How Do I Clean Out My Rusted Fog Light

hammer008 · September 11, 2004

I have a dirty fog light on the passenger side due to a rusting light bulb. Any way to clean the thing...I have tried Q-tips but the hole where the bulb enters is too small. Consequently, the light is dim from that side.

SKperformance · September 12, 2004

Depends on how bad it is , you have to take tehm apart if you are lucky the chrome reflector inside isn;t rusted.

steviej · September 12, 2004

I would just replace the entire unit. But that is the type of guy I am.

steviej

lexusk8 · September 12, 2004

I have also seen this rusted fog light occurrence on some of the '97-'99 ES models. Some of them look so bad that you can actually see the moisture and water inside the fog light assembly! :o I'm guessing there may be a bad sealant in the fog light, which causes the rust to form and condensation to settle in.

Luckily, the fog lights in my '01 ES are A-OK, although the lenses feel kinda rough and pitted.

hammer008 · September 12, 2004

I have also seen this rusted fog light occurrence on some of the '97-'99 ES models. Some of them look so bad that you can actually see the moisture and water inside the fog light assembly! :o I'm guessing there may be a bad sealant in the fog light, which causes the rust to form and condensation to settle in.
Luckily, the fog lights in my '01 ES are A-OK, although the lenses feel kinda rough and pitted.

For mine, it was not the seals but a pebble hitting the lens and putting a hole in it....you can see it in the top right corner as a speck...I just sealed it with a bathtub sealer goo from Canadian tires.

I tried to take it apart thinking that the metal clips are what held them together...but the thing is like glued glass....no way I can crack it open without cracking the whole thing....

I was thinking of heating it or using some type of solvent that will desolve the rust "stuck on" like a Rad-flush since the light goes for like $125 from a junk yard.

What will dissolve rust? Maybe I will try some muriatic or Hydrocholric acid...

steviej · September 12, 2004

try constant applications of "liquid wrench" over the course of a week.

any hardware stor will have it, but let it work over time. If doesn't work immediately.

That's what we use to get rusted nuts and bolts apart.

steviej

SKperformance · September 13, 2004

to remove rust use CLR and swish it around for a couple of minutes and rinse with clean water. If it does not remove all repeat a few times ,use a pipe cleaner as well .When finished blow out with compressed air and find the fault that let in the water in the first place and seal it up.

hammer008 · September 13, 2004

to remove rust use CLR and swish it around for a couple of minutes and rinse with clean water. If it does not remove all repeat a few times ,use a pipe cleaner as well .When finished blow out with compressed air and find the fault that let in the water in the first place and seal it up.

Great advice skp! Why didn't I think of that...I use CLR all the time to remove rust in my bathroom and sink but never thought of my fog lamps! :lol: My mine is too tunnel vision these days.