bbsal Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 hi everyone well after reading all the posts about clearing the fron headlight i decided to do it.i toke them out put them in the oven and pryed away until they opened up.I have to say it really aint hard to do.once you take the headlight off the car just disconnect the bulds 1 screw amd put it in the oven on 350 for like 3 minutes or until nice and hot then just pry it open and pull the rest and it comes right open.i also really wanted to do this because my projectors were foggy so when i opened it i cleaned them and they look brand new again.i also used plastic compound and buffed the front cover and they now look perfect.i must say without that orange lens the headlights look 100 percent better.i give some pics of it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 heres some more pictures when it was apart.also if you plan on doing this make sure you put it back in the oven and heat it back up so the silocon spreads back into place.i also put some fresh silicon around it so its air tight like new.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 heres one of it in the oven..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
es3doubleO Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Have you seen any traces of moisture leaking into the lights yet? and have the lenses dis-colored or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 no moisture could ever get in there now.i put all new silocon around it when i put it back together so its sealed as good as new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted June 12, 2003 Share Posted June 12, 2003 not that i am trying to correct ,just inform they actually use urethane for the sealing of them as silicone is an easy bond to break that is why you have to heat it back up the silicone should still stay and hold to the ureathane they just have different expansion rates but as long as it it not extreme climate you should be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 13, 2003 Author Share Posted June 13, 2003 your right its urethane.i put black high temp silicon on them when i put it back together.im having a monster storm right now with heavy rain and they help up perfect all day so thats good news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticwar Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 I don't have a working oven here. Is there anything else I can use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AusJapanWindom Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 yes, I was thinking that too.. can you use a hair dryer? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 16, 2003 Author Share Posted June 16, 2003 you could try a good hair dryer but it might not get it hot enough.give it a shot.if it dont start to pry open then you know you need the oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeiLtYmE Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 where do you get this silcone stuff..... ? what is it ? -neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
es3doubleO Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 I think you can get the silcone from any hardware store. I was also thinking you can also use a heat gun to pry the seal open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 17, 2003 Author Share Posted June 17, 2003 yea a heat gun might do it better then a hair dryer.also the silocon you can buy at any automotive store.walmart even has it and also k-mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 17, 2003 Author Share Posted June 17, 2003 im about to do my back tail lights and i will give the hair dryer and also a heat gun that i have a shot and i will let yous know whats the best to use.i will try a couple different things just to see whats better.i would think the oven is still the best though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 i am not trying to sound negative but a heat gun is only going to get one area hot enough for the ureathane to release then when you move it around to the other areas it will cool the problem is the whole assembly needs to be heated evenly of the outer plastic will crack from pressure as some of the ureathane is letting go and other parts it is rock hard just a thought but anything is possible just be careful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted June 17, 2003 Author Share Posted June 17, 2003 yep i was thinking the same thing.the oven is for sure the best way since it heats every part up.but im just going to try very carefully just to see if something else would work.if i see it doesnt im going to stop so i dont screw my light up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted July 10, 2003 Share Posted July 10, 2003 before you put the housing in the oven, do you have to remove anything else besides the bulbs? What about the rubber seal that is no top of the housing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted July 11, 2003 Author Share Posted July 11, 2003 i didnt but i gues to be safe you could.i just removed them little rubber hoses and the lights of course but thats about it.also you have to remove the metal clips all around the light.not hard to do at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9tRaY_ES Posted July 13, 2003 Share Posted July 13, 2003 what did you use to pry open the headlights? and what is the name of the sealant you used to reseal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted July 14, 2003 Author Share Posted July 14, 2003 just a flat head screw driver.and i used black high temp silicon to help reseal along with the urethane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex3486 Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 probably beatin a dead horse, as they say, but i just now saw this post and thought i'd share what i know. i recently cleared the taillights on my ES, but i used a heatgun mostly to do it, and it all worked out pretty good. at first i put them in the oven, but after a few minutes, i noticed the black plastic "fin" on the top of the light that makes it flush with metal of the car around the trunk started to droop and melt, so i took it out. then i used a heatgun to remove the lens the rest of the way. on the second one, though, i used only the heatgun, and it actually went better than the first. the trick is to know where to apply the heat and force in order to avoid chipping a little piece off the outside with screwdrivers, like i did on one. i didnt heat them up when i reassemled them. prob. should've, but didn't have an oven at the time, but i put silicone around the outside and they haven't leaked yet! the key is definitely to take your time and be careful, and you should be fine. sorry this is so long, but i figured anyone who cared would appreciate hearin it all in one big heap rather than havin to wait! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbsal Posted July 18, 2003 Author Share Posted July 18, 2003 well if the heat gun worked for you then that would be good for people without a oven but if you didnt reheat the light before putting it back together you cant be sure it will leak eventully.probably not at first because you have silicon on there but it will start to leak.silicon WONT hold the light together for very long.thats why theres urethane on them to hold it together.i still advice anyone who wants to clear there lights to MAKE SURE you put it back in the oven and reheat it before putting it together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex3486 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 yeah, probably right about the eventual leaking. i wanted to reheat it, but the urethane was still pretty soft, so i put them together as best i could ( i actually literally stood on them, with towels on both sides) before i applied the silicone. im pretty sure there's no chance of them leakin soon, b/c they went back together almost as snug as they were factory before i ever put a drop of silicone on them. anyhow, i do agree that it certainly cant hurt anything. just had to make due with what i had at the time, ya know? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 nice to kow the gun worked i also used the ove to soften up the urethane and then perssed it back together and only use the sealer on the outside edges after as the urethane would selal together agian the little fin on the rear lights are you talking abuot where the lights for the liscense plate are that melted? you were supposed to remove them as they are seperate assemblies and it just screws on to the light for support i forgot on one of mine and it also melted nicely but the rest of the light was perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex3486 Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 no, i removed those, but sucks that you didn't! sorry about that man. no, if you look at the taillights when they're on your car, there's this black part that makes the light flush with the trunk. this is actually part of the light assembly, and that's what i was talkin about. anyhow, its no big deal; i caught it b4 it got bad and bent it back, so its all good. but yeah, if you use it right, the heat gun works great! i dunno why no one else ever thought of that. guess not everyone has one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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