

Yours WDK -

On Mon, 26 Jun 2006 21:12:46 -0400, "W. Kiernan" >
wrote:

>Hello newsgroup!
>
>I need to change the headlight bulb on the passenger side in the
>LISPmobile. On the plus side, it seems to be a standard, cheap part.
>On the minus side, it isn't immediately apparent to me how to get the
>old one out, and I don't have an owner's manual. I tried tugging on the
>connector at the back of the headlight assembly, and the bulb wiggled
>around some but seems to be held in place by something. I didn't want
>to yank it so hard that I break the headlight casing. Has anybody here
>got any experience changing the bulb in a M2? Do you have to unscrew
>something? Also, would you recommend any other bulb than the generic
>replacement? Thanks!
>
>Yours WDK -
The bulb is held in by a metal wire clip. You have to remove it first.

"W. Kiernan" > wrote in
:

> I don't have an owner's manual.

http://www.books4cars.com/search~fin...desc~Miata.htm

$40 bucks, worth the price!

They also have service manuals, wiring diagrams, etc. If you plan on
keeping the car and if you do your own work you might consider spending
the bucks.

I would think you could do better on the price elsewhere though. Also, I
seem to remember someone saying that you can download the owners manual
direct from Mazda (anyone? class.....anyone? Farris?). Anyway, that site
shows the factory shop manuals at $140, I'm thinking they're about $100 at
trussville mazda, not for sure.

Chris
99BBB

"XS11E" > wrote in message
...
> "W. Kiernan" > wrote in
> :
>
>> I don't have an owner's manual.
>
> http://www.books4cars.com/search~fin...desc~Miata.htm
>
> $40 bucks, worth the price!
>
> They also have service manuals, wiring diagrams, etc. If you plan on
> keeping the car and if you do your own work you might consider spending
> the bucks.
>
>

"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote in message
...
>I would think you could do better on the price elsewhere though. Also, I
>seem to remember someone saying that you can download the owners manual
>direct from Mazda (anyone? class.....anyone? Farris?). Anyway, that site
>shows the factory shop manuals at $140, I'm thinking they're about $100 at
>trussville mazda, not for sure.
>
> Chris
> 99BBB
>
> "XS11E" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "W. Kiernan" > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> I don't have an owner's manual.
>>
>> http://www.books4cars.com/search~fin...desc~Miata.htm
>>
>> $40 bucks, worth the price!
>>
>> They also have service manuals, wiring diagrams, etc. If you plan on
>> keeping the car and if you do your own work you might consider spending
>> the bucks.
>>
>>
>
>

If you register as an owner on the Mazda USA website, you can, at least for
the NCs, download an owners' manual in PDF format.

I wish it were that easy for a shop manual. That thing's $130 plus tax at
Skyland Mazda in Asheville, NC.


"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote in message
...
>I would think you could do better on the price elsewhere though. Also, I
>seem to remember someone saying that you can download the owners manual
>direct from Mazda (anyone? class.....anyone? Farris?). Anyway, that site
>shows the factory shop manuals at $140, I'm thinking they're about $100 at
>trussville mazda, not for sure.
>
> Chris
> 99BBB

In article >,
"Chris D'Agnolo" > wrote:

> At Trussville, the 99 Shop Manual is $99
> http://trussville.buymazdaparts.com/...1999&modelid=4
> The 2002 is $137, I guess because it looks like it's a larger format (8.5"x
> 11").

Historically, Mazda has offered workshop manuals in two sizes: a
softbound 5.75" x 8.25", and an 8.5: x 11" in a 3-ring binder. The
wiring diagrams are a little hard to read in the compact manual.

Eight years ago, the small ones were $60 and the large ones $100 or
more. From time to time, several vendors sold them at a discount. I'd
imagine you could do a lot better on eBay, if you don't mind a few
greasy fingerprints.

I've seen pirated manuals on CD-ROM, too, but the scan quality was
amateurish, and small type often wasn't readable at all.

--
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

Lanny Chambers wrote:
>
> Chris D'Agnolo wrote:
> >
> > At Trussville, the 99 Shop Manual is $99
> > http://trussville.buymazdaparts.com/...?fuse=results&
> > year=1999&modelid=4
> > The 2002 is $137, I guess because it looks like it's a larger
> > format (8.5" x 11").
>
> Historically, Mazda has offered workshop manuals in two sizes: a
> softbound 5.75" x 8.25", and an 8.5: x 11" in a 3-ring binder. The
> wiring diagrams are a little hard to read in the compact manual.
>
> Eight years ago, the small ones were $60 and the large ones $100 or
> more. From time to time, several vendors sold them at a discount. I'd
> imagine you could do a lot better on eBay, if you don't mind a few
> greasy fingerprints.

I looked on eBay a while back but I didn't see one. But that Trussville
manual sounds like just the thing I want, and it's worth $99 to me,
especially because I can choose which color the cover comes in! I think
I'll go with the red one.

The problem I had with the headlight bulb was simple, but I'll spell it
out for the next guy searching this fine newsgroup in groups.google.com.
The back of the light bulb has three flat metal electrodes. If you
look close you'll see there are little holes through them. The first
thing you want to do is disconnect the black boxy power connector from
the back of the burned-out bulb, but if you grab the connector that
plugs onto these electrodes by the top and bottom, you can tug and tug
but it won't come off. Grab it by the sides instead and squeeze in a
little, it's got a latch which, when you squeeze it, releases the pins
that hook into the holes on the electrodes, and then the connector slips
off easily. I'd never seen a headlight connector that latched onto the
bulb that way before. All this is a lot easier, too, if you do it in
the daylight where you can actually see, rather than at night under a
street lamp.

Next pull off the waterproof rubber sleeve, and provided it's daylight
out you'll see a wire spring holding the bulb in place from above and
below. If you're working on the (US) passenger-side light facing the
back of the car, the spring is hinged on your right. Take your finger
and press down and in on the top left end of the spring, and it comes
free from where it's hooked on the metal housing and swings out to the
right. Now the bad bulb drops out and the new one slips into place. It
has three fingers sticking out from it so you can only put it in the
opening in the correct orientation (where the middle electrode is up).
Put the rubber sleeve back on and slip on the electrical connector and
you're done, a two-minute no-tools-necessary job once you know how.

When I went to the auto supply store they had "20% brighter" #9003
halogen bulbs at two for $17.88, or two other varieties of bulbs in
fake-HID blue for $36.99 a pair. I would be willing to pay extra for
brighter bulbs but since they were all 60/55W bulbs, it looks to me like
the only difference was the tint on the bulb, which would diminish the
brightness. So I went with the cheap ones instead. Has anybody ever
used any aftermarket bulbs that actually give you better visibility?

Yours WDK -