Headlight question

[THE RAY]

First of all....im new here...
AMAZING SITE GUYS...well done

i drive a 92 camry le and i love it to death

its getting painted black in a month cant wait too show u guys pics

but anywhoo....i took off my headlight today to clean the inside of it...i took off all those little clip thingys but it still wouldnt come off. how can i get the glass to come off?? ty guys..

[Phi]

I did the same thing you did :roll: and similarly discovered that the clip did sh*t all!
I kinda gave up after that. However, our resident headlight conversion expert Tony the morning breakfast character might be kind enought to eloborate.

I think the light is held together with adhesive that can be heated up using a heat gun or a good old oven :wink: http://www.torontocivics.com/articles/headlights/headlights.html
The article recommends resealing with clear silicon. I've heard from others that it still leaks and causes condensation. I stumbled across these guys that sound like they have some sh*t that might actually work. And, they're located in T.O!!
http://www.plasticworld.ca/prod04.htm


BTW- Welcome! Can't wait to see pics of the fresh paint.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: phi on 2002-06-17 22:41 ]</font>

[THE RAY]

YA i was soo pissed off when i found out that the clips did nothing at all...

but after i get it off what should i use to but it back on...cocking?

[Razo-E]

i think you mean &quot;caulk&quot;, not &quot;****&quot;...

[alex]

you never know what people do these days......

[Tony the Tiger]

Those clips for the headlights are only there to hold the seal when they are freshly mated together. In order to take out the headlight lens, you will need to use a heat gun to heat the edges of the lens. There is a resin that softens up when heated, and you will have to carefully pry your way through and open up the seal.

here's a pic:

[THE RAY]

OMG LMAS! LOL im such a bird...
but thx for your input guys...tony what should i use to seal those puppies back up?
cuz im gunna do it tomorrow..becuz i just bought some arctic white bulbs.

[camryLI]

as for the actual cleaning goes:
How do I clean a reflector lamp?
Cleaning the outside of a headlight should preferrably be done with soap and water, and is considered very streigth forward.

However, cleaning the inside of a headlamp becomes more tricky since you will face the same challenges as cleaning the inside of a bottle:
Remove the headlight bulb.
Remove the headlight from the car.
Fill the headlight about 1/2 full of distilled water and put in a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
Cover the bulb opening and shake the housing for a minute or so.
Pour out the soapy water.
Fill the headlight about 1/2 full of distilled water.
Shake, drain.
Repeat rinse.
Rinse again with 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol added (promotes drying).
Drain.
Let headlight dry, open end down (overnight), or you can use a hair dryer to speed things up.
Reinstall headlight.
Reinstall bulb.
(care of tony )