Moisture in Headlight

[das boots]

I noticed yesterday that I have moisture on the driver side headlight. We are going through our last winter storm. I did replace the ZKW lenses and gaskets last year aroubd October time frame. Moisture are mostly on the bottom area. I do not notice any leaks. Moisture only came up when I was driving the car. Which is probably from the engine heat. But nothing when car is not in use but still under the rain. Is there anything I am missing? Thanks.

[mLuMaN83]

I know all my fogging issues were solved with new lens gaskets but u said you replaced them.

Dunno man, maybe your actual housing/assembly has a crack in it?

[kayger12]

Maybe the rubber boot for the harness on the backside of the assembly?

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[das boots]

I will re-check all the boot when we get a dry day. How to check for cracks in the housing assembly? The whole asembly needs to be removed?

[mLuMaN83]

Yeah you can take out your headlight and visually inspect it.

[das boots]

Upon further inspection there are three clips on the top to hold the lens in place. Only the center clip/clamp is holding the top lens together. The other left & right looks like they are clipped in. But inspected, the black clamp are not holding or strapped in.

How does moisture or fogging occur even when there are no visible signs of water leaking inside? Heat from engine? Do I just let the moisture dry out under the sun and then strap in the clamps when evaporated? Or can some LP air blow in the dissipate the moisture? We will have a change of temp of about 10 -15 deg. in a few days......time to dry out.

[mLuMaN83]

The inside of the headlight can hold a different temperature than the outside air, which if not sealed, can result in fogging.

It can be as simple as spraying the front of the headlight with water that is warmer than the temperature inside the headlight. If not sealed the temperature difference can enter the inside of the headlight and react with fog. Just like cool rain on a hot road.

You must make sure those lenses are clipped in correctly on all sides and snug.

[derbo]

if the back of the lense is dirty as well it can result in fogging too. Perhaps try putting silicate behind the trim piece to relieve the moisture as well. :)

[das boots]

Clipped the tabs when I got home. The gasket was wet. Some moisture inside. I think the sun will dry them out tomorrow. Hope that cures it....

[quikryptonite]

I'm having this problem right now on both my headlights. Very strange, although the car is now nine years old and has been parked outside all summer for the first time in its life. Perhaps that led to the deterioration of some/one gaskets associated with the headlights.
I found this part that I am going to buy:

ECS Low Beam Cover (http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Lighting/Headlights/Covers/ES172999/)

and see if that does the trick. I also had one bulb burnout, or so it seems. The driver's side headlight works fine, but the passenger side won't light up at all, there is a click when I try to engage the hi-beam and I have a red warning light on the instrument cluster for the corresponding passenger side headlamp.

I'm going to try and plug the passenger bulb into the driver's side to ensure that it is indeed dead.

[jack.chris328]

I'm having this problem right now on both my headlights. Very strange, although the car is now nine years old and has been parked outside all summer for the first time in its life. Perhaps that led to the deterioration of some/one gaskets associated with the headlights.
I found this part that I am going to buy:

ECS Low Beam Cover (http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Lighting/Headlights/Covers/ES172999/)



and see if that does the trick. I also had one bulb burnout, or so it seems. The driver's side headlight works fine, but the passenger side won't light up at all, there is a click when I try to engage the hi-beam and I have a red warning light on the instrument cluster for the corresponding passenger side headlamp.

I'm going to try and plug the passenger bulb into the driver's side to ensure that it is indeed dead.

The click that you hear is the solenoid pulling the cut-off shield down to allow more light to escape from the bowl to produce the high beam effect. I am willing to bet that it is just your bulb that has failed. For the moisture issue, that cover may be the problem. But more often than not it is the gasket behind the front lens that fails. Part number 63128380210.

[NorCalZman]

Let us know if that low beam cover fixes the issue. I couldn't change out the lens gasket due to the replacements being too thick and made of a different material. Would love it if that cover fixes the issue instead

[quikryptonite]

Well, the part I mentioned above doesn't even fit my car. I have some sort of a hard plastic thing. So I took my headlights apart, everything looked to be in good shape. So I cleaned them out, let the moisture evaporate and then put them back together. The bad news is that the light still doesn't work after putting in a new Phillips DS2. I guess I'll have to take it in to my indy mechanic.

[jack.chris328]

If you can get the lights out of your car you can diagnose it yourself. You will just need to swap the critical components from left to right one component at a time. First start with the bulb. If the problem follows the swap then it is the bulb. If not, then go onto the ballast on the bottom. Then again if the problem follows then it is the ballast. If not then it is going to be the ignitor. That you have to completely dis-assemble the headlight to replace. Not simple but not impossible. Since that cover didn't fit you must have AL lights. Luckily you won't have any burt bowl issues. So the cover would be a round hard plastic cover.