1990 Es250: Water In Headlight

[ArmyofOne]

hi, i woudl like to put silverstar bulbs in when i get this car, unfortunately it has some HEAVY condensation inside the right headlight, how do i fix this??? if i dont fix it and it gets/stays wet in there, the $20.00 a pop bulbs will blow.

TIA.

[steviej]

remove the headlight unit from the car and place it in a hot dry place. (oven at 120-140 degrees or so). Not enough to melt the plastic but hot enough to dry out the insides.

When dry, hold the light unit in a water bath large enough to immerse the unit past any seals. See if it leaks. If so, use a bead of silicone or aquarium sealent to stop the leak.

Also look at the gasket around the bulb holder. If it is dry or cracked, that will let moisture in. A thin bead of sealant will work and still allow you to remove the bulb later.

steviej

[ArmyofOne]

i will look. thanks again... hopw do i remove the headlight??? any ideas???

also is there a haynes manual for this car??? i looked and all i saw was 1989-1992 Toyota Camry V6

[steviej]

that manual should surfice for the basics.

[ArmyofOne]

ok thanks Steviej

everyone is so helpful here. :)

[t2ggg]

hi, i woudl like to put silverstar bulbs in when i get this car, unfortunately it has some HEAVY condensation inside the right headlight, how do i fix this???  if i dont fix it and it gets/stays wet in there, the $20.00 a pop bulbs will blow.

TIA.

←

I sealed mine with just Kitchen/Bath silicone (GE I Think) last year because i failed state inspection last winter - has lasted about a year with no problem. Heating for a fairly long time sounds like a pretty good idea - just have to be careful. If a lot of water may have to get most out first by drilling holes in bottom - I must have hit puddle 'cause there was a lot. I used alternately a hair dryer and a little l tire air compressor - cigarette lighter type(used the drilled holes to put in a ball pump needle ) This was all a slow process. Body shop told me to use big compressor but didn't have one and didn't want to take time to take it there.

[es300ed]

This may sound like a silly solution but I did it for almost 10 years on a 1992 Volvo 240. I removed the bulb and then used about paper towels wrapped in a tight spiral (one at a time), inserted each into the hole where the bulb came out and let the paper towels soak up the accumulated condensation. After about 5 paper towels it was just about dry. I had to do this once or twice per year.

Didn't solve the problem but worked for me.

Ed