anybody besides me have moisture buildup inside the headlight lens? I mean, so bad you can smack them with your fist and water bounces off to the bottom of the lens. Even after a 2 hour trip down the freeway,(not raining), hoping the headlight bulb heat would dissipate it, but noooooooooooo, what gives??
moisture in headlight lens, both sides
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970 Posts
Is this on your daughters '06 ?
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A couple things I recall
First and least common and only results in "moisture" as opposed to water is replacing bulbs in high humidity weather. When the bulb is removed (most GM bulbs twist out) the moist air gets trapped in the housing. Most late model GM bulb sockets have "O" rings that seal the housing. This can work with or against you if moist air gets trapped in the housing.
Second and more common, the "RTV" used to seal the front lens to the housing gets "aged" and hardens and cracks allowing water to enter the lamp housing (resuit is actual water in the housing). A repair can be effected by removing the housing from the vehicle and "gently" heating it in an oven until the two halves can be separated. Once separated the "old sealant RTV" can be cleaned off and a new bead installed and the two halves put back together. The key is to use a proper bead size with the new so it neither underfills nor overfills the joints of each half. Then the two halves need to be taped or rubber banded together until the new "RTV" has cured. It sounds like a lot of work and you risk overheating the housing if your not carefull...but when you compare the cost of 1 or 2 new housings to a tube of sealer...well...nothing ventured nothing gained
Lastly...impact from a parking lot "incident" from someone "colliding" with your headlamp housing/s can create a hairline crack and/or "bust" the seal between the halves.
As mentioned...google can be your friend for a specific how to...
First and least common and only results in "moisture" as opposed to water is replacing bulbs in high humidity weather. When the bulb is removed (most GM bulbs twist out) the moist air gets trapped in the housing. Most late model GM bulb sockets have "O" rings that seal the housing. This can work with or against you if moist air gets trapped in the housing.
Second and more common, the "RTV" used to seal the front lens to the housing gets "aged" and hardens and cracks allowing water to enter the lamp housing (resuit is actual water in the housing). A repair can be effected by removing the housing from the vehicle and "gently" heating it in an oven until the two halves can be separated. Once separated the "old sealant RTV" can be cleaned off and a new bead installed and the two halves put back together. The key is to use a proper bead size with the new so it neither underfills nor overfills the joints of each half. Then the two halves need to be taped or rubber banded together until the new "RTV" has cured. It sounds like a lot of work and you risk overheating the housing if your not carefull...but when you compare the cost of 1 or 2 new housings to a tube of sealer...well...nothing ventured nothing gained
Lastly...impact from a parking lot "incident" from someone "colliding" with your headlamp housing/s can create a hairline crack and/or "bust" the seal between the halves.
As mentioned...google can be your friend for a specific how to...
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You don’t ‘recall’ what the fix was, Then don’t reply!!
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