Bhlm... moisture inside headlight..

Hey everyone.. So i decided to take on the task of completing the bhlm.. Usually im not very sure of myself taking on projects like it but it turned out really well i have some pics ill post eventually from it. The only thing is that when i woke up the next morning there was moisture inside the headlight which kinda ruined all the time i spent doing it : ( i followed directions from various forums on how to put the housing back with the cover together and put both of the headlights back in the oven for about 7 mins at about 275 and put another bead of silicone in the housing before baking and then another around the outside headlight to keep from what happened from happening... Has anyone else experienced the same problem and if so how did you fix it? Im thinking the only way to fix it is by taking the headlights back out prying them apart putting more silicone and then pushing them back together? Also does the fact that it was 50 degrees at night when i finished have anything to do with it? Any help is appreciated.

 

give it a few days it could vent out, probably didnt let paint dry enough before sealing up.

 

My first thought would be to use some sort of needle that has a decent size diameter and poke a hole in the silicone so you can get air flow into the head light. Then heat it up to get the moisture to evaporate and seal it back up. But I haven't done the BHLM yet so I don't know for sure if it'll work. I'm looking to do it soon though

 

As stated before its probably from the paint not being completely dried and cured before you sealed em back up. I did this on mine and put em back together 4 hours after I painted and they fogged up and have never cleared up. Might could try taking them back apart and cleaning that off and letting them sit open for the day. Just my 2 cents. Hope you can figure it out.

 

The smallest hole in the sealant can cause fogging up. To keep the water marks non existant, I would put them back in the oven, pull it open let dry and clean lens with rubbing alcohol, put back in oven, and take the housing and lens and press together with all your might. Making sure not to hurt the paint!

For good measure, go by home depot and get some clear silicone and seal the lens rim up!

 

FYI I did this back when my seals finally gave out on aftermarket lights and it worked great.

Take a dessicant packet (those lil silica packets that come in foods and packaging) thread some string through it carefully and remove the bulb. Carefully slide the packet in the light not to rip it open or you will have a real mess in your hands. Then just let it sit out in the sun for a few hours and all the moisture should be absorbed by the packet. First time I did this is worked like a charm. Second time the stupid packet ripped and I said F'it and bought new lights and sealed them up great before installing them LOL

Best option if you dont wanna remove them.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions.. i really hope its just the paint not drying completely through seeing that i did seal them back together pretty much right after i painted them so we will see... if that doesnt work then i think i might try the silica packet like billas333 said. It sounds like the first try to cancel out the problem before having to pry them apart again pressing together like no other then having to leave them out and dry for a bit during a hot day (although it has been unusually cold in so cal recently). Again thanks for your help here are some pics i took during the project just cause...

this is a picture the day after i bought it : )


Close up of the light pre-bhlm.. oh and that Ranger in the background is for sale if anyone is interested haha (my old truck)


Grille & lights out..


Inner part of the headlight painted with rustoleum Black Plastic paint, sorry the pic is kinda blurry. btw i taped off the signal lenses


Picture of them right before they went back into their final oven roasting haha


Result.. awesome mod that i think everyone should do or "try"


I think it turned out great just that damn moisture haha. someone should totally do a video of the project, i might record a video it if i have to take the headlights back out just so everyone has more than pictures and write ups to go off of. although there may be ones already made.

 

i like the mix of black and chrome on your truck

 

Pull all 3 bulbs (including the black rubber grommet around the headlight bulb) and just give them a little time to air out. They should dry on their own without leaving any spots on the inside. Also, if you have some bright lights (something that puts off alot of heat) you can put those up to the lights while they are airing out and it should help. Hope you get it figured out. I know that just ruins the whole thing when you first see that fogged up housing. Good luck!!

 

thanks schiz94 thats one attribute that provoked me to buy it haha i kinda want to sleeve the fog lights black and paint the glass of the foglights to match the signal light color but that may be a little overkill, i like chrome but everyone is telling me to black out the emblems.. eh. and AWESOME idea TBK224 im gonna try that tomorrow and see what happens and i have a bright (hot) lamp i use to work on the truck so ill just set that right in front of it

 

Its worth a shot. It has worked for me in the past and it beats the hell out of tearing your headlights apart again. Hope it works for you bud. Let us know.

 

for sure ill keep you guys posted.

 

Anytime you break a seal you let moisture in. When you re-seal it you seal in the moisture that got in while you had it apart.

 

Truck looks awesome w/ them done. so much better!

Anyway, If it hasnt rained or something, it seems unlikely to me that you would've gotten moisture in the headlight so quickly. Kinda leads me to believe it may be a result of the paint not fully curing prior to resealing, as previously mentioned. If you're confident you had a good seal from the window weld, just add some more clear silicon to the seams. If you're not confident, it may be worth reopening and sealing them up again. Kinda sux, b/c I think opening them and cleaning the old residue is the worst part, lol.
Fwiw, I let the initial 2 coats of paint dry for 24-26hrs, wetsanded, then sprayed 2 more coats and let that dry for 24 hours as well before sealing them up.

 

Thank you so much for the idea TBK224.. I just tried it 2 days ago and my headlights no longer have moisture. Im so glad i didnt have to pry them apart again haha. Thanks again to rest of your guys help as well. Here are a couple of pictures..

 

Did you put an extra strip of silicon on it to help prevent it from fogging up again?

 

My one light leaked when I was done.
Had almost a cup of water in it but was stuck behind the back of the bottom frame.

I had to pull it, drain it, back it, clean it, put it back together and reseal it.
Sucked but I wanted it done right and I redid it.

Suck it up...

 

Nope.. I didnt add any more silicone the main reason being that there was no where that i saw that needed it.. I put ALOT of silicone inside the housing and around the outer edge of the headlight when I did it. Although if it happens again I'll probably put another bead of silicone just for some reassurance.

 

I'm guessing rain water got inside or was it just alot of moisture that built up? Ya.. If I see them fogging up again I'll probably whisper various curse to myself then as you said.. suck it up and do it right haha. Btw did you use plasti dip to paint the section under your bottom grille?