70 series headlamp lens replacement

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone has done a headlamp lens replacement on a 70
series car?
I have seen that one can buy just the lens element, rather than the
entire assembly. I looked my car over and there seems to be 3 bolts that
hold the assembly in place and 8 to 10 clips that hold the lens on to
the main housing.

I would much like to hear from anyone that has removed the whole
assembly for what is involved, is it just the 3 bolts?
Also, like to know what fun and games I am in for to replace the lens.
Is it glued in place? Is there an "O" ring? Does one simply reuse the
clips and is there some nice way to get them on and off?

If it makes any difference, I have headlamp wipers on this car.

Last thought, is there a vacuum issue and if so any suggestions for how
to vacuum and seal it up again. I have a small vacuum pump.

Thanks very much for all replies
JR

 

There's just the 3 bolts, and the electrical connection. The signal
comes away with the headlight, just leave it hang on the wires, it'll
snap back into place after the headlight is reinstalled. Then you need
to remove the wiper stop, and all the clips holding the lens on. One
clip will be glued, but the glue will break away fairly easily when you
pry that clip off. I reused the original rubber gasket as it looked
better than the one that came with the new lens. There's no vacuum
issue.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Thanks very much Mike, I really appreciate it.
JR

 

Well it looks like I will be doing this in the deep frezze.
I plan to remove the assy and bring it inside where it is warmer.
Any info on how to remove the wiper stop? What is the best direction to
access it from?

 

The wiper stop is screwed into the headlight assembly from the bottom.
It's easily accessible when the headlight is out of the car. The wiper
arm will just fold out of the way.

Also, I've found that a Gear Wrench (ratcheting boxend combination
wrench) is perfect for this job. If you've been thinking of getting a
set, now's the time! There are different types, some have the normal
15° offset and a lever to change direction, some are flat, you just turn
them over to change direction. The 15° offset is much better in this
case. (Mine are Craftsman branded, from Sears.)

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

From my November 24th post. Hope it helps!!


So I finally got around to replacing the cracked headlight lens on my S70.
From what I had read in this group it sounded like it would be time
consuming if not particularly daunting. Within an hour and with 2 slightly
dirty hands the job was done. The new lens looks great! I ordered the
replacement from IPD and even though it took 6 weeks to arrive (The union
that takes care of cross border importation in Canada went on strike the day
after I placed my order!) all was in order. The replacement lens comes with
new clips and a new rubber seal.

Listed below are the necessary steps to complete the replacement:

On the back of the headlight assembly are 3 bolts that hold the headlight
unit to the front crossmember. Remove these.
Extend headlight wiper if you have that option.
Uncouple headlight connector from the back of the headlight unit.
Uncouple second connector from the inboard side of the headlight unit.
Gently (!!!) start to pull the headlight unit out of it's position while
lifting just enough so as not to scrape the paint on the bumper.
It will seem like the unit will not come out but it will eventually. There
is a slide lock on the outer parking light attachment which will come out
attached to the main headlight unit.
Uncouple the parking light connector. The unit will now come away as one
piece.
Gently (!!!) slide the parking light portion forward while pushing backwards
on the headlight unit. They are held together by another slide lock and will
come apart eventually.
Prise up on the clips holding the lens to the headlight unit. They come off
more easily than it might appear they would. Or at least mine did.
Remember to remove the headlight wiper clip from the bottom as the lens will
not come away with it in place!
Once all clips are removed prise the lens away from the headlight unit. Mine
was original and was fitted very tightly as it had been there for 5 years.
The lens will come away and the rubber seal should be re-usable if need be.
Be very careful not to break the plastic track the seal sits in.
Remove the rubber seal from the track in the headlight unit and clean the
track well. Relpace with new seal and fit new headlight lens.
Very gently snap new clips onto lens and headlight unit. I used a pair of
needlenose pliers in reverse (To pull apart not squeeze together) to get the
clips on. They have 2 holes in their tops that makes this possible.
Once the headlight unit is together reverse all steps to put the unit back
in.
Just remember to replace the headlight wiper clip or you will have to remove
the unit a second time like I did!

That should be it. I didn't need to remove anything in the engine bay to get
at the 3 screws holding the unit in as others has mentioned they needed to.
I have a digital camera and was going to take pictures but forgot to. Hope
this helps!!

Jordan 1999 S70 Loaded!

 

Thanks for the details. I got lucky one day with warm weather at 28
degrees f and did the job (it had been in the single digits and below 0
for many days here) I did not have the racheting box wrench you
mentioned. I can see how it would have speed things up. I found the
round hole in the side fender to be helpful to manipulating the outside
screw. The clips are a nice design. I found that when replacing them
hooking them on the plastic side first and then pressing them in place
over the glass edge worked well. I was careful to not pry againist the
plastic when they were coming off. The aftermarket lens looks remarkably
similar to the original (light pattern) so I am happy, it is also DOT
approved, so no issues there. I found this to be easier than I expected
it would be.

A note of caution the side marker lamp housing appears to me to be made
of a plastic that becomes VERY brittle in the cold. I have found that
the locking tabs will not unlatch without breaking the locking tab. I
have found that in the cold temps it is common that in order to release
the side marker lamp housing the locking tab must be pushed past the
point that the plastic will stay together. I ended up doing a hidden
wire retention to keep the housing in place. Can't tell from outside,
only with the hood up.

Does anyone know are newer housings made from a material that performs
better in cold weather?