I intend to do it next week so for those you did the job, do you have any tips or tricks ? Did you have any problem ?
Do i need a help from a friend ?


Thanks.

 

#5 bolt is #!?% hard to get to but if you can pull out tire wall, it get much easier.

have fun.

 

Yes, #5 is a pain. But it helps if you start with #5 when you are reinstalling.

On the clearing it self, take your time. Once the headlights are at the right temp, you don't need to force them at all. I don't even use a screw driver to get them started anymore. Also don't let your self get distracted once you have them in the oven. I don't want to read a "Melted my Headlights" thread, and it has happened twice that I know of. 1 1/2 hours is too long.

If you have any other question, let me know.

 

What do you mean by number 5 ?
( Number 5 on figure 5 on RICK'S installation ? )
Thanks

 

Use silicone adhesive sealant and a good amount of it to prevent condensation or moisture to get inside of the headlight. I would suggest a friend hold the headlight down while you try to pry it open, and also use gloves, they are freakin hot out of the oven. After opening them, make sure everythings dried up and no moisture is present. Take your time and make sure everythings correct.

-Johnny

 

when i had a Prelude, i remember people discussing preferrable days to which changing bulbs is desired; the issue was condensation in the headlights even from changing bulbs.

would it be better to choose a day when it's a bit dry (humidity low) and the temps are a bit higher? or is this something trivial?

 

Man if you have to hold them down and pry them apart with screw drivers, they were not in the oven long enough. I can pull them apart without any screw drivers and by hand (towels on hand for heat).

As for Condensation. The holes in the headlight for the ballast and bulbs is where the bulk of the water gets in the headlights. Using lots silicone adhesive sealant to prevent condensation will not help, and but will make the job look bad. Put them back together, warm them up 5min. Seal them back. Do it again, clamp them closed. Let them cool. Now if you are worried, run a small bead of sealant around the headlights, just enough to fill the grooves. There is so much OEM sealer there and that stuff is sticky as heck. And time you take to reseal them will have been 50 times more then they took at the factory. I bet you can seal them better too.

To avoid condensation, follow these tips.
1. Mount the headlights when they are warm. The warmer they are, the less air they hold. Air contains water. If the air is warm out side, any you work in the A/C, make sure them warm up. The metal inside the headlights will wick up water like a cold beer.
2. Ballast and Bulb gaskets. Use Shin-Etsu Grease (or some other silicone grease) on the gaskets. They do it at the factory, and you sould too.

What to do if I have condensation?
Well don't just sit there looking at it. The HID ballast generate 25000 watts of power, and guess what? Thewy are mounted on the bottom of each headlight it what I call the "Drain" location. it will not take much water (condensation) to short they out. And at 350 each you don't want they. The odds are the you missed the above tips. Remove them from the car and use a blow dryer to dry them out. Then follow tips above.

Of the 20+ sets I have cleared, I have only had one problem with condensation. This set was installed in an A/C dealer shop. Once the car left the shop, within two hours there was condensation inside the headlights. It was 70-80 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Did the clearing break the seal, or was it the install? It was the install. Once the headlights were dried back out and reinstalled with all seals intack, the car now has 5k+ miles and not a problem.