headlight replacement question

[GOVEHIX]

the left side of my vx's headlight bulb was out yesterday, and i need to replace them. anyone knows how to get the light bulb out? i tried to pull it out today, but i failed, the bulb was in a "round rubber seal", do i need to give a twist to it or just pull it out? thx.

[Ldub]

pull the seal back, poke around inside headlight shell w/ finger,find bulb stay (holder/whatchamacallit) a heavy gague wire loop thing, push it in(to the front) & up or down, I don't remember, & release bulb.

[johnnyapollo]

Grant posted this how-to a few years ago:
http://www.vehicross.info/modules.php?name=Content&file=viewarticle&id=15

-- John

[Tone]

Be VERY careful when changing lamps - the metal clip is anchored to the headlight assembly by a small piece of plastic and a screw and is VERY easy to break. It cannot be repaired and a new assembly is over $300

To get the rubber moisture guide off, you must unpug the connector going to the bulb first which is not always easy. There is typically bulb grease and dirt all over the connector and the tabs on each end of the plug are difficult to squeeze in all the way to get them to release the bulb. Once that is done, the rubber simply peels or pulls off the back. Grant's instructions are great and I modified them with additional pictures for my HID install doc which I will email you.

[mrtew]

That stupid little metal clip that's barely held in by one lame screw has to be the worst piece of engineering ever put on a car. Grrrrrrrr.

[LittleBeast]

Yes one other reason to upgrade to projector beams :-)

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=20474&highlight=projector

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/IMG_1765.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=21300)

[etlsport]

Heres a vid I put together a couple years ago on headlight replacement. not the best but it shows you the basics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqmcl663WOo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[VehixDad]

Thanks for bulb video, it really shed some light on the subject! HaHa! I want to upgrade my son's bulbs but heard the stories of broken clips. Thanks again.

[Riff Raff]

Heres a vid I put together a couple years ago on headlight replacement. not the best but it shows you the basics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqmcl663WOo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Nice video, Eric. The only thing I would add is to always wear "Hospital Latex Gloves" when handling any kind of automotive light bulbs. The gloves will prevent any fingerprint oil from touching the bulbs outer surface which may result in premature failure.

:yeso:

[DeanMan]

For the life of me I cannot get the first step done... pinching the sides to unlock the plug. My fingers are bleeding. I can't even find a photo on the web to show exactly what/where I'm supposed to be trying for. Any other suggestions? I'm afraid to do it at Jiffy Lube and end up having them give me a handful of broken plastic bits!

[JAMAS]

You will have to fiddle with it a little, but there is just a small pin that is about the size of a bent paper clip.

I believe the steps are:
Disconnect cable
Remove black rubber seal
Remove pin
Pull bulb

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/IMAG0480.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22372)

[DeanMan]

Augh no I'm talking about disconnecting the cable in the first place... before the big outer seal can come off. I cannot squeeze anything or feel where it would even happen. I've taken the battery out to get a better chance at it, but what the hell am I doing wrong? Fortunately it is only the passenger side that is out... I suck. I shouldn't complain, I'm at nearly 300,000 miles and this is the first thing I've had to replace besides brakes and tires.

[JAMAS]

Sorry dude. There should be 2 tabs that need to be squeezed together on the left and the right side. Wish I could help you more. I am doing some searching now.

[DeanMan]

Thank you so much for the drawing! I'm sure I'll need it!

[JAMAS]

Not sure if this will help you any more or not, but this is out of the manual...


http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/HeadlightInstall.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22373)

[Ldub]

Yeh...they can be a real bugger, speshially if they've been connected for a decade or more.

Perseverance may be your best ally, a little wiggle action E-W, & N-S, will also be required.

:luck:

Also, please swing by the "keep on rock'n" (http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=22232&highlight=rockin) thread & post your latest odo reading, you may be in the running for highest mileage VX...:thumbup:

[VX KAT]

I shouldn't complain, I'm at nearly 300,000 miles and this is the first thing I've had to replace besides brakes and tires.

:freek:....WoW! think you might just win the highest mileage VX known to date! :thumbup:

[DeanMan]

Ok that diagram is exactly what I needed, just to kind of see where exactly to try to squeeze the lil' things together, gonna go try now.

I can't possibly have the highest mileage, can I? I bought this one from eBay, and it already had 43000 on it. I'm a designer and my best buddy and his wife ran the first marketing company for Red Bull... the Vehicross almost became the car with the big can on the back that they use for promos. Not enough of them to go around though!

[LittleBeast]

Ok that diagram is exactly what I needed, just to kind of see where exactly to try to squeeze the lil' things together, gonna go try now.

I can't possibly have the highest mileage, can I? I bought this one from eBay, and it already had 43000 on it. I'm a designer and my best buddy and his wife ran the first marketing company for Red Bull... the Vehicross almost became the car with the big can on the back that they use for promos. Not enough of them to go around though!

Very interesting :-)

Things could be a lot different with our resale possibly, haha ;-)

[mrtew]

For the life of me I cannot get the first step done... pinching the sides to unlock the plug. My fingers are bleeding. I can't even find a photo on the web to show exactly what/where I'm supposed to be trying for. Any other suggestions? I'm afraid to do it at Jiffy Lube and end up having them give me a handful of broken plastic bits!

You squeeze in the sides of the plug right behind the rubber boot thing. It's a black rectangular box shaped plug and you squeeze in the short end sides of it and pull. It comes off pretty easy really if you do it right!

[blacksambo]

I'm learning something. Tried those extra bright bulbs for a while...they burn out in nine months approx. So we went back to the oems, I mean the originals, and they are still shinning.

[Mile High VX]

Have Silverstar Platinum...going on two years and still shining brightly.

:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[JAMAS]

Have Silverstar Platinum...going on two years and still shining brightly.

:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

That is what I have as well. They have been great...although one did go out not that long ago.

Nice part is, they sell them in singles.

[JAMAS]

Any luck DeanMan?

[PHO2GR4]

...a little wiggle action E-W, & N-S, will also be required.


That actually works for a lot of other things too.
:bgwo:

[CowboyErik]

just had to replacemine light builds, used the $16.99 pair from Meijer lol, cheap, gotta do drivers side still!

[ipd]

I just ordered brite *** LED's. the increased lumen output should nicely offset the smoked covers i have.

[CowboyErik]

I am fighting this tonight! I got the bulb and connector out all in one. I loosened the screw that held the metal retaining clip in place and it fell away, did I break it by loosening the screw? My bulb connector absolutely would not come off by pressing the tabs and pulling out, it was jammed, after soaking it a few days with penatrating oil it finally let the bulb go nearly pulling the contacts out with it. So now trying to figure out how to remount this clip that I loosened, I guess I will try the driver side without taking clip off, agrghg

[ron]

I am fighting this tonight! I got the bulb and connector out all in one. I loosened the screw that held the metal retaining clip in place and it fell away, did I break it by loosening the screw? My bulb connector absolutely would not come off by pressing the tabs and pulling out, it was jammed, after soaking it a few days with penatrating oil it finally let the bulb go nearly pulling the contacts out with it. So now trying to figure out how to remount this clip that I loosened, I guess I will try the driver side without taking clip off, agrghg

You were not suppose to remove the retaining screw that holds the metal clip. You can actually unhook the metal clip with long nose pliers and swing the clip outward like a door. The retaining screw holds the clip in place and acts like a hinge so the clip can swing open. This will allow the bulb to simply fall out of position. After removing electrical plug from bulb, while leaving retaining screw in place, unhook clip from housing with needle nose pliers. Replace old bulb with new. And use needle nose pliers to grab and re-hook clip end behind housing to lock bulb in place.

If you are having a hard time visualizing the clip placement, look and study the opposite side bulb. First timers are typically bewildered how this assembles. But once you do it the right the first time, you'll kick yourself on how easy it is to replace your bulbs. Remember, do NOT loosen/remove the screw holding the clip in place and you'll do fine. Hope this helps.

[CowboyErik]

Thanks for the reply Ron, I had to release the clip to get the bulb out, so now I'm trying to get that clip back on to hold new bulb in place, I am hoping the driver's side comes off easier so I can pull the boot off and see clip in place. I should have taken a picture before I unscrewed it but the boot would have made that useless I think, if only the electrical connector to the bulb would have released first............. ! back at it shortly!

[ron]

Thanks for the reply Ron, I had to release the clip to get the bulb out, so now I'm trying to get that clip back on to hold new bulb in place, I am hoping the driver's side comes off easier so I can pull the boot off and see clip in place. I should have taken a picture before I unscrewed it but the boot would have made that useless I think, if only the electrical connector to the bulb would have released first............. ! back at it shortly!

After you remove the rubber boot, I believe you can just remove the electrical connector by squeezing the sides and pull back. I'm pretty sure you have to squeeze real tight to release the connector lock. When you re-plug the connector, there should be a 'click' sound which means the connector is engaged.

If you want a real good luck at the driver's side, removing the air box will help get a better visual. A few bolts and the box is removed. Study the orientation and placement of the clip in relation to the housing and it'll make sense.

[MSHardeman]

Replacing the headlight bulbs in the VX is definitely a tough, cramped job. I believe that you can pull the rubber boot off of the headlight housing to better see the electrical connection. The electrical connections, at least for mine, were always hard to get to and there really isn't enough room in there to get good leverage on the tabs that you need to squeeze in order to pull the connector off the back of the bulb. Like Ron said, removing the air box on the driver's side will give you plenty of room allowing you to actually get your head in there to see what you are doing.

As for the little bulb retaining clip; I can't remember exactly how it holds the bulb in. I THINK you have to squeeze it in, shift it forward a little to clear the retaining tab, and then swing it out of the way. I might have a diagram at home that shows what to do. I'll try and hunt it down for you.

When you put the new bulbs in I would suggest adding some dielectric grease to the bulb posts and "plug" to make removing them in the future a little easier.

[DeanMan]

Engine Blew at ~314,000 miles.

[DeanMan]

Any luck DeanMan?

Oops, Yes haha here it is July 2022 and I'm revisiting this thread to replace the bulbs again and trade out a damaged headlight frame from my original VX to the 'new' one (which is identical)