Headlight Moisture

[TomJames]

The right front headlight on our 34' 2005 Alpine keeps getting a large quanity of moisture behind the lens assembly. I have removed both Hi and Low bulbs and blew air from my shop vac into the lens assembly (At least 2 hours). After several hours the moisture came back. Does anyone have an idea on where the moisture is coming from and a fix?

[justimagination]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomJames The right front headlight on our 34' 2005 Alpine keeps getting a large quanity of moisture behind the lens assembly. I have removed both Hi and Low bulbs and blew air from my shop vac into the lens assembly (At least 2 hours). After several hours the moisture came back. Does anyone have an idea on where the moisture is coming from and a fix?

........There should be a small L shaped tube on backside of lens for venting. Make sure they are not mashed when lamp is mounted. Good luck,
David G.

[palehorse89]

If that does not work try drilling a 1/8" hole right on the bottom to drain and to vent it so it can dry up. I have done this before and the light dryed up in a couple of weeks and no more problems.

[TomJames]

I am new to the IRV2 Forum so will be making mistakes as I use it. At my age I am slower in the learning curve but will eventually learn what "post, Quote,Thread's" are. We bought our 34" Alpine in Sept. 2010. and took one trip to the Grand Canyon. After returning I took the MH in for some "minor" repair work and the Coach was brokin into. The whole dash, overheads, front headliner were completly trashed - just for the 32" Sharp TV. It has been in the repair facility until Feb. 14. The only problem that I curently have is the one where the front right hand side headlight assembly fills us with quite a bit of moisture. Your replies were well received and make cense. I saw that little L shaped tube and didn't pay any attention to what it was for. Also, drilling a small hole in the bottom of the light assembly is a good idea. Thanks for the information - you guys are great. - Tom James (34' Alpine 400 HP, 8.9 L) Toad is a 2006 CR-V

[JohnRR]

There's a wealth of knowledge and experience here to answer any questions you may have and if you do some reading it will introduce you to questions you would not even think of asking.

I joined about the same time as you did with no experience with RV ownership or use, even though you may have been reading for a while let me extend to you

[MegaRoadie]

Just a thought here... IMHO drilling a hole in the bottom is like most homemade jerry-rigs... DANGEROUS

I was driving west on I-10 in Tallahassee, Florida, had a headlight fill with water, driving down the road... suddenly the dash and in 5 seconds the entire cab filled with smoke. Ironic as all getout, bailing out into the pouring rain due to cabfire !

Four days and 1800 dollars later, we were back on the road... all damage repaired, supposedly, but no CAUSE ever found by the Chevy Dealer in Crestview Florida.

After arriving home from our trip I was doing a post trip checkup, looked at the drivers side headlight and it was 3/4 full of water !!! I was shocked because I had, as you were told to do, drilled a 1/8 inch hole in bottom of case. This allowed the rain to flow, forced by the 65 MPH winds on the highway up into the case, and over time dirt and debris had filled the case stopping drainage, thus the water collected and shorted out everything causing the fire.

Those engineers that design such things may get cussed from time to time but a SEALED BEAM HEADLIGHT is sealed for a reason... to keep out water, and being nieve and over-riding their engineering is seldom something ya wanna do !!!!!

100 dollars to Auto Anything for a new pair of SEALED BEAM lamps and I was back to OEM !

Stick with what the maker made, especially when new to it all. Later ya can go braindead and start jerryrigging things and get into trouble... after you are hooked on RV'ing !!!!!!

[takepride]

These headlights fill with water when the gasket around the top plug gets misaligned or, as in my case, disappears. It ought to be an easy enough gasket to buy. However, while messing around with mine, the little tabs on the plug broke off, making the whole repair nearly impossible. Since they were a clouding anyhow, I changed headlights to the new halo style (see earlier threads). Looks better anyhow.

The exact same headlight is available and fairly cheap. The upgrades are a bit more spendy, but worthwhile in my opinion.

[palehorse89]

Most of todays headlights are sealed. Even when you change the bulb you notice there is a sealing gasket on the bulb. When a light get moisture in it somewhere it has lost its factory seal and water starts to build up. I had two ways i could go, spend $200.00 on a new light assy. Or drill a small hole to drain and and leave the small open to vent it so water did not build up. It worked for me with no "dangerous" problems. The rain water when traveling will not go up in a 1/8" hole in the bottom of the headlight. The fellow that refers to" home made jerry rigs" i have a question for you, do you pay for all of your repairs on all of your equipment? I am not to sure of all that "debris" blowing up in a 1/8" hole? Are you sure you didn't drill a 1/2" hole? I have done this on two different headlights and no more water and no junk inside the headlight. The problem electricly comes when the water isn't gotten rid of like happened to you. What ever works....... And to each their own. Sometimes a mans wallet overpowers his brain..... I have had it happen .

[TomJames]

Your suggestion on drilling a 1/8" hole in the bottom of the headlight assemble sure makes sense to me. I really have been getting a large amount of water in the assembly and this will give it a way to drain. I, like you, do not see how any foreign substance can get inside of this little hole. - I will also check that L shaped tube. Thanks for the suggestions. Tom

[takepride]

Tom:

Of course the obvious answer to keeping water from leaking in the top plug would be to remove the plug and cover it with duct/rescue tape. I'm fairly sure that's where it's coming in.

[Old Rv'er]

Or - as in one case or two, replace the whole assemblies with new ones. They are available on E-bay. Additionally, several owners have purchased or will purchase new assemblies with the eyebrow led's around the light bulb. So you folks who have changed them out, chim in with all the data.

Here is a link to one company who sells aftermarket BMW kits with the angle eye fixtures: DDM Tuning : BMW Headlights

[takepride]

StealthAuto.com is offering 20% off the ones I purchased, until the end of the month. The ones with the LED halos are the best, but you can watch the videos and decide what's right for you. He gives a great explanation of each type, how they work and the pros and cons.

http://www.stealthauto.com/default.a...ampaign=thanks

[Old Rv'er]

But which stock headlights do we have now? This would be important so we know which unit to purchase and what adapters, etc we need.

Having a step by step on the change would be nice as well. If I make the switch, I will write one up. Since my coach is an 07, it might not apply to earlier units, but then Alpine did not make a lot of cosmetic changes so it might.

[Chuck 1935]

DO NOT DRILL. Make sure the sealing ring around the back of the bulb is sealing correctly. That is where the moisture is most likely getting in. Clean the seal area and as a last resort, wipe the mating surface with a little bit of grease.