Condensation
verderacer
New Wagonist
Howdy,
Anybody have any ideas on how to permanently get rid of condensation in headlight lenses?
I have cleaned them out several times and removed all the existing condensation but due to the wonderful cold weather it returns regularly.
Steve
Anybody have any ideas on how to permanently get rid of condensation in headlight lenses?
I have cleaned them out several times and removed all the existing condensation but due to the wonderful cold weather it returns regularly.
Steve
Comments
I always drilled them then filled them full of water then drain and take a air compressor and blow the water out..
Always worked for me..
While we are talking about headlights, did you guys ever hear of the 9005 low beam mod? It give much better light on low beams. Some people claim to have burnt the wiring because of it drawing more power, but I personally ran this for over two years on my hatch and never had any problems. It is directly plug-n-play (electrically), you just need to shave one of the plastic tabs on the bulb down a little. I would link you to the article, but I can't seem to find it. It was hosted on fourthgenhatch, but I think the site ceased to exist.
What you do is:
1. Buy two 9005 bulbs
2. Take out the old low beam 9006 (I believe) bulbs
3. Trim the one plastic tab on the new bulb as needed
4. Plug in the new bulb
5. Enjoy more light on low beams 8)
i did this to all my 4th gens i've had and they work great
What I have been doing is removing the headlight assy. then removing all the water I can by manually emptying then use an old hair dryer and I aim it at one of the openings. In about 15 minutes the moisture is gone. Had not thought of drilling a weep holes...
On the baking idea and splitting the lens eldonciv777; how long and at what temp? What do you use to glue the 2 halves back together? I like this idea as one of my lenses has alot of accumulated dirt in it and I know I am loosing a lot of effectiveness with it.
Steve
I think it was 10 minutes at 400, but I'll try to find verification. Basically just take it out every couple minutes until it comes apart. Be careful not to let the plastic part touch the rack though (when I did it the plastic wasn't even soft, but you can never be too careful).
EDIT:
Found this on another forum:
Now comes the fun part. Get a flat head screwdriver, both headlights, a towel, and some oven mitts and go in the kitchen. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, spread the towel out on the counter and set the headlights on the towel. Take the lights out of the headlight (I'm not sure if cooking them would harm them or not, but I removed them anyways). Make sure you put the racks in the oven down as low as they will go and place a pan on the lowest rack to dissipate the heat. Direct heat would be bad for your headlights. After the oven preheats, TURN THE OVEN OFF! Then promptly place one of the headlights in the oven. Set a timer for two minutes.
After two minutes of cooking, take the headlight out of the oven and set it on the towel. Make sure you use the oven mitts because it will be very hot.
Holding the light with one hand with an oven mitt, use the flat head screwdriver with your other hand to gently and slowly pry the housing apart. You will notice that there are clips all around the headlight and you need to pop the clip up and out then pry the clear lens away from the housing. Pry around the entire headlight and once you get about halfway around it should start to come off fast and easy. By now the clear lens should be cool enough to touch, so set the screwdriver down and pull it off. Repeat for each headlight.
Don't forget to remove the metal clips that also hold the housing and lens together before you put them in the oven. 8)
Steve
Tho I've discovered that althought the bulb on the low beam side has twin filiments (H4 size, usually found over here in the single bulb headlights but you switch to the second filiment for high beam) but Honda has wired it up! :shock: They certainly did on the civic with the same headlights :?
I sometimes wonder if the designers were smoking crack on random days when they decided these things.
If they were it must have been the best stuff ever.
http://www.hondacivicwagon.com/board/vi ... hlight=900
The better idea:Read daven's posting(10th posting) & the link to the HIR bulbs.
http://www.hondacivicwagon.com/board/vi ... hlight=hir
i cant argue about facts though when it comes to bulb life, but i think for a simple and cheap mod its fair game.
I think I might try a pair of the 9005 HIR and see how it goes. If I do, I'll definately post something up about it and the results. I googled it and a guy did it on a suby forum and said all you gotta do is shave down a tab like we already have to do, so it isn't a big deal. Off to do more research.....
9005 HIR = 9011
9006 HIR = 9012
Apparently GE originally patented the design and had problems with longevity so they sold the patent to toshiba. Toshiba improved the design and these are what you want to buy. These also don't draw any more power than stock lights either; they just have improved light output due to their technology. So you can buy these on ebay for $25 each ($8 shipping for up to 8 pieces) and I ordered two 9011. I'll post up pics of the before/after comparison of the high beams once I get them. If they work good, I will be buying two more for the low beams. Expect it within a week or so....
EDIT: found some links with pictures on honda-tech, so compare for yourselves... I'm gonna order two more :twisted:
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1764499
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1325662
No.U need to trim it similar to the 9005 conversion.Easy can be done with a file.I'm HAPPY with just the 1 bulb I put in. :shock:
That's why I went 1 each.