increase headlight output by 5-10% without spending a penny

[ironie]

Clean them. Not exactly free if your time has value, But the result is worthwhile.
As our cars are 12-18 years old it may come as no surprise that dirt and such build up in the headlight buckets, on the reflectors and projectors and the backs of the lenses where one just can't get to conviently clean them up.
I had a cracked lowbeam on the left, and since I was doing all the lights for other people
it seemed I should bother to fix mine as well. Pulling the right along with it is inconsequencial as the left is the one that is hard to get at because of the charcol canister. Pulling the two 10 mil nuts from the power steering res, lifting it to the side then loosening up the ten mill bolt on the charcol canister allows you to slide it up and out of the way without removeing or damageing the hoses of either.

***DO NOT rub the reflectors, the silver comes off very easy. Clean very gently. You have been warned***

(click on pics for high res in another window)

http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/projector_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/projector.jpg)
Before and after..well After and before I suppose (parking/citylight)
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/youtellme.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/youtellme.jpg)
after and before and (lowbeam) same setting, slightly different distance.
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/lowbeam.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/lowbeam.jpg)




The wife said it looked toothless
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/toothless_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/toothless.jpg)

[ironie]

before : I still am lacking a bulb for the parking light. Need to get to the store
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/before_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/before.jpg)
after
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/after_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/after.jpg)

While I was at it I decided to prep and epoxy four other high beams I have about for the next sets of smileys for sale.
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/preped_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/preped.jpg)

http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/epoxyed_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/epoxyed.jpg)

[ironie]

My car was the first I had to get right, so I gave a bit more thought then I did at the scarpyard.It seemed easiest to me to remove the ambers first in order to take a good look at just what holds the front grill support/valance in.
The ambers have two screws going forwards into the lightmount assembley
and one going into a mount on the fender that is rather blind, feel around you will find it

( pics open in high res with a click)

The only screw on the whole front grill support/valance
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_1_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_1.jpg)

Basically you shove a long screwdriver in here, being careful not to scratch your paint or bend the valance. Or break any old plastic on about the same angle of the arrow, about three inches in or so
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_2_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_2.jpg)

the spot bentely says you can hit with a second long screwdriver through the radiator support...eh,
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_3_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/valance_3.jpg)


a screwdriver through the kidney on each trips these catches.
http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/lastclip_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/lastclip.jpg)
In the scarpyard I just snipped the lines to the charcol canister with my trusty side-cutters. In my car I took off the 10 mil screws from the powersteering reservoir as the lines running to the charcol canister were threaded through them. A ten mil bolt holds the charcol canister in, after you loosen it, you sneak the canister up and out. be gentle, it is rather tight.

countiued in next post
(http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/move.jpg)

[ironie]

http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/move_tb.jpg (http://www.lonesomecrow.net/smileys/move.jpg)

If you have air, I can only expect it to be more of a pain, that I am not aquainted with.
I hope this is of some use.
Many of you guys have been of great help to me over the past year
Regards
Ron

[t.wak]

I'd love to do this, but am a bit scared of ruining the reflectors?

Thanks heaps for the effort put into the writeup and photos!

[ironie]

Cheers t.wak
My pleasure.
4 philips head screws hold the projector to the reflector. I removed the projector and used a clean make up brush (the wife will never know ;-} )
A bit of compressed air wouldn't hurt either

[MTechnik540i]

I'd love to do this, but am a bit scared of ruining the reflectors?

Thanks heaps for the effort put into the writeup and photos!


IIRC, the Bosch Euro "Smilies" use a bare metal reflector. I think it's only the Hellas that use a painted plastic reflector. Atleast, this is the way it is on E30s.

[attack eagle]

hey ironie:
tip for next time, a 1/4 drive socket and driver, with a phillips bit will keep you from having to remove the cannister... still need to remove the bloody reserviour though.

[Macv]

This write up and the one Jeff did about repairing the chips in the glass could have saved me a couple hundred bucks back when I bought my euros. :D

[ironie]

Attack eagle: tip for next time, a 1/4 drive socket and driver, with a phillips bit will keep you from having to remove the cannister... still need to remove the bloody reserviour though.
Good idea. I will keep that in mind for the next set, though this time the lines were threaded together by some genius no doubt and I couldn't have moved either very far seperately


MTechnik540i: IIRC, the Bosch Euro "Smilies" use a bare metal reflector. I think it's only the Hellas that use a painted plastic reflector. Atleast, this is the way it is on E30s.

I will certainaly keep that in mind as I go boneyard scrougeing. So far I haven't stumbled across any Bosch sets yet, But I do plan on finding a few sets of E-30 smileys as I have had a few requests.


Macv: This write up and the one Jeff did about repairing the chips in the glass could have saved me a couple hundred bucks back when I bought my euros.
...sorry I was late mate...goes to look up Jeff's post

Thanks