Headlight Help Needed

I just bought the one piece LED headlights from Ebay, and a week after installing them I had to take them off and literally poured about a half gallon of water out of them. I am trying to take apart the lens and housing, but I cannot seem to get them apart. I am afraid to put them in the oven as they have the LEDs on the bottom. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get them apart? Preferably without cracking the case Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

First step, I would look to see how the water got in in the first place. I would suspect a bad sealing of the housing. That being said, I have had to drain several of these (even factory original) that have filled with water. Usually a small drill-bit works with a small drain hole in the bottom, lower corner. Let it drain, then use silicone to re-seal the hole. After that, seal up wherever you found the water getting in at. Make sure you do NOT seal up the ventilation holes.

 

I have already taken it off the truck and dumped he water out through the hole. Problem is, when the water got in and the lights were on, the bulbs shattered so there is glass in there and some of it is wedged in spots. I need to get the lens off in order to clean the inside of the lens and the housing and then reseal it. Do you think it will be okay to put in the oven with the LED's? I am afraid to pry at it any harder than I already have as I don't wasnt to break it.

 

To be honest, I would suggest against that. "Baking" a lens assembly with LED light could cause problems. Have you spoken with the place you purchased them from on EBay to see if they would be willing to help you out any?

 

I did speak to them and all they did was send me out a set of light bulbs. I have asked them just now what they think I should do, or if they would sell me just one. I am waiting back for a response. I have spent the better part of today trying to get the lens off without breaking it, and I just cracked the side a little bit so I am just waiting for a response now lol.

 

Yeah Chris check out my build page. They are on the last page. I have a better one on my phone I will upload later. I really like them, but after one week they had so much water in them it was unbelievable. The seller has been in contact already and has asked for pictures so hopefully something will be done soon.

 

They do look really nice. Did you ever figure out where the leak was at? I would assume up top where the rain you mentioned would have the easiest way of getting in.

 

From what I can see, it is coming in where the sidemarker meets the headlight and they put the lens over it all. The lens doesn't exactly meet the plastic backing. It is really small but it was enough to let tons of water in. I spoke to the seller and he offered a partial refund to keep the set that I have because they didn't have any more in stock and didn't know when they would be getting any. I will be buying another set but resealing them before they even see the truck. The way to seal these ones...according to the seller..is to just put another bead of silicone around the lens. The lens cannot be taken off without cracking it as it cannot be baked in the oven because of the LEDs. I do like them though, so another pair is on order. Thanks for your help

 

No problem. looks like you have a good game plan going. This will also help others who are considering those lights to see what issues you have had and hopefully allow them to get the issue fixed before the install as well.

 

Good post Op as I was considering these myself. Good to know upfront what im getting into. They look good on your truck. Hope everything else goes smoothly for you!

 

Absolutely! These lights are awesome and they look great, but they definitely have their quirks. As long as a bead of silicone is placed around them before being put on, there should be no reason that these lights can't last a long time and look good. As far as doing the retrofit on them that I planned, I don't see how that can happen. I will be buying another set though, so with what is left of the current set, I will play around with them and see how opening them can be achieved so a retrofit can be accomplished! Will keep anyone updated who is interested.

 

Thanks! I love the way they look on my truck and to be honest, they look way better in person than the pictures show. If you do buy them, it would be safer if you put silicone all around them to stop any water from getting in! Also, if you do plan on buying them, remember that you do have to cut the end pieces off your grille in order for them to fit.

 

did you try removing the metal clips on the housing? when i installed mine they looked like they would let water in, but it hasn't rained in my area in a while.

 

Yes, I removed the three metal clips from the housing and the three small screws from the back and instead of chancing it with the oven I just used a heat gun and a small screwdriver to gently pry away at the edges but no such luck. It cracked the lens. I will be ordering another set though, and with the one good one that I have left I am going to play with it and see the best way to get it apart. Have you tried yours yet? I love the look of them, just wish they would spend an extra 5 minutes sealing them lol

 

i think im going sell these headlights soon so let me know if you want to buy them

 

What are you asking for them?

 

So cannot bake these headlights because they have leds? I wanted to buy these and put my projectors in them. I put led strips in my headlight when i did my retrofit and baked them to put them back togeather and have had no problems with the leds.

 

Yeah i spoke to the seller of the light and they said it would mess up the leds if you put the light in the oven. I am getting another set and will try to bake the old ones to see what happens once i get them.

 

Yea they are encased in plastic/epoxy it could end up melting them before the other plastic parts of the headlights even begin to start melting. these lights look good I might consider them if they were built alittle better.

 

if anyone is interested in buying these headlights ...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...00-2001-2004-headlights-leds.html#post5666441