Headlight Condensation - Toyota Yaris Forums

darkmoon87 · 05-21-2010, 11:48 PM

My headlight housings are painted to match the body color. I did this about 1 and 1/2 year ago. Now, the passenger side housing is having condensation issue.

Today when I went to my mechanic to check something out, he told me that if you want a quickie solution to the condensation problem, I can drill a teeny-tiny hole from the bottom of the housing and it will be solved. It made sense, but I just wanted to hear more feedback in regards to what my mechanic suggested me to do.

Taking the housing out and prying it open and re-sealing it with silicon is not that hard, but if that drilling works, I think I want to go ahead with it.

What are your thoughts guys?

cali yaris · 05-22-2010, 12:17 AM

dunno, sorry. my intuition says to disagree.

isn't the cause of the condensation (no longer sealed somewhere) still there?

YAR1S · 05-22-2010, 12:22 AM

....... open them up, dry them out and reseal? :/ I would think the hole would let in more moisture and cause more problems.....

Brian · 05-22-2010, 06:31 PM

Try removing the vent caps from the back of the headlight and let the heat from the engine dry it out or open them and seal them again.

127.0.0.1 · 05-22-2010, 09:24 PM

there is often no way around this for sure, except yank the entire assembly, wash and dry it,
and reseal any gaps with putty (plumbers putty works excellent. roll it into thin
cylinders and press into gaps with small tool like broken q-tip or toothpick.)

use silicone sealant if you never plan on opening them up again

find the gaps by filling it with water when you wash it

darkmoon87 · 05-23-2010, 12:00 AM

thanks for the good suggestions guys, very helpful and will try them.

i will try the vent cap open-dry-reclose trick first. hopefully it works

GuySmily · 05-23-2010, 07:35 PM

If you decide to re-open the headlights, use the proper stuff for resealing them:
OEM butyl sealant

Rumored to be the same as 3M Window-Weld.

The roll (at least the Nissan one) is super thick. I stretch it waaaaay out as I unroll it, adding sealer where it was looking thin from the factory, then smooth it over the edge of the headlight lens. Imagine trying to cover the blade of a knife (both sides, and especially along the edge) with playdough. That's what I do with the headlight lens and the butyl. That way when you smash it back together (which will take a little extra force), you have sealant on both sides AND on the edge of the lens. I've seen other people simply lay the roll down into the backside of the headlamp - that way seems to be much harder.

I recommend this over silicone because if you ever have to re-open the headlights for any reason, the silicone leaves crap everywhere and it becomes MUCH harder to get a proper seal next time. You may not plan on redoing the job, but you probably didn't plan on it last time, right?

Kaotic Lazagna · 05-24-2010, 03:12 AM

^ yeah, silicone sealant is a b*tch. I gotta scrape off all of it and use that strip butyl sealant when I fix my condensation problem.

Violin · 05-24-2010, 07:06 AM

Butyl sealant over silicone definitely.

You could try tossing a couple of new silica gel desiccant packs in behind the bowl (the kind that come with cameras and electronics.

Kaotic Lazagna · 05-24-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violin

Butyl sealant over silicone definitely.

You could try tossing a couple of new silica gel desiccant packs in behind the bowl (the kind that come with cameras and electronics.

Those ball things?

HTM Yaris · 05-24-2010, 07:46 PM

The hole trick will work best . This is how I have modified my foglights . The hole will allow air to circulate inside the housing and cool the inside . The trick is not to puncture the reflective surface .

I'm not sure what the Sedan headlights look like , but if it were my LB I would drill holes on the TOP of the headlights in addition to the hole in the bottom. Actually I would drill some 1/16 or smaller hole(s) into the place where the hood meets the headlight . There is a lip (on headlight its clear in color ) that forms a 90 degree joint with the hood . Drill the vertical side into the headlight . You won't be able to see the hole(s) with the hood down .

With holes in the top and bottom the air can circulate much better and the hole in the bottom provides a place for water to drain .

Actually buying new headlights would be the easiest way .

frog13 · 06-24-2010, 05:21 PM

Take the bulb(s) out,dry the inside of the unit out and then use a product called snow seal...its for boots and outdoors stuff.It's beeswax....you apply it,use a hairdryer to make it "run" into cracks and crannies,then it solidifies/sealing the area.

05-21-2010, 11:48 PM	#1
darkmoon87 Drives: 08 Yaris Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 365	Headlight Condensation My headlight housings are painted to match the body color. I did this about 1 and 1/2 year ago. Now, the passenger side housing is having condensation issue. Today when I went to my mechanic to check something out, he told me that if you want a quickie solution to the condensation problem, I can drill a teeny-tiny hole from the bottom of the housing and it will be solved. It made sense, but I just wanted to hear more feedback in regards to what my mechanic suggested me to do. Taking the housing out and prying it open and re-sealing it with silicon is not that hard, but if that drilling works, I think I want to go ahead with it. What are your thoughts guys? __________________ RIP Yaris, I will miss your superb handling a lot. darkmoon87's picture thread http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10013

05-22-2010, 06:31 PM	#4
Brian Drives: '07 Yaris turbo, '11 Juke Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 849	Try removing the vent caps from the back of the headlight and let the heat from the engine dry it out or open them and seal them again. __________________ http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3875996

05-23-2010, 12:00 AM	#6
darkmoon87 Drives: 08 Yaris Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 365	thanks for the good suggestions guys, very helpful and will try them. i will try the vent cap open-dry-reclose trick first. hopefully it works __________________ RIP Yaris, I will miss your superb handling a lot. darkmoon87's picture thread http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10013

05-24-2010, 07:46 PM	#11
HTM Yaris resident senior View User's Garage Drives: 07 Yaris Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: south Carolina Posts: 814	The hole trick will work best . This is how I have modified my foglights . The hole will allow air to circulate inside the housing and cool the inside . The trick is not to puncture the reflective surface . I'm not sure what the Sedan headlights look like , but if it were my LB I would drill holes on the TOP of the headlights in addition to the hole in the bottom. Actually I would drill some 1/16 or smaller hole(s) into the place where the hood meets the headlight . There is a lip (on headlight its clear in color ) that forms a 90 degree joint with the hood . Drill the vertical side into the headlight . You won't be able to see the hole(s) with the hood down . With holes in the top and bottom the air can circulate much better and the hole in the bottom provides a place for water to drain . Actually buying new headlights would be the easiest way . __________________

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05-22-2010, 12:17 AM	#2
cali yaris ULTIMATE View User's Garage Drives: 07 Yaris Turbo Join Date: May 2007 Location: Canoga Park, CA Posts: 14,859	dunno, sorry. my intuition says to disagree. isn't the cause of the condensation (no longer sealed somewhere) still there?

05-22-2010, 09:24 PM	#5
127.0.0.1 Banned Drives: '10 Yaris5drHB+99 4runner LTD Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NE Posts: 672	there is often no way around this for sure, except yank the entire assembly, wash and dry it, and reseal any gaps with putty (plumbers putty works excellent. roll it into thin cylinders and press into gaps with small tool like broken q-tip or toothpick.) use silicone sealant if you never plan on opening them up again find the gaps by filling it with water when you wash it

05-23-2010, 07:35 PM	#7
GuySmily Drives: 2005 Toyota MR2 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sacramento, CA, USA Posts: 158	If you decide to re-open the headlights, use the proper stuff for resealing them: OEM butyl sealant Rumored to be the same as 3M Window-Weld. The roll (at least the Nissan one) is super thick. I stretch it waaaaay out as I unroll it, adding sealer where it was looking thin from the factory, then smooth it over the edge of the headlight lens. Imagine trying to cover the blade of a knife (both sides, and especially along the edge) with playdough. That's what I do with the headlight lens and the butyl. That way when you smash it back together (which will take a little extra force), you have sealant on both sides AND on the edge of the lens. I've seen other people simply lay the roll down into the backside of the headlamp - that way seems to be much harder. I recommend this over silicone because if you ever have to re-open the headlights for any reason, the silicone leaves crap everywhere and it becomes MUCH harder to get a proper seal next time. You may not plan on redoing the job, but you probably didn't plan on it last time, right?

05-24-2010, 03:12 AM	#8
Kaotic Lazagna View User's Garage Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Valley, CA Posts: 9,873	^ yeah, silicone sealant is a b*tch. I gotta scrape off all of it and use that strip butyl sealant when I fix my condensation problem.

05-24-2010, 07:06 AM	#9
Violin View User's Garage Drives: 2007 Yaris LB Auto Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,592	Butyl sealant over silicone definitely. You could try tossing a couple of new silica gel desiccant packs in behind the bowl (the kind that come with cameras and electronics.

06-24-2010, 05:21 PM	#12
frog13 Tw200--excellent! Drives: 2010 yaris..absolutely red. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 209	Take the bulb(s) out,dry the inside of the unit out and then use a product called snow seal...its for boots and outdoors stuff.It's beeswax....you apply it,use a hairdryer to make it "run" into cracks and crannies,then it solidifies/sealing the area.