96 sedan head lights

[DavidTerrell]

This is going to be a very silly question. But I need to change the light bulb in my 96 sedan head lights. How do I change them? Last time I took it to the garage and the guy there did it with his hands - no tools. Thanks so much!

[shorod]

If you have an owner's manual, the steps are probably described in there. Often times the new bulbs will come with generic directions as well.

The hardest part of chaning the bulb is usually being able to get a hand down there to do it. You can either unplug the wiring from the back of the bulb, then remove the retaining ring and bulb, or you can twist the retaining ring, pull the bulb out, and unplug the wiring once you get everthing to where you can see what you're doing.

I usually prefer to reach down to the back of the light housing, give the retaining ring a quarter twist or whatever it takes to get it loose (it will stop turning counterclockwise, then you pull the ring away from the housing). The ring should fit over the connector and wiring. Then you will need to wiggle the bulb a bit to get the o-ring loose from the housing. Pull the bulb and out of the housing, noting the orientation of the bulb. The bulb will only fit one way, so noting the orientation is just for convenience when reinstalling.

Now that you have the bulb and wires where you can see them, unplug with harness. You may be able to get the plug loose just by pulling on the connector (not the wires), but you may need a small flatblade screwdriver to gently pry the tabs up. Be careful not to break the tabs.

Remove the new bulb from the packaging BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH THE GLASS OF THE BULB WITH ANY SKIN. The oil from our skin can cause the bulb to break prematurely. If the glass of the new bulb does come in contact with skin, you can clean it with isopropyl alcohol and a clean cloth.

Connect the wiring to the new bulb, carefully snake it back to the housing, insert it in the correct orientation (attempt to rotate the bulb, if it won't rotate, it is correct, if it does rotate, it will "fall" into place as you rotate past it), then install the retainer ring. Verify both high and low beams work and pat yourself on the back.

-Rod

[DavidTerrell]

Thank you very much Rod. I don't have an owners manual so I guess I should get one ;-) and I will. I'll give it a try following your instructions. Thanks again.

[way2old]

I think www.fleet.ford.com has owners manuals for your car. Click on maintenance tab, enter info, and there is an online owners manual there. I think they go from 96 up.

[DavidTerrell]

Thanks way2old, I'll get it.