Hi guys,
My passenger side headlight went out on me tonight, only the low beam though. Anyways, I picked up a new headlight so I think I'm ready to install, but, it's really cold (-20°C to -25°C) and I don't have a heated garage so I'm trying to find all the info I can on how to do a quick remove/install. Do I need to remove the grill? I've looked on the Autozone site and for 89 they say I do, but 88 they say I don't so I'm not quite sure. If anyone has pictures or knows a link to site with instructions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks,

Steve

 

What year vehicle do you have?

Mine is a '91... and I can replace the headlight without the grill although it is hard to get at the upper screws because of tight clearances.

Basically, you take the two screws off that hold the chrome frame around the front of the headlight and the headlight comes forward... then you unplug and reverse steps to install.

Don't even have to really adjust them, as there is no need to mess with settings during this process. Should go by quick and get you back inside.

My guess is '89 through '93 or '94 are all this way. I think in '94 or '95 they changed the design.

 

Oops, sorry about that. It's a 1989 4Runner.

 

yep its just a matter of removing a couple philips head screws and plugging the new lights in. On mine i think you have to remove the grille though, but thats a 2 minute job when you know what to do

 

is it a 1st gen or 2nd gen 4 runner that year they made both

 

1st gen, looks very similar to your avatar (minus the bull bar, but same colour).

 

1. Remove parking lights.
2. Scratch head as to how to remove the plug-in thingies that secure the grill, without breaking them.

How do you do that? Looks like there is a detent, but push it how?

 

flathead screwdriver. just push it down in the center (from above) and slide the clip out

 

Or put in an H4 headlight and then all you need to do is pop out the bulb from the back side and pop in a new one:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...adlights.shtml

 

Thanks, I'll try that. I've got to pull off the grill to either replace the adjusters, which the previous owner stripped, or replace the buckets.

Someone in another thread said it is not difficult to replace the adjusters. The adjusters on this year (94) are kind of a rube-goldberg setup, which if in good working order, are meant to make it extremely easy to change the alignment pattern.. for load changes etc, I assume.

This may prove less expensive than replacing the buckets (should be).. so I'll give it a try as soon as I can pry the 4Runner away from the wife for an afternoon.

 

my passenger side height adjuster broke at one point, and I just epoxied the plastic part back into place in the metal support, and haven't had any problems since.

If you're looking to adjust the headlights just tighten or loosen the adjustment screws on each of the lights, and make sure they more or less lineup with where they're soposed to be.

 

ALL my little clip thingies have broken off during one headlight change or another. Zip ties work great in there! And, it makes it easier the next time you have to change them.

 

Dang, that will work! Although my grill was tight, there were two clips missing. I use those ties quite often, but hadn't thought of using them for that.

Btw, rolling hills of Ontario? I went through Ontario in '92 on my GoldWing. All I remember was water, albeit beautiful country. Its a big province, so maybe I just missed the hills. Or, you are being esoterically funny.

Come to think of it, there was a hill coming into Quebec... lol. I think Wolfe would have agreed.

 

We have a good deal of hills out here, seeing as how the majority of the geology of the Province is based on the oldest mountain range on earth!

I actually live on the edge of what is called "The Oak Ridge Morrain", which is characterized by rolling hills and deep valleys. Quite nice actually and a great change from the City of Toronto, where I grew up. The Province is huge...Texas would fit into it many times over. In fact, if you started driving acrross the Province from one end right now, 24 hours later you'd still be Ontario, travelling at around 80 miles an hour. It's THAT big.

PS: I use the little white ties, and then snip them at the connector. When I need to change the bulbs, I just snip 'em and replace it. Sure, it's Ghetto, but those clips just keep breaking on me. And due to the number of gravel roads I'm on up here, I'm replacing a bulb at least twice a year.

 

Get some of the clear vinyl headlight protectors. I got mine at autoseattle.com, just do a search for expel or headlight protection. They have sheets that will fit your headlights.

 

I traveled on the Gold Wing from Vancouver to Halifax. You remind me of a joke I heard on the CBC while passing through Manitoba.

Manitoba is the only place on earth you can watch your dog get lost.....for three days.

Large and flat, that. Got lots of stories from that trip. Don't get me started..

 

Thought I ought to update my headlight assembly replacement mini-project.

I ended up buying from autopartswarehouse on eBay because of price. The passenger side assembly was $72.95 and the driver side $79.95. No tax but shipping cost.

Nice thing about eBay is they often include more info than you get from Kragen and other online stores.

Well the shipping was very fast for eBay UPS. Ordered them on Sunday and arrived on Weds.

Much to my surprise, they dropped in perfectly. They even came with lamps, which I did not expect. (no idea what brand) I may replace them at some point, but they work at least as well as stock. The adjusters were identical to stock as well. The assemblies were made in Taiwan.

When I saw how the adjusters were installed, I realized I could have replaced them quite easily. However both headlights were damaged. The left had flakes of reflector material loose at the bottom, and the right had a chip which exposed the interior to moisture. Hadn't noticed either of that before I pulled them out.

Installation was really easy (thanks to the tip on the clips etc.) And the result is I now have as good as new headlights.

Getting to like this 4Runner more and more... :bigclap:

Next, replace the windshield and the rear passenger fixed window.. you know, the little one. Its amazing what a new windshield does for that "new" feeling. Small pitting, usually not visible, are an annoyance I don't like to live with. In the sun, they can be a safety factor...

And then, well everything else is working great. The thing is loaded, so that is amazing...

Oh, air conditioner... haven't even put any thought in that yet. Got a feeling it just needs service..... just judging by how well the rest of the vehicle was kept up... but that can wait for now.