condensation in headlights

[berge]

1999 quest. RF headlight has a serious condensation problem on the inside of the lens. It's covered in water droplets. I have the shop manual and can take out the headlight no problem but I can't really open it up. looks like a sealed unit with an opening only for the bulbs.

1-how do I get the water out?(hair dryer?)
2-where is the water likely coming in from? there doesn't seem to be any cracks.
thanks.

 

[seotaji]

o-rings on bulbs are bad? crack in the seam?

leave the headlight in bright sunlight for a couple of hours.

if the headlight is plastic, some people have had luck baking them in the oven for a bit.

 

[brianl703]

I had a taillight that was filling up with water due to a leak in the seam. It was causing the bulb to blow.

I found the leak by removing the taillight from the car and then filling it with water. I found out where the water was leaking out so I then applied some silicone gasket maker (caulk would work too) to the leak, which was at a seam.

Then I put it in the oven at 150F for an hour to get the moisture to evaporate out.

The heat helped the silicone cure faster, too.

 

[Mike_dup1]

I would try to drill a hole, 1/8-inch or so into the housing (not the glass) at the lowest point when the HL is in place.

We had a '93 F150 at work that always had condensation in one of the lamps. Never did anything about it on 8 yrs and I can only recall replacing the bulbs one time.

 

[seotaji]

make sure the vent for the headlight is operating.

most of the time they are made of goretex, allowing the water out as vapor but not in.

coating the gaskets in silicone grease will help the seal if the headlight itself is the problem.

 

[RJCorazza]

My wife's van had a similar problem. I removed the lens & bulb, allowed the inside to dry out, and ran a bead of silicone around the entire seam.

 

[berge]

fixed. removed headlight, siliconed all around the seams, hosed down with water, still clean.

thanks all for the help.

 

[tom slick]

often water vapor can make it past a faulty bulb seal.