Headlight blew in 24 hours...

bjhartshorn · 04-14-2008, 11:25 PM

Hey all,
I have a 93 Explorer. A few months back, I replaced the passenger side headlight bulb, and all was well until the other day when I noticed it was out. No biggie, I replaced the bulb and went about my business and all was well. 24 hours later, I'm about to leave work and I turn on my headlights...and the passenger side bulb has blown again. Any ideas on where I should start looking for fixes?

jason0618 · 04-15-2008, 06:09 AM

this may be a dumb question, but I've learned from the internet that there are all KINDS of dumb people, too...
Did you touch the actual bulb itself when you installed?

phantom_smack · 04-15-2008, 06:25 AM

check the plug and does the lamp hold moisture?

mark v · 04-15-2008, 08:05 AM

You touched the bulb and got your bulb dirty and that is why it blew out most likely. These can not be touched, if they do they must be wiped clean with alcohol.

bjhartshorn · 04-17-2008, 11:06 AM

Actually, I didn't touch the bulb. After receiving some advice out here, I was told to replace the socket, which I did, and the bulb as well. When turning on the bulb for a test run, I noticed a lot of moisture inside the headlight which I now believe to be the real problem (new bulb blew last night, 48 hours this time). So can I just buy a new seal for the light (I know I'll need to take the cover off and air dry it and what not) or is there some kind of caulk or something I can use to seal it up after I replace it? Thanks for the replies, btw.

ftownroe · 05-22-2008, 09:58 AM

I had the same problem with both of my headlights but the driver's side was worse. The problem was water collecting in the bottom of the lamp housing and splashing up on the hot bulbs. Nothing I did to seal the lamp socket seemed to help. I did lengthen the interval between burnouts by using a vacuum pump and hose to suck out the water each time. What finally did the most to help was drilling a couple of small holes in the bottom of the lamp housings. I drilled the holes towards the back of the housing to minimize water entry through them. I worried about the possibility of water entering from below but that has not been a problem and the water draining out of the housing through the holes has cured the problem.