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Hi,
I have been trying to change a burned out Front right parking light bulb (mainly because fault light and beep comes up whenever the lights go on).
I am having a lot of trouble getting to it. The steering fluid reservoir is in the way, and is pretty fixed in place due to the short hoses going to it for the bottom. Is this one of those engine out procedures!
I can just get my hand in the headlight to reach the plug but when I pull back on it it looks like I am going to tear out the inner light assembly because it is pretty tightly stuck in there.
I say one video showing that the little bulb socket is pulled out with an hook, but again, I can't see it and when I pull on it i feel like i will break it.
Any advice from someone when has taken this out before.
Here is the picture of the bulb I am talking about.
Last edited by Sci-fi_Wasabi; 09-30-2018 at 10:40 AM.
I did see a thing somewhere on how to pull the little bulb out. One guy said to pull the wires and the bulb will come out. I tried this but after pulling, I backed off cause I didn't want the wires to break. Another suggestion was to use a hook like thing to pull the bulb. I did loosen the four screws and move the light assembly out about 3/4" but it's still not enough room for my big paw. I can just tough it but broke my arm near my wrist a year ago and just don't have the strength or flexibility in my left hand. If it were 180 degrees different and could use my right, I think I could get it.
Not that it makes a difference with the DLR's on all the time, but I hate the damn bulb warning and beep
What I need is an extremely strong and very small hand. I hear robot technology is advanced. Maybe I'll get a robot sex doll and see If I can program it to reach in and "jerk" it. HA
haha,
I think the robot doll would divorce you, and mail itself back to Japan, after you make it jerk this bulb out... It's been 1 hour and my hands are all scraped up, I can get the hook onto the little wedge, but it is just so stuck in there, even yanking with that is not pulling it out... no way am i going to yank on the wires with that much force.
maybe it will be easier if i let the bulb heat up to make the plastics more pliable... I'll try that next.
Ok, it took me a few hour but i got it out.
I turned the light bulb on that is right next to it. The light then bleeds through the back of the smaller bulb so you can see it with the small inspection/dental mirror. Even with a hook on that little lip, it would not come out, so I used some needle nosed pliers to grab onto the plastic bits on the back of the socket and yanked it straight out. Takes some time because with the mirror, up is down, so moving is hard. I did try to gently tug on the wires as previously suggested, and what i found is some of the insulation on one of the wires was cracking... it probably goes brittle over time, which i had to reinforce with silicone sealant, just for longevity.
I'm going to put some silicone grease around the socket so hopefully it comes out easier in the future... well, I'm going to find the longest life bulb i can so i never have to do this again.
Here are my pics of various hand positions.
Last edited by Sci-fi_Wasabi; 09-30-2018 at 02:03 PM.
Ok, it took me a few hour but i got it out.
I turned the light bulb on that is right next to it. The light then bleeds through the back of the smaller bulb so you can see it with the small inspection/dental mirror. Even with a hook on that little lip, it would not come out, so I used some needle nosed pliers to grab onto the plastic bits on the back of the socket and yanked it straight out. Takes some time because with the mirror, up is down, so moving is hard. I did try to gently tug on the wires as previously suggested, and what i found is some of the insulation on one of the wires was cracking... it probably goes brittle over time, which i had to reinforce with silicone sealant, just for longevity.
I'm going to put some silicone grease around the socket so hopefully it comes out easier in the future... well, I'm going to find the longest life bulb i can so i never have to do this again.
Here are my pics of various hand positions.
I am having the same trouble. I can see the bulb socket but it will not budge and I am worried about braking the headlight assembly. How much play is in the assembly? How much force was needed to get it free?
it does take a good bit of brisk force. Don't pull on the wires for sure.
It is not screwed in or clipped in the, housing is literally wedged in. So it is all about breaking the friction holding it in. Should be much easier on the right light with the air filter box out for more room to maneuver. There are just a lot of parts in that space, so make sure your pliers have grabbed the light housing and not something else.
I had my whole bumper off for some other repair. I just took the head light assemblies out and replaced the main headlight bulb and other working parking bulb in advance of them going bad...because I was so disgusted with the idea of going through the below process again.
Last edited by Sci-fi_Wasabi; 05-18-2019 at 10:52 PM.
Saw this post today and hoped there was a sliver bullet cause the annoying "bulb out" and beep have be in my face for over a year. (mine is the driver side). last year, I tried removing the screws to move the light housing a "bit", but a "bit" is not enough for my gorilla hands. (in winter the only gloves that will fit are XXXL or XXXXL)
Unless i get real ambitious and remove the whole front bumper skin, I'll probably continue to be annoyed.
Saw this post today and hoped there was a sliver bullet cause the annoying "bulb out" and beep have be in my face for over a year. (mine is the driver side). last year, I tried removing the screws to move the light housing a "bit", but a "bit" is not enough for my gorilla hands. (in winter the only gloves that will fit are XXXL or XXXXL)
Unless i get real ambitious and remove the whole front bumper skin, I'll probably continue to be annoyed.
You don't have to remove the whole front bumper to get out the headlight. If you just loosen it on the affected side and the bolts under the hood, you can shift it forward an inch or so and that's enough to allow the headlight to come out.
Saw this post today and hoped there was a sliver bullet cause the annoying "bulb out" and beep have be in my face for over a year. (mine is the driver side). last year, I tried removing the screws to move the light housing a "bit", but a "bit" is not enough for my gorilla hands. (in winter the only gloves that will fit are XXXL or XXXXL)
Unless i get real ambitious and remove the whole front bumper skin, I'll probably continue to be annoyed.
You can do it, as i described in my pics below with the bumper on, it is just like playing the claw machine in a fair, requires patience, but after investing $50 in quarters, you will grab this $1 prize. I as well could only get maybe half an inch of froward movement on my headlight with the 4 screws unbolted and bumper on.
By the way, I tried the Phillips T10/w5w LED bulb in the socket... fit well, but gave me a bulb out error, so i put a regular one in it.
Last edited by Sci-fi_Wasabi; 05-19-2019 at 08:58 AM.
09-30-2018, 10:28 AM
Changing front rt parking light bulb
