Has anyone had this problem with moisture inside the headlight housing? If so what was your solution? Wondering if I should remove the whole thing, take it apart, clean and buff it out for that crystal clear look and put it back in, completely replacement the whole light or try and find a place that does custom lights. (Ignore the horrible chipping paint job it needs a new one badly )
Moisture in headlight
- Thread starter 00LincLS
- Start date
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
I've have epoxied 2 headlights on other vehicles. One held up and the other didn't.
Just make sure after sealing it... you dry out the inside very well with warm dry air.
Just make sure after sealing it... you dry out the inside very well with warm dry air.
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
Make sure there's no cracks and that the bulbs are sealing correctly. Otherwise, it's pretty common on Gen 1. It used a rubber butyl sealer that softens with heat. It's usually fine if applied correctly. It may be possible to reseal it by putting it in the over for 10 minutes at 210F and then pressing it together. If it doesn't budge, try 5 increments. Remove the clear adjusters first! 1/8th turn and pull. Get it to room temp before removing those as the adjuster sockets can crack. Don't put it on the wire racks. Use a cookie tray. Don't put it too close to the heating element. Caulk or tape over the lens/housing seal is a poor but less risky alternative
Gen 2 has permaseal, which sets permanently. The above does not apply to them. They're usually pretty well sealed as long as nothing is left open
Gen 2 has permaseal, which sets permanently. The above does not apply to them. They're usually pretty well sealed as long as nothing is left open
Would you suggest something like a heat gun to dry the inside out?
FDR
Dedicated LVC Member
making them clear is the easy part. Polishing can make it look good if the damage isn't too deep. You may have to go with sanding from 400-1000 or 1500 to really clean them up, then followed by polishing. But it'll all be for nothing in a month or three if you don't seal it with a good clearcoat or some sealer for headlights. 2K clear is loved within the headlight mod community, but it comes at a cost and the can has limited life (hours/days) once activated
Also do you guys think I should completely remove the light and see if there’s any leaks around the seams? If so do you all recommend filling the light with water or is there another way to either check for leaks or seal the seams?
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
Heat gun will be too hot. Low wattage hair dryer would be much better.
Also... I think the big box home store sell a butyl type caulk. That might work better than epoxy... but will have a longer cure time.
The o-rings on the bulbs usually last the life of the bulbs, so unless installed improperly, the housing seal is most likely bad.
I was looking at some Gorilla sealant that dries clear and is silicon if the housing seal is bad.
Is the only way to find where the leak is coming from is to fill the light with water? Cause if I can avoid putting anything else in it I may just seal the entire light to be safe.
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
If the bulb socket isn't messed up, and the o-ring on the bulb seals well... then the best thing to do is separate the halves of the light and re-seal with epoxy or butyl caulk... using the method FDR mentioned above.
External caulking usually doesn't work... and creates more of a clean up issue when trying to seal it properly afterwards.
You could get a light assembly from the boneyard. Pull it yourself. That way you can pick one that doesn't have water in it already. That way you know it's still sealed. Then buff and polish the lens if necessary. You might get lucky and find a clean one that doesn't need any work... and if you pull it yourself you might get it cheap. Labor to R&R an assembly yourself would be much less than re-sealing your old one.
External caulking usually doesn't work... and creates more of a clean up issue when trying to seal it properly afterwards.
You could get a light assembly from the boneyard. Pull it yourself. That way you can pick one that doesn't have water in it already. That way you know it's still sealed. Then buff and polish the lens if necessary. You might get lucky and find a clean one that doesn't need any work... and if you pull it yourself you might get it cheap. Labor to R&R an assembly yourself would be much less than re-sealing your old one.
I’ll check the boneyards around me for decent assemblies. May be able to find a center vent that’s not cracked and a decent steering wheel with a good clockspring. Was planning on sanding the oxidation off on all headlights and fog lights then buff and clear coat with Meguiar’s.