Spent most of Saturday removing and cleaning, just one, of my headlights and have learnt many things :-

 

• This is bloody hard work and is no trivial job, my hands (still) hurt, my knuckles are skinned and I really hate Nissan sometimes.
  
• The standard airbox is not supposed to come out. In fact I suspect, given the way the pop rivets are facing that it is assembled when in the car. We could make it 10 times easier to remove by brazing some captive nuts to the underside of the bracket and using screws from inside the airbox
  
• In order to remove the LH headlight I had to remove the airbox and the electric fan. Once again, if there was a captive nut underneath, rather than on top then all this would not be necessary. I have temporarily replaced that bolt with an allen bolt and a separate nut/spring washer & Loctite.
  
• Getting the headlight apart was an absolute bitch. I used a hot air gun rather than a hairdrier and when that sealant gets hot it melts, sticks to your skin and burns !
  
• The inside of the headlight body was quite clean, but both sides of the dipped beam lens and the inside of the glass were quite foggy.
  
• Stuffed down the side of the light were a couple of little tablets in rapidly decomposing foam bag. I assume that these are desiccant tablets (silica gel for absorbing moisture) and it wouldn't surprise me that either the tablet or the foam is responsible for the fogging of the internal glass.
  
• Both horizontal beam adjusters are broken, not for any reason except that the internal adjusters are too stiff - I have greased them but I don't think it will make much difference.
  
• Predictably, the external adjusters need the headlight removing in order to be changed. However, if there was an extra 7mm hole for a screwdriver in the chassis behind the headlight then this would not be necessary. Good news is that the adjusters are available from Nelson for about £5 per headlight.
  
• I didn't have time to do the RH light as well.
  
• There is now a noticeable difference between the two lights when either switched on or off. Will find out how much real difference that makes when I drive home tonight.
  

 

I am not volunteering to help anyone out with this job - it is a pig

Jeff TT you must be superhuman - you are 'Zed Repair Man"

 

[This message has been edited by AndyP (edited 12-11-2001).]

Hi Andy, your a star, any one tackling the headlight removal needs a medal. It does get easier as the skin level reduces and the need to stop for girly plasters! it sorts the men from the boys...and Matty (Lol)

 

Jeff TT

 

 

Whaaa...???

 

What have I done now......

 

Ohhh....you mean I'm superhuman?

 

 

Cheers Papa Z

 

Matty.

 

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Bounce...Bounce...Bounce...Bounce...Bounce...Bounce...Bounce... (sorry no sound!) LOL