I'm pretty certain that any type of silica gel pack can be used... all the ones I've seen draw moisture to themselves.

 

"So put those drills away and toss the silica gel packets, a properly sealed headlight doesn't need any of those things."

Sorry but I disagree here. The headlight assemblies are not "sealed" per se, they have two (2) vents (with tubes) on the back of the unit. Air is free to enter or leave the assembly, based upon air pressures inside or outside the unit.

I never could totally explain why one of my assemblies had a condensation problem while the other did not. I tried OLT's "baking" technique to open the assembly, clean it out and the "re-seal" it but the condensation returned. It was only after a number of friendly users advised that I try the silica packets that the condensation finally disappeared. To those people ... I thank you.

If you think you've tried everything but the condensation still comes back ... try silica packets. It worked for me!

 

do you have to open take the headlights apart to put the silica packs in the headlights or can you push it through somewhere..mines having some condensation on the passenger side.

 

The answer is no. This is a five minute fix. Just remove (unscrew) the connectors for the lamps and shove a few packets in there. You may very well be amazed.

 

LEXDUD,

Drilling holes in the bottom will most certainly work. Shouldn't need all that vent area and those holes will admitt dust and in a year you will need to clean the inside of the light.

Silica gel will absorb mositure and hold it. A few drops worth, anyway. This fix is fiction even if some think they are experiencing success. To dry silica gel you put it in the oven and heat it so the moisture is "boiled off". It isn't an endless bucket that will continue to siphon off all the water that runs into your light.

Those little hoses have a plug of foam in them that acts like a dust filter for the air that enters you headlight when the light gets cold and the internal air volume shrinks.

I went through all this a couple weeks ago. I did not bake and open my light. I put an air hose on the light with all the lamps installed to plug the fixture. Holt crap what a bunch of leaks. Everything leaked. The sight glass for the leveling, the socket gaskets, the perimiter of the lens and many mnore locations. I used "auto seam sealer" from 3M. Great stuff and dries semi flex. I marked all the leaks with a yellow wax marker and then let the ting dry for a long while. I applied the sealer to all the leaks except the sockets. The sockets I sealed with silicone GREASE.....not glue.

Check those little black vent hoses. Mine were cracked at the housing end. I sealed them for my air leak test by wraping them with plastic bags and winding a rubber band around the base. When you think to are done air them up again and squirt the soapy around. I did it three times before I got all the holes. I replaced them with a six inch section of tubing that hangs down from the light.

My most sincere wish for good luck to you,

John

Hey, don't get me wrong....opening up the light to clean the inside lens is doable and really smart.

 

which connectors do you mean, the light bulbs? the only thing i see is the screws on the green level piece and left/right adjuster..i thought it just had some condesation in it but when lift it sideways water was pouring out from the 2 open holes..i tried baking it but didn't open it completely, just put a bunch of sealent around the headlight overnight, hopefully this helps..

 

GE.

http://doitbest.com/Caulking+for+bat...sku-793494.dib

Usually find it at Home Depot.

 

thanks! so when it says it remains permanently flexible does that mean you can bake them and they'll peel apart like the OEM goop?

 

Yes, but hopefully you don't have to bake and peel it apart again.

 

I think you took the term "sealed" too literally, I meant the seals around the lens and housing. All headlamps have vent tubes with some sort of baffle or filter in them to keep the dust out.

But a headlamp with a good housing which hasn't been cracked or damaged will prevent condensation everytime without the use of silica gels or drilling extra vent holes. The only time I had problems keeping condensation out was when I attempted to repair a headlamp housing which was cracked and damaged which didn't allow for a good seal around the lens. At that point, even silica packets didn't help very much. The only thing I could do was to use another headlamp that didn't have a bunch of cracks in the housing. Also, it's good to do the headlamp fix in a nice dry environment.