'99 Venture headlights KEEP ON blowing out!

[mcgheemom]

I feel like I'm going crazy with the headlights. They go out way too often! I replace them probably once every couple of months. This time one has blown out within a week! I notice water gets in them and we've drilled holes in for better drainage but its not helping! Anyone had this problem? Anyone, been able to fix it?

I've noticed many Ventures on the street that seem to always have only one headlight as well. It's got to be a bigger problem than just me. I've already gotten one ticket for it. I don't want anymore. Please help!!

[umina]

You drilled holes in the headlights?!?!? Thats your problem right there. If there is condensation inside the lenses, the seals have a leak (the seal between the headlight bucket and the clear lense). Alot of people have actually had the lense fall off their vans. Drilling the holes was not a good idea, as now you will have to replace the headlights. You are actually letting more condensation/water in then will ever drain out. Pick up a new or used set of headlight buckets from junkyard/ebay, and run a bead of silicon RTV around the edge (use black and smooth out with finger so it doesn't look wierd on close inspection).
Also be careful when replacing the bulbs to not touch the actual bulb with your fingers. THe oils on your hands will cause that part of the bulb to get hotter than the rest and result in premature failure.

[mcgheemom]

So drilling the holes made it worse?! Is there anything I can do in the meantime--I know finding a new headlight could take a while and possibly be costly.

Can we do the seal in the meantime?

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by umina

You drilled holes in the headlights?!?!? Thats your problem right there. If there is condensation inside the lenses, the seals have a leak (the seal between the headlight bucket and the clear lense). Alot of people have actually had the lense fall off their vans. Drilling the holes was not a good idea, as now you will have to replace the headlights. You are actually letting more condensation/water in then will ever drain out. Pick up a new or used set of headlight buckets from junkyard/ebay, and run a bead of silicon RTV around the edge (use black and smooth out with finger so it doesn't look wierd on close inspection).
Also be careful when replacing the bulbs to not touch the actual bulb with your fingers. THe oils on your hands will cause that part of the bulb to get hotter than the rest and result in premature failure.

I'd like to add that you CAN repair the headlight unit if the lens should come off, providing that the lens didn't break, and there are no breaks, cracks or chips in the mating surfaces of the unit. I went to my local autobody supply store and purchased an adhesive made for bonding plastics together. It was an epoxy based product( when I find my tube I'll post the name of it on this forum,) that you mix and apply to the mating surfaces(you'll see the groove in the headlight unit which corresponds to the channel in the lens.) You need to make sure that the channel is clean and free of any leftover adhesive or debris. You also have to work quick as it sets up in around 5 minutes, then you need to let it cure overnight before putting back on the vehicle. I cannot believe how many people told me there is no fix when the lens comes off and you need to buy a new one at an outrageous cost at the Chevy stealership. For those who do not wish to go that route can find used ones on eBay at a good price. I haven't found any in my area at the local salvage yards as the ones that do come in usually are wrecked in that location and are unuseable. I have lost both my lenses on my headlights in the past by going through an automatic touchless car wash. Luckily I was able to go back and retrieve the lenses on both occasions and fix them as I have outlined above with great success, ( and I no longer take my van to automatic car washes, I learned my lesson LOL.) Another tip: If you should accidently touch the new bulb with your fingers, use rubbing alcohol on a cloth to remove the oils to prevent the bulb from damage. And if you do apply the black RTV sealant as described in umina's post, go back and check it every so often and reapply if necessary. A couple of fellow van owners who used the RTV had minor problems with the product coming off after awhile , maybe due to our extreme weather conditions that we encounter.

[umina]

97VentureOwner is correct, the problem can be fixed. Temporarily, to patch the holes you could get some clear silicon or expoxy or some sort and fill the holes. Then you may want to carefully try and remove the lense from the bucket and reseal them with epoxy or glue of some sort as mentioned above. I know this is wiered, but i've had excellent luck using this black ATF gasketmaker that i bought from the dodge dealer for 5 bucks or so. USed it when replacing my tranny filter on Dodge Stratus. The stuff was soo strong and tough I had to hammer on the pan with a malet and plastic hammer for an hour before I could pry it off. Since then I have used it to hold on body/trim pieces and all manner of things that need to be re-attached.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by umina

97VentureOwner is correct, the problem can be fixed. Temporarily, to patch the holes you could get some clear silicon or expoxy or some sort and fill the holes. Then you may want to carefully try and remove the lense from the bucket and reseal them with epoxy or glue of some sort as mentioned above. I know this is wiered, but i've had excellent luck using this black ATF gasketmaker that i bought from the dodge dealer for 5 bucks or so. USed it when replacing my tranny filter on Dodge Stratus. The stuff was soo strong and tough I had to hammer on the pan with a malet and plastic hammer for an hour before I could pry it off. Since then I have used it to hold on body/trim pieces and all manner of things that need to be re-attached.

Yes, we need to stress not to skimp on the quality of the sealant used, because of all the weather conditions , including the wind resistance these headlamps endure while we drive our vehicles. You may have to pay a little more now for the adhesive , but believe me it's worth it in the long run. I also wanted to add in my previous post that I could not believe how many people I encountered who said that the headlamps could not be fixed, that you have to get new ones. Not only was it your "Average Joe" down at the auto parts store, but professional mechanics and autobody workers who said the same. I am glad that I persisted in fixing these by finding something that worked, thus saving me over $500 I guess no one ever knows if something will work unless you try it.