HELP!!! black housing headlights fogging up!!!

[whiteracer]

Ok i got some black headlights for my '98 civic. To install them i needed to take off the front bumper. I had Circuit City do it for me because they told me they could do anything that didn't require them to jack the car up. I was over there looking at different subs and amps when they told me this. Anyways, I remember seeing something in the instructions or with the box or something that said if they weren't installed correctly then they would fog up inside. Well guess what happened? About a week later it rained and i guess the passenger side headlights wasn't sealed or anything and it fogged up like the inside of the car does. It has a bunch of condensation and water drops inside. Now, two almost three weeks later it hasn't gone away. It doesn't look good at all. What do i do??!!!

[esp]

turn you head lights on for a while or take out the lights a blow dry the insides and then seal them with some clear silicone sealant or something and that should help but try leaving your headlights on for a while to see if it evaporates but you will still need to seal them correctly.

[whiteracer]

ok circuit city just called and they said that because i didn't buy the lights from them i can't get it replace without going back to the shop i bought it from and try to get a replacement. I take off the seal right and then try to blow dry it? I've driven alot with my headlights on and nothing happens? I should i open the seal and drive with my headlights on during all parts of the day? Circuit city said that there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the seal.

[esp]

one little hole will do it though.

2 ways to make it easier for you. either put the headlights in the oven to heat them up and then to silicone will be soft and you can pull the 2 parts apart or ues a heat gun/blow dryer to heat up the seal put either way you have to take the headlights out.


also why the hell did you go to circuit city for this. you could have done it yourself. how much did they charge you to do this.

[whiteracer]

yeah i know ok, circuit city probably wasn't the best place to have it done at. I work across the street from them and it was just convenient. I did the tail lights myself and those weren't fun at all. The headlights required the bumper to be removed and i didn't want to deal with that. I have a hard time getting under my car because its been lowered three inches which leave about a little less than a foot. For now, they are the only place that i know of that will install almost anything i have. As for drying the headlights, like i said i will have to remove the bumper, which i ain't gonna try to do, i'll take any suggestions anyone else has. I'll be trying anything now. Thanks.

[esp]

tail lights aren't hard to install you must just need practice and being more car literate. front bumper is a little harder and i can understand why you wouldn't want to do that though.

[whiteracer]

i called up the place i bought the headlights from and they basically just said the same thing. Take out the headlights, blow dry them, then seal them. Easier said than done. For now, i'm taking out the sealer and the light and pumping hot air from a blow drier into the headlight itself. Anyone got ideas?

[esp]

you are still going to have water problems if you don't take your headlights off and reseal the whole thing

[whiteracer]

ok, i plan to take care of this problem this weekend. I'm going to take off the bumper myself and somehow figure out how to get the headlight off. Does anyone know how to take off the bumper on a '98 civic? I could probably figure it out cause i think i remember seeing it somewhere, but i want to get it right.

[wheel1856]

So is it humid there in the pasedena, CA? if so, you may not have a seal problem, just reguar condensation from a humid day stuck inside your lights from the air.

I would try just removing the bulb, and blowdrying. wait and see if it worked, and save yourself the trouble of removing the bumper. (which I dont get...maybe cause I have a 5gen, I can get the lights off without taking the bumper off)

anywho, couldnt hurt to try and wait and see, better than a buttload of bumper work on a lowered car, and ovens, and silicone, and cookies, and apple pie...and...oh wait. anyhow, good luck

[esp]

6th gens you need to remove the front bumper to get to the headlight assembly under the headlight. yep it is retarded but what are you gonna do?

[whiteracer]

so am i screwed or what?

[wheel1856]

whiteracer so am i screwed or what?

No,no,no...not at all. There's two possible way to fix your problem. and ESP is absolutely right with both...

first, before doing all the work and such to take your bumper off, take the bulbs out and blow dry into that little hole. Wait and see if the condensation comes back.

If the condensation comes back, then take the bumper off, blow dry it out, pop it in the oven and reseal/reinforce the silicone seal.

If the condensation bomes back after that, then, maybe, you're screwed, or maybe you didnt seal it right.

either way, no you're not screwed.

[whiteracer]

ok, the first time i heard of blow drying it, i went home that night, left my brights on for a while, then made a funnel and blew hot air into the headlight. Both worked a little, but then the next night it rained. And the cold weather fogged it up again. I need instructions on how to take off the front bumper of a 98 civic.

[esp]

here are some instructions:

To remove the front bumper here are the tools you will need.

1 10mm ratchet
1 Phillips head screwdriver, prefferably a short one.
1 Flat head screwdriver
1 floor mat or cardboard box to prevent your bumper from falling on the floor and getting all scratched.

1. First of all, you must open the front hood.
2. On top of the grill you will see 5 or so clips. Use the flathead screwdriver to pry the inner clips up and the bottom part will release and come out easily.
3. There are two identical clips on each side of the grill as well, you may remove these in the identical fashion.
4. At this point, place your floor covering in front of the bumper. Lay on it and located the 2 10mm bolts. Undo them using the 10mm ratchet.
5. There should be two phillips head screws attached also on the outer curves of the bumper. Remove these with the shorty phillips head driver.
6. Turn your engine on and turn your wheel extreme right.
7. Look inside the driver side fenderwell and you will see a philips head screw pointed straight up. Remove this with the phillips head.
8. Turn your wheel extreme left now to get to the screw on the other side.
9. You can turn your engine off now.
10. You may now pull the bumper off without too much difficulty. Please do it slowly as there is a styrofoam piece behind the bumper that is not secured. It may pop off. Don't throw it away.
11. Now lay your bumper on a soft surface and do the modifcations you need.
12. Just reverse the steps and you'll have it back on.
13. Don't forget to put in the styrofoam piece on reassembly!!!


hope this helps i wish i lived near you i would come and help you out but i live in wisconsin and you in cali oh well have fun