Pulling out headlamps on the Super Duty / Excursion

[Snowman]

I know I had posted this over on FTW as well but I figured I would try for some advice closer to home. I am currently trying to pull out my stock headlamps on my '00 Excursion and replace them with aftermarket ones. I see the two silver tabs that hold in the lamp but I cannot figure out how to remove them. I can't just pull up because it appears to have two teeth that lock into the little nut on the lamp itself. Any tips on this so I don't break anything or should I just take it in somewhere to have done?

Cheers, Trent :thumbup:

[mattadams]

yeah I think you just pull up on that, at least thats how it is on mine. Check out the bulbs how-tos here, it shows it on the f-150, I think its the same on the superduties.
http://www.rmftc.com/howtos/bulbs/bulbs.html

[Snowman]

No, I think they are different because the tabs that I have to pull up on are small silver ones with teeth on each side of the clip. From what I have heard over on FTW it almost sounds like it is a 50/50% chance of them breaking when you yank them out so I might try and find a custom shop around town to do it for me....

[clavos]

I just went out and looked at mine, and I think if you bend the little tabs on the silver clip out with a small screw driver, it should slide up and out fairly easy. I put just a little pressure on the tab with my pocket knife, and it seems like it should bend out easily.

[Snowman]

CLAVOS--That would work but I don't know how I would be able to do that with the clips that are closest to the radiator. I can't get any kind of tool down on the sides of those clips, seeing how they are kind of "boxed" in??

[clavos]

If you can wait until monday, (tuesday morning) I can try to look up the factory instructions on the computer at school. The school pays $10,000 a month for access to software that most shops and dealers use, but it doesn't always work. I think its the schools hardware, anyway, I'm off this week but will be back on monday.

[Snowman]

Sure, i can wait. I haven't even done anything with them since I came across the problem. I did call Predator the 4WD place here in town and they said they would charge the normal $76 shop charge just to do this little switch out so I would much rather do it myself. Phil Long said $45 for a half hour and then up to $70 for an hour in labor cost if I went to them. Thanks for any help you can find.


Trent

[clavos]

I got you taken care of Snowman. I looked in my Haynes manual, and it says to pull those clips straight up. I went out and tried it on my truck and used a small allen wrench with the short end through the small opening in the clip and gripped it with a pair of channel locks and it popped right off. I experimented on the clip closest to the radiator, so this should work for you. I used the channel locks to push the clip back on. It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to change your headlights as long as you don't have to mess with the wiring.

[Snowman]

Hey thanks Clavos I will have to try that when I get home. Now the tool you are talking about would that basically be the same as a pair of visegrips?? Because I do have a set of visegrips if those would work as well. Also, how bad is it once the job is complete to get them aimed correctly??

[Tray]

Yup, channel locks are the same thing as vice grips. Just depends on what part of the country you heard the term first from.

As for aiming.

Park your truck in the spot where you plan to do the swap (Try near a garage door, or a wall). You will not be able to move it until you are finished, or this method won't work.

Turn on your current lamps.

Mark everything on the garage door/wall whatever with some masking tape. Upper, lower, right, left, center. There isn't always a distinct line, but there are noticeable shifts where you will know what to look for with the new lamps.

Then after you put in the new set, you can aim them to match the stock settings.

[Snowman]

Thanks Tray I will have to try and do that. Do you have to do the adjusting of the lights before you lock in the new lamps or can it still be done even after they are put into place?

[Tray]

Actually you pretty much have to do it after.

You can semi-align them with the stockers just by a side-by-side visual comparison, but that really doesn't do a whole lot. The rest is done by adjusting the screws after they are locked in place.

[clavos]

You would have to mark the locations of the old ones before removal, and aim the new ones after installation. I could fax you a method of aiming headlights (too long to type, no scanner) but Trays method should work fine if you do it all in one shot. Vise grips or any pliers should work to remove the clip, but channel locks may be needed to reinstall it. Channel locks are the pliers with the groves in them so you can adjust the width of the jaws.

[Tray]

Whoa, I've never heard that. I've always heard of vice grips being referred to as channel locks.

Wow, I am officially :oops:



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