Vahkil Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I assume the humidity in AZ is very low? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt_ltd Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 lower than CA but higher than CO This Space For Rent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy05 Posted March 19, 2006 Author Share Posted March 19, 2006 it is, but it did rain last week and there is a chance of rain tomorrow as well ... hopefully there was just some left over moisture from the first time ... we'll see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Sorry to see you had problems, Legacy05! That's truly a lot of water - and I'm glad you've isolated your problem. Indeed, I think that having pulled the component and used a hair-dryer was your best-bet in your case, with so much water. On most other "condensation" issues I've seen, it's usually simply a matter of pulling off the rear weather-seal "plug" and running the light for a few minutes/hours to get the heat to dry it out. ---- PDX-LegacyGT - Have you modified anything else in your car? Anytime you disassemble something and put it back together you face the possibility of something not turning out right later. Do things right though and you have little to worry about. I +1 this sentiment..... I've run my LGT, many times, through commercial "no-touch" car-washes - and besides, it's been EXTREMELY wet here in NE-Ohio this winter, with every sort of precipitation possible - and conditions highly conducive to seeing "condensation," too. After some 6+ months and having opened and re-opened my headlamps no less than 3 times for various modifications to that area, I have NOT had any such problems. The same can be said of my other vehicles on which I've performed similar mods. And to-boot, I even have a couple of extra holes in my LGT's headlamp housings. Like many have said here, proper re-sealing is a must. It's definitely also possible that my selected hole placement - out of the way of any possible incoming water/wetness - could further help "equalize" inside-to-outside temps, thus further preventing condensation buildup. Like many others here have said, performed properly, condensation or water-ingress should *NOT* be an issue with this modification. And honestly, this kind of issue can happen even with an un-molested "factory" setup - should the plug be ill-seated (which can easily happen after bulb changes) or the seals degraded. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy05 Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 Well my car was parked outside in the rain yesterday, no condensation so far. So I am going to guess, that my re-sealing job was a success. Phew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VXCL Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Well my car was parked outside in the rain yesterday, no condensation so far. So I am going to guess, that my re-sealing job was a success. Phew depends on what you used to seal it with. i would have suggested permatex ultra black high temp rtv silcone sealant. clear types usually dry up and start to crack after while from the heat of the lamps, engine, etc. after many many xenon headlamp retros i found that sealant to be the best unless you want to get your hands on the factory butyl rubber stuff. anyways hope youre good to go, but if you have the problem come back you know what to use next time. other good thing about that sealant is once it is dry you can easily pull it or rub it off. NEVER EVER USE goof off or similar product to get sealant off the clear lens!!! it will ruin it 9 times out of 10!! MAYHEM #122/22 STS NNJR SCCA AUTOX4U.COM XENON RETRO GUIDE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy05 Posted March 20, 2006 Author Share Posted March 20, 2006 Thanks! ... I'll keep that in mind next time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevjam79 Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 More than likely your turn signal bulb was loose. I had just as much moisture in my driver headlight from the same issue. Note: I had never broken the seal on the headlight. The headlight was a new Subaru factory part after a small fender bender. The turnsignal was likely never secured on the reinstall. Also, you DO NOT need extra silicone to put these lights back together after doing a clear/paint job. There is adequate silicone to take care of resealing. I have done several sets of RSX headlights. It is the same principal. I actually took the LGT headlight out to remove the condensation from the loose turnsignal. The main thing is to cycle all of the moisture out of the headlight through heating and cooling inside a dry house.(run the A/C for several hours if you have to) Let the housing stand open and dry the rest of the way naturally. Clean any dust or debris from around the seals on all three sockets. Make sure the two vapor ports are properly installed. Reinstall the headlight either the next day or 8-12 hours later. If you want oven heating instructions I can pass that along, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VXCL Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 the factory doesn not use silcone, its a butyl rubber type or similar which is why you can heat it up and pull it apart and reuse it by heating it again. theres nothing worse then having to take the car apart ot reseal which is why i always use the permatex to ensure that doesnt happen. MAYHEM #122/22 STS NNJR SCCA AUTOX4U.COM XENON RETRO GUIDE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 More than likely your turn signal bulb was loose. I had just as much moisture in my driver headlight from the same issue. Note: I had never broken the seal on the headlight. The headlight was a new Subaru factory part after a small fender bender. The turnsignal was likely never secured on the reinstall. GREAT tip! I don't know why I never thought of that one! Also, you DO NOT need extra silicone to put these lights back together after doing a clear/paint job. There is adequate silicone to take care of resealing. I think that this is very dependent on individual findings as well as individual modification procedures, too. For my good fellow Ohioan and LGTer praedet, he'd somehow wound up with moisture ingress in one of his lamp housings after installation of optics-retrofit HIDs. Although we were *very* careful to seal things back up, we think that it is more than likely that the extraordinary amount of dust that the modifications generated could have caused some portions of the housing in-question to fail to completely stick/seal back together. Through my many times hacking different headlamp units, that was truly the first time I've ever run into an issue of this sort - and in all of my other trials, I've honestly never used more - or rather, much more (a dab here or there to supplement certain areas, that I have done) - sealant. However, with my past mods, I've also never generated quite as much plastic or metal shavings..... <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevjam79 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 To clarify on my 'extra silicone' comment: Under normal/clean circumstances you shouldn't need any sealant. However, if for some reason the butyl rubber becomes contaminated, you should take precautions to fix any possible moisture penetration zones. My comment also did not include if you drill into the projector rear cover for wire passage. Those type holes should have silicone or butyl rubber applied to them, as well. Good luck in your modification and condensation fix efforts. TSi+WRX, Your welcome (concerning the tip). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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