Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum. The passenger side headlight on my Bonnie seems to always have condensation forming over the area directly in front of the high beam & amber light there (on the interior of the glass). It'* not a big deal, just one of those minor annoyances. It looks as though the whole headlight assembly (once removed from its location) can be split via retaining clips of some sort that would seperate the glass piece from the back assembly. Would this be a seam that should be sealed? Has anyone dealt with a similiar problem? Any suggestions greatly appreciated. BTW, this is a great forum with much knowledge & experience.
Thanks,
markwb

It should be sealed, yes. I don't think you're going to get the lens off just by popping those clips, from what I recall.

Check the seals around the bulb sockets, and look for stone chips in the glass. Something'* letting moisture in and trapping it there. (No, don't go drilling "drainage" holes in the bottom except as an absolute last resort...) I got a hole punched in one of mine, and fixed it by (1) sticking a piece of Scotch tape over the front, then (2) putting a blob of clear silicone sealer in the hole from behind, by putting the blob on a popsicle stick and reaching the back of the hole through the nearest bulb socket opening. (The light unit was out of the car, face-down on a shop rag. Left it to cure like that overnight.)

I can tell you for sure, removing those clips will not let you get into the lens. The clips are apparently added to hold the glass until the sealant dries. The one I pulled apart had a continuous bead of white silicon holding the glass front to an ABS plastic back. Damn near impossible to separate the two without breaking one of them.

I know because a I hated the metal gaurds that GM put in front of the bulbs when they went to daytime running lights. Tried to get into the lens, to clip the metal diffuser on my 97 sse, and ended up being alot of trouble.

Good luck.

mine seems to do that too...check for cracks int eh front lense...i have a bb size hole in mine...even little chips can cause condensations ive found out....good luck

I've resealed both headlight assemblies a couple of years ago. When I split the lens from the main housing (by removing the clips & pulling/cutting gently), I then cleaned the inner surface. I then resealed the lens to the main body by using clear silicone. I then installed a headlight protective film (Called: "Armour Guard") to the front lenses. This accomplished two things, first it sealed out the moisture, two it protects the lenses from further damage. This film is 1/8" thick too. I've also installed this film on my new driving lights as, I don't want to spend that kind of money again anytime soon on new light assemblie!

Right, a little hole + a 60-80 mph headwind, and stuff gets in there. In extreme cases, Space Shuttles are lost the same way.

Thanks guys for the info. I just found the source of the problem about five minutes ago. There seems to be a very small pin hole in the glass in the area directly in front of the low beam, and upon closer inspection there is a fairly large cone shaped fragment of glass lying in the headlight assembly. It looked like a piece of ice in a small pool of water at first, then I realized that this is the back side fragment of glass from the pinhole. Now I'll have to figure out repair/replacement whatever. Thanks agian.
markwb

See my previous post. Basically you'll do this:

1) Remove headlamp assembly (unscrew two large round ***** on top, lift off splash shield, unplug headlamp and parking/turn signal bulbs, lift out lens assembly).
2) Shake out glass chips, etc.
3) Stick small piece of clear tape over outside hole and lay headlamp face-down on a shop cloth.
4) Using clear silicone sealer, put a blob on the end of a screwdriver, popsicle stick or similar, and carefully reach through the nearest socket opening in back to plant the blob of sealer in the hole. One blob should do it.
5) Allow to cure face-down overnight.

I actually left the Scotch tape on the front afterwards since it didn't seem to do any harm there. I trimmed it down to a small round patch with a razor blade.

Even if you don't have time to actually seal the hole now, get the tape on the outside right away to stop any more dirt and crud from getting in.

See my previous post. Basically you'll do this:

Andy, I've noted both of your posts. I'll probably go that route and follow your suggested procedure, but I may also look into replacement of just the lens & back assembly less all the other extraneous hardware. Thanks alot.
markwb

You're welcome. Be sure to keep your old (repaired) one for when you get a boulder through the new one. (The repair really doesn't show when it'* finished...)