TSX OEM HID projectors (D2S)

TSX OEM HID projectors (D2S)

Electrical Lighting - HID projector retrofit Verified Modification Required

Compatibility Overview

Source Vehicle

TSX

Target Vehicle

Civic

Generation: EG

Years: 1992-1995

Installation Difficulty

Easy Basic tools
Moderate Some experience
Difficult Skilled work
Expert Professional

Reference

LEA-MF5 specs → LEA-MF6 specs → LEA specs → RNA Cylinder Head → PLE Cylinder Head → RNA ECU → RNE ECU →
Genuine Acura TSX HID projectors with D2S bulbs and HID ballasts fit inside the stock EG Civic headlight housings, but nothing bolts up - housing cutting, bracket fabrication, and custom wiring are all required. On these newer TSX projectors the projector's front half has the cutoff shield molded into it, so no external shield is needed. The original author retained the OEM fluted glass lens and reported a clean cutoff on the completed driver's side; required extras are the two projectors, two D2S bulbs, two ballasts, L brackets, machine screws and #2 washers, silicone, Loctite, and a harness. Keeping a spare set of EG headlights is recommended if the car is a daily driver, since the conversion is permanent.
The EG headlight must be opened and permanently modified. Bake the assembly at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes (after releasing the five perimeter clips) and split the glass lens from the housing with a spatula. Remove the original internal shield (two Phillips screws at the bottom) and cut a clearance opening in the rear of the housing with a rotary tool and heavy-duty cutoff wheel so the projector body passes through. The projector mounts on 1 in x 1/2 in L brackets (corner braces) attached with small machine screws at the projector's outer holes; the small ring at the base of the projector must be removed. Optionally split the projector halves and shim the two bottom locating nipples with two #2 washers each (the "color mod", which blues the cutoff edge and focuses light under the cutoff). Level the brackets carefully - bracket rotation determines whether the cutoff is flat or tilted - and Loctite all fasteners. Wiring requires a custom harness from the OEM headlight plug to the HID ballasts (soldered or crimped, heat shrink and loom), then the lens is resealed with clear silicone.

Important Caveats

  • • Several experienced repliers warned that the OEM fluted lens scatters a projector beam and softens the cutoff (one described a prior stock-housing retrofit as worse than a plug-and-play kit); clear lenses give the best cutoff. The thread was never updated with final beam-pattern photos.
  • • High beam function is lost.
  • • Incorrect bracket rotation tilts the cutoff line; there is no built-in rotation adjustment without fabricating a custom bracket.
  • • HID retrofits are not street-legal in many jurisdictions and can dazzle oncoming traffic if poorly aimed.
  • • Overheating or forcing the housing during lens separation can break the glass lens or melt the plastic.

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Community Verification

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user verified this swap
By ejoner via Honda-Tech
Added 7 hours ago

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