Water in headlights

What to do about lots and lots of water drops in inside of headlight lenses.
Drill a bunch of ventilation holes? Where? 1990 Honda CRX

 

PITA!
Remove the headlight bulbs, don't touch them.
Remove the lense assemble.
Remove the metal clips that hold the lense front to back.
Heat to about 250F to soften the glue.
Buy a used hair blow drier from goodwill!
While the glue is hot, seperate the halves.
Takes at least two people, and a lot
of cussing.
After the lenes is apart, use a razor blade to
remove the old glue. Be carefull to not remove fingers!
Wipe watr out fomr lense halves. Inspect reflective coating,
if it is damaged either replace the lense, or clean it very
carefully. I used silver "high temp" (header spray) to repair mine.
Not as good as new, but not that bad.
Money has been kind of tight.
Use aquarium silicon seal to glue front/rear halves.
The other type may give off fumes that will cause corrosion
in the lense. I used a woodworking vise, padded with foam
rubber, to hold the lenes halves in place while the silicone set.
I left the little metal clip off because I had to destroy
them to remove them.
Remount lense.
Install bulbs and cuss some more.
A new lense will run you at least $100US.
You might be able to find one a a junk yard for less.
Terry

 

take the bulbs out and leave them out for a couple of days. it all
evaporates, no trouble, no need to take aything else apart or do
anything invasive.

next time, DO NOT pressure-wash under the hood. ever. you contaminate
the brake fluid, force dirt up under seals, into alternator commutators,
down the spark plug tubes so it falls into cylinders on plug changes...
all sorts of grief.

 

the OP never said anything about pressure washing under the hood.

 

doesn't matter. if it's been done by the garage, previous owner,
gremlins, whoever, once the water's in, it doesn't come out if the units
are left "sealed". taking the bulbs out for a few days fixes everything.

 

pressure washing under the hood.

left "sealed". taking the bulbs out for a few days fixes everything.

Never have washed as suggested. Apparently strictly from driving through rain.
Not particularly interested in letting car go unused for "a few days." Where
do I drill some ventilation holes?
Quent

 

(QDurham) wrote in

I'd first inspect the O-ring on the headlight bulb and make sure there's no
sand or dirt in there affecting the O-ring's ability to seal.

Then I'd check the air vent. At the rear of the light, inboard of the bulb
and reflector, there is a rectangular box with a rubber hose and a small
hole in the bottom. Make sure the rubber hose is present and undamaged, and
poke a bent paper clip into the little hole in the bottom to make sure it's
not blocked.

http://tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/89-93-civic-teg-headlight/


If you really want to drill vent holes, you'll find it easiest to remove
the headlight from the vehicle. Undo the two (or three) upper bolts into
the radiator support and the two lower bolts under the headlight assembly.
Make marks with Wite-Out or a marker at the mount points so you can get it
back exactly the same way again.

The engine air intake tube will need to come off first under the right-side
light.

Drill some very small holes, maybe 3/32" dia every couple of inches at the
lowest point of the reflector, close to the lens.

Keep in mind that due to air turbulence in the area behind and beneath the
headlight, the holes will eventually allow fine dust to sift in and coat
the lens and reflactor, impairing their ability to pass light.

 

Ye gads amn, did you pull that headlight assembly our of a swamp?
I htought mine was a little too dirty, but comapred to your photos
I would be willing to eat off mine!
Thanks for the info on the vent tube, my "service" manauls don't
show that.
Terry

 

Ye gads amn, did you pull that headlight assembly out of a swamp?
I htought mine was a little too dirty, but comapred to your photos
I would be willing to eat off mine!
Thanks for the info on the vent tube, my "service" manauls don't
show that.
Terry

 

wrote in

It's messy as hell.

That's the effect of the annual "drippy" rustproofings over 13 years. The
lighter fractions wash off and the heavier fractions eventually build a
sort of greasy patina that collects dust and sand and forms an astoundingly
effective anti-rust coating. There is not a speck of rust on it except
where the patina could not build up. The whole underside of the car is
covered with this patina.

A few months ago somebody ran into me in a parking lot then buggered off.
He (or she...) pushed the headlight in maybe 1/2", just enough to break the
adjusters and the corner light lens. The hood and fenders were untouched.
The car was burgundy by the scratches on my bumper skin.

A replacement cost me $250 at the wreckers. I kept the old one for
reference. Came in handy just now.

 

May their car dissolve from salt this winter! Sometimes I wonder if I'm
the only guy out there that's responsible and decent enough to leave a
note on someone's windshield when I damage their vehicle while parking
and they're not there. Has happened twice in my life: first time cost me
$500, the second turned out not to be my damage.

Near as I can tell the world is chock full of assholes. I hate 'em all. ;-)

 

vent holes will make the problem worse next time it rains. best option?
new lights. second best? take it apart, clean, then resilicone the clear
part to the body of the lamp. the 2 final options id consider would be
taking the bulbs out and blowing a hair dryer in there. then theres the
vent hole idea...

if you DO go with the vent holes, put em as far up as possible, and seal
with silicone when its dried out. good luck, though.

 

I've used the vent holes idea exactly as I describe (bottom of reflector)
on the corner lamps. Works like a charm. Misting and droplets disappeared
completely, even in winter.

 

Take the whole lense out, and dry it inside with a hairdryer, then silicone
over the seams.... not a huge job, and easily done, had to do it on my 95
civic