how to get rid of sticky substance on headlights

i'm just wondering how, do you get rid of the sticky substance that makes the headlights stick together. i pry open my 2000 civic headlights and now i don't know how to get rid of the cement glue honda use to hold the pieces together. do i use paint thinner?
oh yeah, what glue do you use to stick the headlights back together. hopefully someone knows the answer to this.

Originally posted by rockerdude
do i use paint thinner?
No. That may well melt the plastic! :eek:

It'll probably be a fair amount of elbow grease, but use a 'citrus' cleaner like Citramaid (at full strength) and a putty knife. After it's mostly gone, sand the mating surfaces lightly with somthing like 400 grit paper, the clean them up throughly with regular soap (like simple green). Make sure to rinse and dry throughly. For a sealant, GE Silicone II (found in the kitchen and bath department of your local hardware store) would probably do fine - 400F temp resistance, completely waterproof, and it's clear so you can screw up a bit. Make sure you get a good film all the way around the mating surfaces - any gaps will cause disaster (aka water).

Good luck. :cool:

thanks bro. can i put the two piece together than put the sealant on the edge between the two gap that connect the pieces together.

====== <1st piece
----------- < part that connect pieces together
====== <2nd piece

you have idea what i'm talking bout right?

thanks bro. can i put the two piece together than put the sealant on the edge between the two gap that connect the pieces together.

Actually, you may want to put the sealant on both surfaces...stick them together...THEN, fill in the gaps with the sealant.

Just out of curiousity...why did you take them apart?

does the sealant stick together right away or do i have to hold on it or use something to clamp it shut?
i actually took my headlights apart because i wanted to make my own black housing. i don't wanna waste money buying some headlights thats not oem and end up having low quality product and not a perfect fit. but thanks for the info bro.

Originally posted by rockerdude
thanks bro. can i put the two piece together than put the sealant on the edge between the two gap that connect the pieces together.

====== <1st piece
----------- < part that connect pieces together
====== <2nd piece

you have idea what i'm talking bout right?
I think so. The idea is to replace the sealant that you scraped off when pulling it apart.

====== <1st piece
++++++ < thin film of sealant
----------- < part that connect pieces together
++++++ < thin film of sealant
====== <2nd piece


GE Silicone II has a good work time of about 5 minutes. You'll want to hold it firmly in place for that time, and then clamp it lightly for 24 hrs after. You could just put a big book on it or something. Then just to double-seal it, you might want to smear a bead of silicone around the outside edge.

Good luck. :cool:

When i opened my headlamps to clear them out, i left the sealant inside the gap and when i closed it all i had to do is reheat it and it stayed shut. After that i put a bead of silicone around the gap to seal it.