The wife’s got a 2003 Chevy Venture with a bad headlight. I think I need to change the whole thing and not just the lamp b/c there’s standing water in the headlight. How do I change it? On a Venture, the engine is stacked up on itself and you have to take out half of the engine even to change the air filter. The headlight and the blinkers are connected somehow and I can’t see how to either get the blinker out or detach it from the headlight. Any thoughts?
I was looking around on other sites and someone suggested drilling a couple holes in the bottom of the headlight glass. This is a joke, right?
If you look at the top of the headlight assembly, there should be a slot. Look down the slot and you’ll see a tab that locks the headlight to the turn signal light. Using a long screwdriver, reach down and pry on the tab to release the headlight from the turn signal light.
Tester
The tab Tester is speaking of should be a plastic or metal piece about 1" wide and 4-5" long. I believe some Ventures also have a plastic wing nut on the fender that helps to retain the lamp.
No, not in the glass, but in the plastic housing near the glass. These lenses should have a weep hole, but are so small, the slightest of debris can clog them up. Drilling a small hole in the bottom of the housing will let the water drain out.
Remove the wingnut (screw) that holds the inside front of the turn signal/drl light assembly in place first.
Pull the assembly slightly out away from the headlamp assembly and wiggle and pull stright forward to release the two clips that hold the rear of the turn signal/drl in place.
Once that assembly is out of the way, remove the two top wingnuts that hold the headlamp assembly in place and pull out and twist the bulb assembly to the left and remove from the assembly.
I drilled two 1/8" drain holes in the bottom inside of the lamp (through the plastic portion) to drain the water out of mine. (It’s a 2000 Silhouette)
Both of my headlamps were fogged inside due to moisture before but still look almost the same as the lenses are sand-blasted from our winter salt covered roads.
New headlamps are ridiculously priced so the old ones will have to do.