Experiment to fix water-filled headlights on the cheap

[wphall]

We have had one headlight that has almost 2 inches of water in it and the other is just starting to get some as well.

Tonight I removed the assembly (I was surprised at how easy this was and all possible without tools). I dumped out the water and tried to rinse out the bezel to get the little bit of 'ick' that has somehow formed in there as well. Not much luck on the the ick, but it wasn't bad - there wasn't an alge line or anything.

I then took off the mounting bracket and cut off all the old silicone bead that ran around the light between the lens and the back. By blowing through the light socket I felt two areas where the air was coming out around the edges so I know where the leaks were.

I have been blowing a hairdryer into the light socket to get the remaining water drops dried up. then I'll run a a bead of silicone rtv (as suggested elsewhere) around the seam once the assembly is completely dry.

If it works I'll do the other light in a few weeks.

[Sparky1349]

Hey WPHall,

I have a similar problem, except mine is because my wife ran into someone so there is a small crack in the bottom inside corner of each lens. I had an idea to put a little bead of silicone on the inside by the crack and the pressurize the lens with a couple psi of compressed air. There are a couple of technical issue with the idea, like how to get the RTV in the right spot without smearing it all over the inside of the lens and how much pressure the lens can take without exploding. Will keep you informed if I figure it out.

Let us know how you make out with yours.

Sparky

[534BC]

I removed my lens cover a few yrs ago and polished it all up and resealed it. It worked ok, but is getting nasty again.

I'll soon get two new buckets, and brighter bulbs.

[cjstew4]

Originally Posted by wphall

We have had one headlight that has almost 2 inches of water in it and the other is just starting to get some as well.

Tonight I removed the assembly (I was surprised at how easy this was and all possible without tools). I dumped out the water and tried to rinse out the bezel to get the little bit of 'ick' that has somehow formed in there as well. Not much luck on the the ick, but it wasn't bad - there wasn't an alge line or anything.

I then took off the mounting bracket and cut off all the old silicone bead that ran around the light between the lens and the back. By blowing through the light socket I felt two areas where the air was coming out around the edges so I know where the leaks were.

I have been blowing a hairdryer into the light socket to get the remaining water drops dried up. then I'll run a a bead of silicone rtv (as suggested elsewhere) around the seam once the assembly is completely dry.

If it works I'll do the other light in a few weeks.

I have tried the silicone route on my 97's but somehow water still got in from those cracks you can't see. Therefore, drilled maybe three - four 1/8" holes along the bottom corner of each one which seems to stay ahead of any water accumulation. Next step will probably be new ones with brighter bulbs.

[Will Help]

Watch out for using the brighter bulbs. They tend to create much more heat and that creates pressure in the lens capsule and promotes leaks!!!! This especially bad in wet climates, as the capsule heats up with lights on it expands, as the capsule cools with lights off it creates a vacumn and sucks in moisture like a thirsty sailor.

['97ventureowner]

And add to that on older vehicles, the sealant used by the factory starts to fail due to the sun's UV rays deteriorating the sealant and it hardens and breaks away from the gap(between the housing and the outer lens,) opening up small holes to let water in.

[Justin's Dad]

I got tired of dealing with the water issues and just bought a really awesome set on Ebay. It looks great and no water problems.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by Justin's Dad

I got tired of dealing with the water issues and just bought a really awesome set on Ebay. It looks great and no water problems.

That's always a good idea. I have mentioned it in the past and someone usually comes on and says it's cheaper to DIY fix it. But if you figure the time and labor, and materials to do the job right, you can get a new replacement on eBay for close to that price, and that should last a good many years more. Some of the repairs to the outer sealant on the lens have needed to be re-done a couple of years later due to failure of the new sealant due to UV ray deterioration. When I first started doing these on my van in '01, there were practically no new ones being offered on eBay. Now many years later they are very common and if you do some research into the prices by different sellers, you can get them at a lower price. (Back then I was quoted $249 for one headlamp capsule at the Chevy stealership . Now you see them under $50-$60 new on eBay.)

[gwicken]

I had the same problem with my 2000 montana. drilling small holes in the bottom of the lights worked fine. water in the lights will also cause the bulbs to burn out.

[Justin's Dad]

I guess it's a matter of everyones financial situations. More than likely if you are at the point where water is leaking into your headlights your glass is also in need of polishing etc etc. These vans have been around for a while now. No reason why someone can't find them in a junk yard for dirt cheap. I think if you can't afford junk yard prices, you shouldn't be driving, JMO .

[dinok]

over two years ago when I bought my venture minivan have had water in it and on this board someone recommend to drill small holes in it and I did, so I don't have any watter problems with it anymore.

Also did replace both light bulbs for silvania sylverstar, much brighter and better.

[wphall]

Two weeks into it, and my experiment hasn't worked perfectly. There are some water droplets in the light that I 'fixed' which is better than it was - and it has been raining often over these last few weeks.

I chose not to go the route of buying new lenses because a $5 tube of silicone is much cheaper and it was a worthwhile experiment for a weekend project. I think the whole thing only took me a few hours that would have otherwise been spent doing something less productive.

The water didn't and doesn't bother my wife at all, she just wants the van to work and not make noises.

[merc81]

I used the hair dryer bit as well to clean the reflectors up a bit. Instead of silicone though, I used epoxy resin I had around from working on my boat. My results were the same; the bulb still gets moisture inside and it collects. I need to either drill the hole to drain the bulb, or get new ones.
I've not had much luck finding 'em on ebay, but there is a place that sells 'em new for $100--much cheaper than the dealer wants!

My question is has anyone tried installing one of those HID kits in these vans? I'm talking about the kits that replace your existing bulbs with arc lamps and come with a ballast transformer? I'm sick of being unable to see at night in the van and considering moving to the HID system. You loose your high beams when you do this, but they don't make much difference the way it is now anyway.
John

[cjstew4]

Originally Posted by wphall

Two weeks into it, and my experiment hasn't worked perfectly. There are some water droplets in the light that I 'fixed' which is better than it was - and it has been raining often over these last few weeks.

I chose not to go the route of buying new lenses because a $5 tube of silicone is much cheaper and it was a worthwhile experiment for a weekend project. I think the whole thing only took me a few hours that would have otherwise been spent doing something less productive.

The water didn't and doesn't bother my wife at all, she just wants the van to work and not make noises.

Just drill son, drill, those 4 or so little holes on the radiused edge, spaced near where the water pools the most. Its done then, unless you want to continue hoping for drier weather, less car washes. Replacements lenses though on my 97 will be my next step since the sun damage to them is getting pretty bad and that plastic lense cleaner stuff only works so well on these.

[zed1k]

Drill holes in the bottom, and use plastic polish on the lens, I do this all the time it works great, I didnt drill the venture lights yet, but I polished them, and they look like new, and you couldnt even see through them before. I use novis #3 polish and a buffer wheel, takes about 5 minutes