"XLR" Diffuser in headlamp assembly

[jjsea55]

I just happened to notice this last night when in my garage. The amber light diffuser with the engraved "XLR" on top had come unclipped on one side (inside) of my driver side assembly. I honestly didn't know that it was a separate piece that simply clipped into a slot on each respective side of the tunnel as it slid into position.

I've upgraded my head lamps and all of the other lamps to LED units... EXCEPT the amber running lamps... for some reason I couldn't locate the LED replacements at the time. Of course, I now have some "krazing" on each of the diffusers (worse on passenger side).

If memory serves, all of the bulb replacements were effected from the back of the assembly. I seem to remember reading that the inner assembly is sealed and unaccessible. Do I have options here to get my diffuser back into place? Reckon what may have caused this to happen? The clips on both sides look good, but that's looking from the top through the lens.

I've attached a photo (hope it makes the post)... for viewing. Would be nice if only this diffuser unit could be replicated and new units could be inserted to replace those that have been affected by the heat. Appreciate any input or observations anyone may have regarding this issue.

Thanks!

 

[jjsea55]

I just happened to notice this last night when in my garage. The amber light diffuser with the engraved "XLR" on top had come unclipped on one side (inside) of my driver side assembly. I honestly didn't know that it was a separate piece that simply clipped into a slot on each respective side of the tunnel as it slid into position.

I've upgraded my head lamps and all of the other lamps to LED units... EXCEPT the amber running lamps... for some reason I couldn't locate the LED replacements at the time. Of course, I now have some "krazing" on each of the diffusers (worse on passenger side).

If memory serves, all of the bulb replacements were effected from the back of the assembly. I seem to remember reading that the inner assembly is sealed and unaccessible. Do I have options here to get my diffuser back into place? Reckon what may have caused this to happen? The clips on both sides look good, but that's looking from the top through the lens.

I've attached a photo (hope it makes the post)... for viewing. Would be nice if only this diffuser unit could be replicated and new units could be inserted to replace those that have been affected by the heat. Appreciate any input or observations anyone may have regarding this issue.

Thanks!

Wow! 94 views and not the first response. Guess I'll update my own post. A closer viewing showed that each of the diffuser side clips had detached from the tunnel slot. The outside clip (unseen in the photo) has a hairline crack in the center of the clip post and the reduced tension must have allowed it to unseat while driving. It is simply wedged against the top of the lens for now.

As much as I may regret, I suppose I will be forced to attempt the "oven bake" method to open the assembly to reseat or remove the diffuser. There are plenty of YouTube videos of this action being done on fogs and smaller assemblies, but I remain hesitant due to the potential "destruction" of a vital component.

Has anyone tried this themselves... or know of anyone who has successfully broken and reattached the seal on an XLR?

 

[rnrt99]

When a friend of mine and his buddy took apart my tail light to fix the LEDs , he used a heat gun while the other guy pulled and pried the plastic pieces apart (I had to look away ) . It all worked out fine and he used some kind of silicone to put it back together . It worked but it was stressful to watch.

 

[ALABAMA XLR V]

I removed one of my headlights and made a small hook from 1/16 stainless steel welding rod and was able to reclip diffuser back in place been there a year now.
Mark

 

[jjsea55]

Thanks for your input. Have considered the heat gun, as well. The advantage an oven offers would be that the entire adhesive area would be softened simultaneously... perhaps creating an advantage with the overall separation process. I can see where an accomplice would aid the handling procedure.

 

[jjsea55]

I removed one of my headlights and made a small hook from 1/16 stainless steel welding rod and was able to reclip diffuser back in place been there a year now.
Mark

I'll probably try that first, actually. Afraid the small split in one of the clips may have to be repaired warranting the access inside. Bet that was a delicate maneuver... congrats. Thanks.

 

[ccclarke]

I dissected an XLR headlight a few years ago. The outer bezel was easy enough to remove by hand without baking, due to the sealant, which I'm pretty sure is grey butyl. I had to go real slow starting at a corner, and the surface tension on the bond joint gradually released. Applying an RTV-type of sealant could get ugly, especially when trying to get a uniform bead --as opposed to a butyl rope bead which installs in a channel on the outer edge of the headlight cleanly before being compressed by the bezel, for a uniform bead joint.

This is very similar to what was in my headlights, though you would need to use calipers to ensure the proper diameter rope is installed: Morimoto Butyl Rubber Sealant Glue - Retrofitting

Hope this helps.

CC

 

[jjsea55]

I dissected an XLR headlight a few years ago. The outer bezel was easy enough to remove by hand without baking, due to the sealant, which I'm pretty sure is grey butyl. I had to go real slow starting at a corner, and the surface tension on the bond joint gradually released. Applying an RTV-type of sealant could get ugly, especially when trying to get a uniform bead --as opposed to a butyl rope bead which installs in a channel on the outer edge of the headlight cleanly before being compressed by the bezel, for a uniform bead joint.

This is very similar to what was in my headlights, though you would need to use calipers to ensure the proper diameter rope is installed: Morimoto Butyl Rubber Sealant Glue - Retrofitting

Hope this helps.

CC

Indeed, it does. Had settled on the sealant being a type of butyl. Every success story decreases my apprehension a bit, as it looks like we'll be needing to work with what we have relative to XLR headlight assemblies for the foreseeable future. Thanks, much!

 

[ChicagoDave]

Good luck with your repairs! Let us know how it goes ... I have toyed with the idea of seeing if I can do the "halo" effect on the DRL's.

Looking forward to successful news from you.

 

[XLRATING]

Ditto that - I showed Mike your pic & we both had no clue how that could happen or how it could be fixed...

 

[David_B]

Did you pull it apart at the seam under the rubber surround? Or did you separate just the clear outer lens from the grey plastic?

The clear outer cover/lens seems to be glued to the headlight, I just bought a 2006 headlight that was already partially separating, the clear lens from the body, and used a guitar pick to slowly work under the clear lens. It came off very easily. There is no grey butyl, its clear hard plastic against shiny grey hard plastic.

I'm wondering if it was some sort of contact cement originally? That's the problem I have right now, if I can figure out what clear spray on contact cement would work, I could fix this headlight. It's in great shape other than that.

I dissected an XLR headlight a few years ago. The outer bezel was easy enough to remove by hand without baking, due to the sealant, which I'm pretty sure is grey butyl. I had to go real slow starting at a corner, and the surface tension on the bond joint gradually released. Applying an RTV-type of sealant could get ugly, especially when trying to get a uniform bead --as opposed to a butyl rope bead which installs in a channel on the outer edge of the headlight cleanly before being compressed by the bezel, for a uniform bead joint.

This is very similar to what was in my headlights, though you would need to use calipers to ensure the proper diameter rope is installed: Morimoto Butyl Rubber Sealant Glue - Retrofitting

Hope this helps.

CC

 

[ccclarke]

A few close-up pics of your headlight assembly would be helpful to determine how many configurations of headlights are out there.

CC

 

[jjsea55]

Update to my diffuser issue:

Was able to re-clip the diffuser using Mark's method of hooked wire through the socket opening. Pretty delicate maneuver, but seems to be holding okay. I dabbed a bit of super glue on the clip with a Q-Tip after getting her set.

I obtained the amber LEDs plus resistors from "superbrightleds" & made their install. Hopefully the lower burn temp will negate further heat-related damage to the lenses. The new LEDs look very nice, although I'll probably continue to use my headlights during daytime driving much of the time.

Thanks for the suggestions!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ccclarke]

The temp on your bezels isn't the only factor involved with this repair holding up. I work with a lot of adhesives and two important factors are cure time and the environment the bond joint will be exposed to (temp, pressure, humidity, etc,)

As a general guide, (since I don't know what brand of glue you used) here's one spec sheet for cyanoacrylate-based (super) glue from Loctite: http://www.loctiteproducts.com/tds/SG_BOTTLE_PRO_tds.pdf

Note that the operating temp should not exceed 186 degrees (F). As long as the LEDs thermal output don't exceed that, you're probably good to go. A handheld, infrared thermometer might be useful in checking this out.

CC