Posts Tagged ‘Headlights’

In the old days, replacing a headlight seemed to be as complicated as a root canal. The lamp had to be completely removed. Today, cars and trucks come with headlight bulbs that plug into the back of the headlight lens housing. If your headlight goes out, replacing the bulb is simple and takes very little time–but it is a critical part of car maintenance and your safety.

You’d think that, considering the importance of vehicle lighting, there would be more information on the subject. Maybe it’s because the headlights or taillights on most cars and trucks rarely cause any trouble, if any at all. If they do, many people automatically take the vehicle to the dealership or a service center to have the light replaced.

Take this to heart; the inspection and/or replacement of the various lights on your car or truck are less involved than you might believe. When a light (such as a headlight or taillight) quits working on your vehicle, changing out the old bulb for a new one is, in most cases, very easy. Usually, changing the lighting on most of today’s cars doesn’t require many tools. In fact, the only tool that would be needed to change a taillight bulb in most cars is a Phillips screwdriver. No tools are needed to access the headlights. There’s only one screw holding the taillight housing to the car. The inside thumbscrew is accessible from inside the back of the car and can be turned with your hand.

Accessing headlights is even easier. In fact, changing a headlight in your car or truck isn’t that much different from replacing a light bulb in your home.

1. The inspection of vehicle lighting begins with a periodic checking of their operation. Headlights are easy. For taillights, you might need someone to stand behind the vehicle while you operate the running lights, brake lights and turn signals. You can also check for the function of these items by backing the vehicle up near a window and looking at the reflection through the back window. The owner’s manual is one of the most important tools for replacing vehicle lighting. You don’t need to run off to the dealership just to replace a taillight, headlight or any other light in your car. Just look at the manual, and it will tell you how to access the lights and the type of replacement to acquire. Most auto parts stores stock a full line of vehicle lights.

2. If a taillight or brake light (almost always the same bulb) isn’t working, you need to access it for replacement. On some cars, you can get to the taillights just by pulling the socket out from inside the trunk.

3. Inside the storage area there’s generally one plastic thumbscrew holding the housing in place. Once that’s removed, the housing separates from the car.

4. With the thumbscrew and Phillips head screw removed, the entire housing lifts up away from the car.

5. To access the bulb in the housing, simply turn the bulb socket counterclockwise as far as possible and pull it out of the housing. Here you can inspect the bulb and see if it’s burned out. If the filament is broken, then the bulb needs to be replaced. To remove the bulb from the socket, hold the socket with one hand and pull the bulb out with the other. Some sockets require that you turn the bulb to remove it. This type of setup has notches in the socket, and the bulb is keyed with tabs on the base of the bulb so it fits in the socket only one way. Most vehicles, however, are simply a plug-in setup.

6. The standard taillight (or running light) and brake light are contained in the same bulb. Both filaments are visible here for both functions. If one of the two filaments is broken, then the bulb needs to be replaced.

7. At the front are the headlights, side marker lights and optional driving lights. Replacing the headlights and side marker lights is a snap. No tools are required.

8. Access to the headlights is from under the hood or under the front end of the vehicle. The plastic bulb cover rotates counterclockwise and comes off in your hand.

9. The headlight is a bulb unlike a sealed-beam lamp as used in older cars. A sealed-beam headlamp usually has two or three screws and a ring around the headlamp that hold it in place. Once the light is removed, it unplugs. Getting back to the headlight bulb, it removes and installs much like a standard taillight bulb. The three-pronged setup makes it so the bulb will only install one way. It is a simple process. In some vehicles, a wire clip holds the bulb in place inside the headlight housing. It swivels out of the way for removal and re-installation.

10. The filaments in the headlights are similar to those in a standard taillight. There are usually two filaments — one for the low beams and one for the high beams. If your car has separate lights for high and low beams, then there will only be one filament inside the bulb.

11. Access to the side marker lights is under the front fender. Simply hold on to the socket and turn it counterclockwise to remove it from the housing. Inspection of the bulb is the same as with the others. Check to see if the filament is broken. If so, then a replacement will be necessary.

If you suspect that the positioning of your new headlight may have been disturbed while you changed it, have it checked before you drive at night. Otherwise, you are ready to go.