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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Problem with headlights after refurb


scott87

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The other day i followed the guide on here to refurb headlights. Followed the guide to the letter and the lights look great, however today ive gone out to the car and the lights are all fogged up on the inside. They have been fine for the last week but today are both pretty bad.

 

I put the lights back in the oven to soften the glue and pushed them back together and put the metal clips all round again. I even went around the edges with tiger seal :blink:

 

I doubt the lights will come apart again now with the extra sealant that i put around them. Should i just remove the lights and put a ton more sealant round to try and get the seal better?

 

Any advice would be great thanks :cool:

 

*Edit*

 

I also just read a post about the breather pipes supposedly having little bits of foam in them? Mine definitely dont have these!

Edited by scott87 (see edit history)
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This happend to me mate,

I took them back apart and removed all sealant as best as i could including the factory sealant!

I then went down to a local body shop paint supplier and bought some windscreen sealant and all was good ;)

 

I dont think ive got a hope in hell of taking them apart again. I went to town with the tiger seal around the edge, in the hope this would secure the seal.

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I dont think ive got a hope in hell of taking them apart again. I went to town with the tiger seal around the edge, in the hope this would secure the seal.

 

>

It's not really a 'strong' seal that's required just one with no gaps.

The metal clips hold the lens to the housing enough.

Only change of stopping leakage really is to try and dismantle add new sealant and reseal. Trying to identify where water is getting in on lights is near to impossible without filling light with water and looking where it runs out from >

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Shouldnt there be a small air gap at the back of the headlights to allow condensation to exit the interior of the light assembly?

 

Yea, thats what the little rubber 'L' pieces are for with like a foam insert in them.

(However, there is only so much condensation they can help get rid of. If there is a fair amount of moisture inside from a leak, no amount of condensation tubes can help :

 

Hole is ok there as it does what you said there, however if there are any gaps at the front, where the lens meets the housing, water running down/off the light finds a way in and causes a nightmare.

 

Water cannot get to the back where the L pieces are as they are inside the engine bay right under the hood.

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You can take them apart, I done the same! I put tiger seal on the outer edge of mine too when mine first misted up. Use a heat gun and you will find the tiger seal actually peels off! It took me around 40mins if I'm honest to get it all off but it will clean up and come apart ;)

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Ok cheers for the advice.

 

Would not having the foam bits cause them to mist up. tbh i never noticed it happening with the old lights but ive not owned the car in the cold so it could have been.... Can you buy the little bits of foam or can i just cut some and put it in the tubes?

 

With the seal im guessing i cant just apply more around the housing surely a "thick" covering would stop water getting in?

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Try sticking them back in the oven to get rid of the condensation, then once dry give sealing them another go. You wont have to resplit them that way.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Thanks. Otherwise i may just dig deep and buy some nice shiny new ones.

 

Anyone had experience with replacing the little bits of foam? What is best to use or just leave them without?

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