DIY - Leaking Foglight Repair (1 Viewer)

[GregLCA]

The title is a bit of a misnomer.... as nothing is really "fixed" yet.


I rarely use my foglights anyway, but the other night my son noticed that one of them was out.

I'd made a mental note a while back that one of them (PS) had a bunch of condensation in it, so I had planned to try to dry it out at some point. I figured that it might be nice to swap in some yellow-tinted bulbs so that they would actually work in fog / snowy conditions. The pure white bulbs don't seem to do much except reflect a lot of blinding light back into the windshield.

So I picked up a set of these:

Removing the foglight housing is simple. There is a weatherpack-type connector that unplugs from the bulb socket and then a single nut retains the housing. This can be snapped off quickly with a 10mm socket.... which is what I did.

No worries. As it turned out, my odds of "repairing" the leaking housing were basically nil anyway... the bulb was frozen in the socket and when I finally got it removed there was a strange corrosion on the bulb-seat area that ruined any chance of a weatherproof seal with a new bulb anway.

So I did some digging and found the following part numbers:

Passenger Side:

81211-60121 - (Original lousy design. No Longer Available)
81211-60122 - (Newer design. Allegedly better design)

Driver Side:

81221-60041 - (Original lousy design. No Longer Available)
81221-60042 - (Newer design. Allegedly better design)

90178-06002 - New Retaining Nut to replace the rusty ones.



So that's my update so far. A simple $10 bulb replacement is now at around $180... but at least the new housing should stay dry inside for another 15 years!!!


-G

 

[n55luvr]

I say skip the OEM part and get a knock off replacement for $45:

Amazon.com: Toyota Land Cruiser Passenger Side Replacement Fog Light: Automotive

That's the one I bought last spring and I couldn't be happier. Look identical to OEM too.

 

[GregLCA]

I say skip the OEM part and get a knock off replacement for $45:

Amazon.com: Toyota Land Cruiser Passenger Side Replacement Fog Light: Automotive

That's the one I bought last spring and I couldn't be happier. Look identical to OEM too.

Weird.

I thought I saw some old archive posts around here that the aftermarket ones were lousy quality? eBay units perhaps?

That's the only thing that was scaring me away from a non-OEM.


-G

 

[n55luvr]

Honestly, my knock off looks brand new after 11k miles. I have 0 complaints. I did see similar thread you probably saw but I think there are several knock offs out there. I can only speak to the one I posted and for a fraction of the cost it was a win in my book!

 

[reznunt]

Here's a pair (left and right) for $45 shipped:

Winjet 97-07 Toyota Land Cruiser OE Fog Lights Wiring Kit - Clear


I've had china oem copy headlight housings on my tundra for 5 years now and they look great and haven't had any leaks or other issues.

 

[GregLCA]

Here's a pair (left and right) for $45 shipped:

Winjet 97-07 Toyota Land Cruiser OE Fog Lights Wiring Kit - Clear


I've had china oem copy headlight housings on my tundra for 5 years now and they look great and haven't had any leaks or other issues.

What part of the country do you live in? Any snow, cold weather, etc where you are?

I decided to take a chance on that eBay set... for $45/pr (shipped) it's worth the risk. I'll compare the new ones to the old housings and take a few photos for comparison if anyone is interested.

Do you think there's any value is doing a pre-emptive silicone job on the new ones before installing them? On mine, the leak clearly started as a result of the corrosion around the bulb/socket connector and NOT where the clear lens attached to the back housing... but if they are cheaply made (as I suspect they are) then maybe it's good insurance to add a little extra weatherproofing to the perimeter of the lens before bolting them up....


-G

 

[Sandroad]

I just ordered a cheap one off Amazon and that's exactly what I'm going to do; pre-emptively seal it everywhere before the install.

Are you going to use the yellow bulbs you have?

 

[GregLCA]

I just ordered a cheap one off Amazon and that's exactly what I'm going to do; pre-emptively seal it everywhere before the install.

Are you going to use the yellow bulbs you have?

Yeah, I'm going to try the yellows and see if they are any better in fog/snow. The whites are basically useless in those conditions.......



-G

 

[Sandroad]

When you get those in, find some fog and report back!

 

[yotasavg]

I'm also interested in what the yellow bulbs can do for you. I'll also add this to the thread: I have been running a set of Depo fogs, and I love them. They recently did their first big puddle crossings though and both took on water. They're still alive, but now I have to open them up, clean and reseal them. These were a good bit more change than the ones you guys are talking about, and I really didn't expect the leakage. So with that being said, I'd do some extra sealing before installing.

 

[GregLCA]

I'm also interested in what the yellow bulbs can do for you. I'll also add this to the thread: I have been running a set of Depo fogs, and I love them. They recently did their first big puddle crossings though and both took on water. They're still alive, but now I have to open them up, clean and reseal them. These were a good bit more change than the ones you guys are talking about, and I really didn't expect the leakage. So with that being said, I'd do some extra sealing before installing.

Do you think the leaks originated around the perimeter of the housings, or near the rear socket (or possibly the breather hole?)


-G

 

[yotasavg]

Hmmm now that you mention it, I guess it could have been the breather hole.... These felt as good as my oem units, solid. I don't think it is leaking from the socket as the bulbs are VERY snug in there. I assumed there was just a few gaps in the seal, but you've raised a good point about the breather. I'll have to check that out.

 

[n55luvr]

Wondering how the breather hole is setup on the ebay ones. On the light I posted for $45, there is a rubber hose that comes out of the fog light about half an inch then makes a 90* turn straight down for another ~2 inches. Thought it was a good setup when I installed it. Even submerging the light the water would have a hard time traveling up the tube and into the light housing. Submerged for any length of time, then sure, it would also fill with water.

 

[GregLCA]

Wondering how the breather hole is setup on the ebay ones. On the light I posted for $45, there is a rubber hose that comes out of the fog light about half an inch then makes a 90* turn straight down for another ~2 inches. Thought it was a good setup when I installed it. Even submerging the light the water would have a hard time traveling up the tube and into the light housing. Submerged for any length of time, then sure, it would also fill with water.

That's how the OEM ones are configured as well.... there is also what I'm guessing is a semi-permeable membrane inside that rubber elbow (pink / purple in color). I suspect it's like a Tyvek-type material that is only permeable in one direction so that water is repelled from the outside, but any water that is trying to evaporate from the inside of the housing can pass through and escape??

I just got word that my eBay "cheapie" fog lamps have shipped (from CA of course) so it will take 7 days to get all the way to the east coast. But when they arrive I will definitely compare them to OEM to see what sort of method they use to resist water intrusion.


-G

 

[reznunt]

got mine in 1 day, but i had to pay sales tax. they're so new it makes my front end look old lol. so clean and clear! let's see how they hold up.

 

[tradarcher]

New fog lights $45, eBay... To protect the back side, I cut a piece of bike inner tube, wrapped and secured with zip ties. See previous post...

What have you done to your 100 Series this week?

 

[GregLCA]

got mine in 1 day, but i had to pay sales tax. they're so new it makes my front end look old lol. so clean and clear! let's see how they hold up.

Got mine last night and hit the perimeter and locking clip areas with a nice bead of "Great Stuff" gasket maker...

Should be dry by now, so I can install today.... Once I find new nuts since it doesn't seem like they included new ones.

I'm surprised at the enormous bag of relays, wires and ballasts (?) that were also included in that $45 kit. Makes me wonder how much cheaper the kit might have been if they only included the parts we need?


-G

 

[GregLCA]

UPDATE! - 2016.09.28

These foglights are garbage.

Obviously, the expectations for a Chinese-built foglight kit were never very high (vs. OEM) so it shouldn't have been surprising that they were constantly filled with condensation... even in dry weather.

About a month ago, they actually starting filling with water.... like 1/2" to 1" of standing water in both housings!!!!

Last night, I removed the housings emptied out all the water and drilled three 1/8" drain holes in the housings to at allow large quantities of water to find it's own way out from now on.


I will see how things go over the winter, my guess is that they will be perpetually filled with condensation and water droplets... but maybe the heat of the bulbs can help to keep dry them out somewhat.



-G

 

[SmoothLC]

How have you liked the yellow bulbs Greg?

Will you keep them in the new housings?

 

[GregLCA]

How have you liked the yellow bulbs Greg?

Will you keep them in the new housings?

Well I threw the original bulbs away so I guess yellow will be just fine....

Yellow seems a little better in snowstorms (less glare) but I wouldn't say that it's a mind-boggling improvement. It's cheap money for a couple bulbs so if you are tempted just give it a shot!!!


-G