Headlight dirty from inside, bugs inside!

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Joined
Feb 27, 2022
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7
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Location
Central NJ
My headlight from inside often shows little bit of condensation inside after rain. When it gets hot, I just unplug the high beam light and the moisture goes away. but I can see a thin layer of dirt on the inside. Also, there are two bugs inside!

Anyone know how water may be getting in and how to clean/seal it again? All the moisture is from the inside.

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There most likely isn’t a single common spot. These leaks can be so tough to track down that most people end up just replacing the assembly.

My process is to pull the bumper cover (easier than it seems) and remove the headlight bucket so you can inspect all sides of it. Not specific to us, but common leak spots are when mounts or reinforcing ribs get broken in accidents then the headlight kept in service (because it’s so expensive), missing inspection covers, HID bulb covers not clipped in fully, etc.

I’d think if bugs are getting in it’s a pretty big hole.

One concern with letting it ride is the humidity can kill electronics within the assembly. This happened to my friend’s LX with the LED strip eventually dying.. we never found the leak, even removing the bumper. He had to replace it.

Either way you’ll struggle to clean that dirt out without pulling the lens off and that introduces even more opportunities for leaks..


Sorry for the bad news.
 
@bloc, you were spot on!
I took the headlight out today and saw some white plastic sealant on the side (when I touch it feels like rubber). I know the PO hit a drivethrough pole and busted the right fender. I think a little piece may have broken off and the mechanic tried to close the hole.

Any waterproof product recommended to plug the hole?

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@bloc, you were spot on!
I took the headlight out today and saw some white plastic sealant on the side (when I touch it feels like rubber). I know the PO hit a drivethrough pole and busted the right fender. I think a little piece may have broken off and the mechanic tried to close the hole.

Any waterproof product recommended to plug the hole?

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Nice job.. often these things go unidentified.

I’d get the (likely bathroom caulk) stuff off there and see what you are working with. What I’d probably use would depend on the size of the hole.. smaller cracks and holes down to silicon RTV, larger stuff may need a caulk or a patch made out of plastic sheet then RTVd into place. Either way prepping the surface that will have sealant under it is important.

I mention RTV because it’s easy to work with and remove later if needed, but should stick pretty well to the headlight with good surface prep. Others may have better suggestions though..

Also make sure you flex the plastic around the hole trying to find additional cracks in the existing material. Sometimes cracks can form but the plastic not completely break away, and these areas could still leak if not caught while you do the repair.

And, definitely open everything up on that assembly to let it dry as much as possible. I have an old cpap machine I got on CL for drying out my MSR dromedary bags, works well for things like this as well. Just moves a bunch of air to wherever I put the hose.
 
Nice job.. often these things go unidentified.

I’d get the (likely bathroom caulk) stuff off there and see what you are working with. What I’d probably use would depend on the size of the hole.. smaller cracks and holes down to silicon RTV, larger stuff may need a caulk or a patch made out of plastic sheet then RTVd into place. Either way prepping the surface that will have sealant under it is important.

I mention RTV because it’s easy to work with and remove later if needed, but should stick pretty well to the headlight with good surface prep. Others may have better suggestions though..

Also make sure you flex the plastic around the hole trying to find additional cracks in the existing material. Sometimes cracks can form but the plastic not completely break away, and these areas could still leak if not caught while you do the repair.

And, definitely open everything up on that assembly to let it dry as much as possible. I have an old cpap machine I got on CL for drying out my MSR dromedary bags, works well for things like this as well. Just moves a bunch of air to wherever I put the hose.

Bigggg hole! They had a piece of rolled sanding paper inside and then the sealant on top.

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Yikes.. that is a big hole. Maybe consider getting some kydex sheet that you can heat mold to fit then seal with something.

Does it look like any mounting tabs are broken off that location compared to the other side?
 
Yikes.. that is a big hole. Maybe consider getting some kydex sheet that you can heat mold to fit then seal with something.

Does it look like any mounting tabs are broken off that location compared to the other side?
Yes the bigger hole is supposed to be a mounting tab based on some pictures I saw online. All other tabs are intact. It doesn't bother me too much though because even without this tab, the headlight is solid and doesn't have any abnormal gaps anywhere.

Just googled Kydex, it looks great! I will try to heat-mold some Kydex over the holes and then seal it around with RTV sealant. Then I am thinking, I will apply the sealant around the lens and assembly sandwich just to be sure. Then some coat of light epoxy or something on the whole back side of the assembly to cover any cracks or weak spots. This should theoretically seal every surface except the front lens (which doesn't have any cracks or holes at all).
 
Yes the bigger hole is supposed to be a mounting tab based on some pictures I saw online. All other tabs are intact. It doesn't bother me too much though because even without this tab, the headlight is solid and doesn't have any abnormal gaps anywhere.

Just googled Kydex, it looks great! I will try to heat-mold some Kydex over the holes and then seal it around with RTV sealant. Then I am thinking, I will apply the sealant around the lens and assembly sandwich just to be sure. Then some coat of light epoxy or something on the whole back side of the assembly to cover any cracks or weak spots. This should theoretically seal every surface except the front lens (which doesn't have any cracks or holes at all).
The durability of something like epoxy or JBWeld is nice, but the trade off is it is very difficult to remove if it turns out there is some issue with the repair.

Personally I like working with a softer rubber sealant for jobs like this because I can rewind things a bit if what I did wasn't the best way to go about it.

Good call on the lens and assembly sandwich.

Also I'd keep an eye out for one of the big sales that parts places run and consider jumping on a new headlamp as a true long-term solution. These are still expensive but it is possible the damage caused to the light prevents you ever really finding all the leaks.
 
The durability of something like epoxy or JBWeld is nice, but the trade off is it is very difficult to remove if it turns out there is some issue with the repair.

Personally I like working with a softer rubber sealant for jobs like this because I can rewind things a bit if what I did wasn't the best way to go about it.

Good call on the lens and assembly sandwich.

Also I'd keep an eye out for one of the big sales that parts places run and consider jumping on a new headlamp as a true long-term solution. These are still expensive but it is possible the damage caused to the light prevents you ever really finding all the leaks.

I just ordered JBWeld Plastic putty and epoxy sealant and some Kydex sheets. Will play around with both and see which one is easy to work with. A new headlight is certainly on the list now! But my DIY heart just couldn't buy another one before trying to fix this! While I have the grill out, I am now research small 6-8" lightbars which can go around the radar!

Will report back how it goes. Thanks as always!
 
Kydex and JBWeld worked great. There has been rain here and it is holding up great! No sign of any water.

Before prep:
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After prepping and gouging:

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Kydex sheet with JBWeld Putty as the adhesive:
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After curing the putty, applied JBWeld Epoxy as an additional sealant on the sides:
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Some duct tape because... well its duct tape!
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Nice! And good tech ideas for other people. Thanks for posting follow up.
 
I have some brand new OEM 2013-2015 headlight housings to make my truck look minty soon, so if you’re interested in the ones coming off my 2013 they’ll be available soon. They’re in great shape just have mild oxidation on the tops from sun exposure over the years.
Great! I am going to keep an eye on this fix for a little bit. I feel the fix is super strong and will stay. Maybe will take it through few car washes and notice how it holds up. But will definitely PM you if it goes FUBAR.
 
Great! I am going to keep an eye on this fix for a little bit. I feel the fix is super strong and will stay. Maybe will take it through few car washes and notice how it holds up. But will definitely PM you if it goes FUBAR.

Just an FYI I finally got the new lights swapped onto my truck, so the old housings are available now if you are interested: For Sale - 2013-2015 Land Cruiser headlights and grill in Denver - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2013-2015-land-cruiser-headlights-and-grill-in-denver.1289604/
 

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