Opening A Headlight to Clean the Inside?

[bcaskey08]

So, my stock passenger headlight on my LX 450 has been collecting more and more dust on the inside of the lens recently, is there any way to open the headlight to clean it out a bit? I already tried compressed air to blow it out and I'd diddnt help very much. Also I tried pulling the silver clips that hold the glass to the plastic housing and heating the headlight to try and soften the glue but I couldn't get it to budge. Any input is appreciated.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

I have the same issue on both headlights, the drivers is so bad I can see the brown dust sitting on the bottom of the light inside.

I just got a LC grill so may update to Depo lights if getting the dust out of mine is not possible.

 

[thestunts]

If you can't bake it open; which most normally can... LOT of patience involved here.

Otherwise, I'd try one of those drill attachments like the flitz it things ... shove it in there to "clean" then blow out/suck with compressed air and a strong shop vac.

Maybe a portable "steam cleaner"?

 

[thatcabledude]

Carefully bake them in the oven after removing the 6 or seven metal clips from around the perimeter of the lense. Remove bulbs also.

I don't have a favorite time or temperature, I just check them by every couple minutesby trying to pry them apart with somthing wide. If they don't pull apart easy, bake longer. Pry too hard and you'll chip the edge or crack them.

BE CAREFUL CLEANING THE REFLECTORS. In my experience, the "chrome" rubs off very easily.

To put back together, but lense back on and bake again. Remove quickly and press back together. Don't forget to put the clips back on.

 

[bcaskey08]

Ok so the first time I baked the headlight at 200 degrees for 20 min. And when I was trying to pry the glass and plastic apart the glass kept chipping so I stopped. Would you guys say that I should add more time, raise the temp, or borrow a heat gun?

 

[thatcabledude]

Raise temp to atleast 280-300. I've never left any type of headlight in for 20 mins. At 300 pull it out after 5-6 mins and try prying with somthing wide. I prefer a stiff putty knife. If its not going put in a little longer and try agian after a few minutes. Here is another trick... When you can get the lens pulled about an inch or so from the back of the headlight use some old scissors or a knife to cut the sealant instead of streching it and making a mess.

 

[Tools R Us]

I cleaned it with crushed ice and water, worked great.

 

[2000UZJ]

I do the 80 Series Depo's at 275*F, for 8 minutes. They come apart like butter. Take a pizza sheet (cold) and place the lens down, this will prevent possible thermal shock and will prevent the glass lens from cracking (it's happened before, not to me though). I take a butter knife and insert it on the grill side, slightly work your way into the headlight and push the knife downwards and slowly lift the glass off the housing. Make sure you cut/hold the glue, there is no way you can clean butyl glue off chrome once it cools down and hardens. It will either need to be reheated, buffed and possibly replaced. Do not use a de-bonder to dissolve the glue. Once open, use distilled water to get the larger particles out, dab the inside with a mircofiver and inspect under a light. Do not put the plastic on the oven shelf, hot metal + soft plastic + 275* will slightly warp the housing.

 

[rbuljo]

Carefully bake them in the oven after removing the 6 or seven metal clips from around the perimeter of the lense. Remove bulbs also.

I don't have a favorite time or temperature, I just check them by every couple minutesby trying to pry them apart with somthing wide. If they don't pull apart easy, bake longer. Pry too hard and you'll chip the edge or crack them.

BE CAREFUL CLEANING THE REFLECTORS. In my experience, the "chrome" rubs off very easily.

To put back together, but lense back on and bake again. Remove quickly and press back together. Don't forget to put the clips back on.

This! As said, be extremely careful with the reflectors, they peel or rubs off easy..

Sent from my tablet using IH8MUD

 

[bcaskey08]

Thanks for all of the great replies! I have a microfiber cloth that I plan to use once I get it open I've just got to get some distilled water originally I was just going to dust the inside out but a careful distilled water wipe seems like a better option. What do you guys think about adding additional sealant so that I won't have to open it up again for cleaning? I assume the dust got in there from a busted seal.

 

[bcaskey08]

Also I'm going to take some before and after pictures... These threads suck without pictures

 

[Coolstream]

I cleaned it with crushed ice and water, worked great.

Did you open it up to do that ?

 

[Tools R Us]

Did you open it up to do that ?

Nope, removed the assembly, hand full of crushed ice, some water through a bulb hole, shake well, rinse with water, allow dry time, install. Mine was sunk, underwater, so had mud, tadpoles and other nasty things in it!

 

[2000UZJ]

Nope, removed the assembly, hand full of crushed ice, some water through a bulb hole, shake well, rinse with water, allow dry time, install. Mine was sunk, underwater, so had mud, tadpoles and other nasty things in it!

This also works relatively well. It's not as good as opening but a hell of a lot easier. My headlight filled with water during a crossing. Mud, grit, and many other types of garbage went in. I waited for everything to dry and put it under the faucet and filled with water and shook like a shakeweight. I can't do that know has I have projectors, but it's a lot easier!


You can add more butyl glue, that will help keep water out in the future, it won't make it harder to open since butyl glue gets soft and easy to open, so if you go overboard just trim the excess off with a razor blade when it cools down. Do not try to use RTV, it doesn't soften when heated, you have to cut the housing open or destroy it...ask me how I know

 

[bcaskey08]

Alright so I finally was able to get back to this project and after baking the headlight at 280 for 8 minutes I was able to pry the glass off of the headlight housing! The pictures follow as such:


Passenger Side Headlight before






After opening. Note the tan areas are not really dust they are more like a hard caked on mud substance and I don't want to scrub it too hard








And this was the glass

 

[gummycarbs]

Just doing some accidental archeology here while looking for a completely different thread. On the off chance that this ever helps someone:

That's not yellowing. That's actually the plastic of the reflector itself. The silver has come off, and that's most likely what that debris on the lens is. You'd need to have it resilvered.

Source: I've ruined reflectors in the past and got to learn what they're made of.

This concludes today's vintage thread contribution.

 

[VonArnim]

Anyone know if you can buy new reflectors? If no, how do you get them re-chromed?

 

[Kernal]

Haven't done it myself yet, but some people have taken the headlamps apart, gently cleaned the reflectors, then sprayed them with a bright silver or Chrome paint, then put the headlamp back together. I don't know however what the original coating was on the headlamp reflectors, paint versus a vacuum deposited metal coating, or ??

Search on youtubby for videos for restoring headlights.

 

[Bullitt]

Sorry for archeo dig out, but am having exactly same problem.

Need to clean the inside of the right headlight HZJ 105.

But decided not to do it and buy the used one.

It came and it’s a bit different. Since it’s newer

It has the housing for electric motor light level adjustment, while mine one is manually adjusted only.

Since the electric motor is gone am wondering would I be even able to switch the manual adjustment and plug it into the place where the electric motor should be.

Any ideas?

Or I have to buy a new OEM motor (probably expencive as hell)?

 

[COS80]

A panel clip pliers like this one makes separating headlight halves really easy.