I can't for the life of me replace a freakin' headlight bulb!

[mike5]

I spent an good hour on it, and gave up. Ready to take it to a mechanic.

Basically, I put the bulb in (which never sits tight), then put the locking ring over it, but then I can't get the locking ring to lock. It must be something where the bulb is not sitting in all the way or maybe the bulb is thicker...I don't know. But either way, the damn ring will not turn in order to lock. I can't seem to do it either with the factory bulb or the replacement sylvania bulb. Am I missing something? I'm pretty sure I have everything lined up...but who knows.

Sorry...had to vent. This car is impossible to work on...whether something simple or complicated.

 

[Silverwulf]

I dunno, make sure the tabs of the new bulb ate ligned up correctly. Look at the other headlamp to verify the correct orientation of the lock ring.

Hard to say w/o seeing what you're doing.

HTH

 

[TangoBlue]

...which then begs the question... How many Mitsubishi owners does it take to change a light bulb?

 

[Silverwulf]

10!:victory:
1 to hold the lock ring and 9 to rotate the truck!

 

[scrubber3]

Lining it up correctly is very important. There should be no play at all. It should be as snug as a bug in a rug. It may help to get the bulb and ring installed before you hook the harness to it. That can make it a whole lot easier.

 

[Dirtytires]

Sounds like the fit is not correct. Once you have the pigtail connects on the light bulb you should be able to gently
set it in the light fixture and turn it to the right slightly. Good luck..

 

[mike5]

I haven't even tried to connect the harness. I'm just trying to get the light bulb in with the ring. So basically, the bulb goes in first, then the ring next. I don't see how the bulb and can turn any. It looks like it has 3 grooves that correspond to the hole in the housing. So it should just go in straight. Once in, it just sits there loosely. At that point, the ring goes over it and you would turn it clockwise to lock into place. This is where I fail.

 

[Der Steppenwolf]

Take a look at the other side. Maybe you have the ring backwards or a piece of the retainer is broken.

 

[Skidmarkart]

I hate to second that idea, but the last time this happened to me, I had broken off a little bit of the plastic that helped hold the bulb in place. It was way up in the taillight of a Volvo so I could not see the broken part. I tried for two weeks, every afternoon to get it to work. I figure it was my big hands not getting things in the right place. I eventually ended up taking the whole light out. Then I could see I was actually doing it right, just that the tabs the locked it had snapped off. Then I used 100% silicone caulk to hold the light in place. Its heatproof, non conductive, makes a good seal, but isn't as hard as Gorilla glue or something like that (in case I ever need to change the light bulb again or remove the adhesive for some reason. Also, it usually all comes off pretty easily if you need to remove it (unlike regular caulk) and any solvent (like Goof Off removes it easily). I did have to take the light out and clamp it to make it work, but it was better than buying the OEM fixture for $300 :Wow1: Lasted for the two years I had the car after the fix and as far as I know is still working.

 

[Silverwulf]

Did you get it sorted out?

 

[mike5]

I'll probably have to wait until the weekend to try again...need day time light. I was ready to remove the headlight, but that looks like a major PITA. I know this much, if I did not put the bulb in, then the ring would lock no problem. So that tells me things are ok. I'm affraid of taking out the driver's side bulb in case I can't put that in as well...then I'm screwed. The whole thing sucks. There is barely any room and no real direct line of sight. I know of front wheel drive cars with more room!

 

[mike5]

Well i got it done. I ended up taking out the headlight to do it.

Lesson learned: you have to push the bulb REALLY hard to get it in all the way. I refused to do this without being able to see what was going on. Once I had the headlight out I could see exactly how well the fit was. And with that, no big deal.

 

[TangoBlue]

Finally! Nothing like using your man-hands to solve the problem. I've been monitoring this thread for the last week hoping to learn what happened.

Now I can take a shower and go to bed... thanks for the update!

 

[Silverwulf]

Reminds e of my grand father...
9y/o Me-"where are you going, grampy?"
Mr grand father-"...to get a bigger hammer."

Glad it worked out. I had to"persuade" a few things on my rig with a hammer this weekend, lol!

 

[off-roader]

Well i got it done. I ended up taking out the headlight to do it.

Lesson learned: you have to push the bulb REALLY hard to get it in all the way. I refused to do this without being able to see what was going on. Once I had the headlight out I could see exactly how well the fit was. And with that, no big deal.

Cool! Glad you figured it out.

There is barely any room and no real direct line of sight. I know of front wheel drive cars with more room!

Well technically this is front & rear wheel drive car. . You think this is bad? Try my Audi S4. They took an engine bay tha normally has a 4 cylinder engine and threw in a twin turbo V6:Wow1: There's a tight fit!!

FWIW, I've found a set of telescoping mirrors and magnets to be worth their weight and more in gold especially with real tight engine bays. I went cheap though and bought mine from harbor freight...