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I need to remove my left hand headlight tomorrow and I'm just starting to prepare myself mentally.
It's obviously a UK car - big-bumpers built July 1994. It has the 2 cable adjustment screw mechanism.
Anyone got any thoughts on the simplest way just to remove the light? I don't want to take the black frame and cables etc out, just the basic light shell to replace it with another one that I have.
Any quick thoughts or procedure really appreciated.
All you need to do is remove the front bezel, 3 screws.
Underneath the bezel are the screws holding the light to the black frame.
Then you just need to unhook the lamp connector.
No need to disconnect the adjusters.
You will find it easier if you can fix the tork screw head in a long thin socket extension or as l did, shave the screw driver handle down thinner to fit in the space between the glass
I've been told that it would be really quite difficult to try and remove the light casing from the black frame when it's in the car. And that seems to make sense. I would have to remove the adjustment cables by disconnecting the retaining clips shown by red arrows on phot below. And there's 2 more underneath. Having had a play at that on a spare light sitting on my kitchen table, I'm not sure it's possible from insider the car?
So, I think I'm going to remove it complete with the black frame and cables as that seems the only, or most practical way. Unless anyone can tell me that you really can easily remove those clips in situ? (it was nigh on impossible to get them off even with a light removed).
Today, I managed to remove the RH headlamp from my 4 litre. I'll post pictures when I do the install of the replacement light. But I just thought I'd leave you with some thoughts that may assist others removing a facelift headlamp.
- First of all, you have to remove the light complete with the black plastic frame and the cable adjusters. It is not possible to take out the bare shell leaving the black frame in situ.
- Start by CAREFULLY removing the yellow clip securing the end of the adjuster cables from the inner wing. 2 issues. It's very easy to break the retaining tangs that hold it in place. And it's also easy to break the clip in two, so go easy.
- Now carefully take the cables off the yellow clip and push them gently through the hole in the inner wing so that they can be pulled through with the light on removal.
- Remove the headlamp bezel - one screw at the top - careful, easy to snap the plastic mount clip, one at the lower outside, and one underneath in the centre (a little awkward to see and access)
- One then has to undo the five Torx 40 screws holding the lamp and the black frame to the car. This is where the fun starts.
- Four of the Torx screws can just be seen with the use of a torch. If you're careful and with the use of various 1/4" drive extension bars or wobble bars, you can just get access to them. On my UK car which has never had the lamp previously removed, they were incredibly tight from corrosion. But, you MUST ensure that you have a really firm engagement of the Torx bit and DO NOT let it slip or round the fixing! Otherwise you will be in a world of pain as you will have no chance of getting a drill bit in there to drill them out.
- Do not fully unwind the Torx screws, just sufficient for them to have come out of the captive threads in the bodywork. There is a small rubber 0-ring on the end of each screw which enables the screws to stay just intact with the black plastic frame. This is really important when you come to refit the light.
- Now the difficult one. The fifth Torx screw is at about 2 o'clock on the RH lamp and 10 o'clock on the LH lamp. It's not visible. You can just feel it via the access hole in the metal in the bodywork that surrounds the lamp. You will need to experiment with short wobble bars etc. I used 2 very short wobble bars and then could just get the Torx bit on the head whilst the 1/4" drive ratchet could move through about 20 degrees, just behind the glass edge of the lamp. It's an absolute pain. Go slowly and don't let the bit slip off, you're working blind here.
- With the fifth Torx screw loosened, you can then start to wiggle the lamp forward, it's a bit fiddly.
- Once the lamp is moved forward about 4 inches, you can then unplug the wiring plugs.
- The lamp and frame can then be pulled out, carefully pulling the adjuster cables through with it.
- With the lamp placed out, make sure that you have all 5 Torx screws still attached to the frame. Also check that the rubber O-rings are on the end of each one. If not, you may be able to retrieve them from inside the lamp recess.
As a UK owner, I then looked in the recess and to my surprise, I could see two additional unused wiring plugs. A 2-pin blue plug with Black and Red/ Green wires ( for US / Canadian side bumper lights?). And a six pin plug (5 wires used) which I thought might be something to do with Canadian Daytime Running Lights?
And of course, you'll now be looking at the recess and your "Whilst I'm in there..." syndrome will kick in and, despite the fact that no-one else will ever see it. you'll start a cleaning, lubricating, wax protection process! At least, if you're like me you will!
Yes Paul, super write up. Here's a couple of answers.....
The red/black wires l believe are for the headlight park/side light bulb and the white connector is connected to the white connector under the ski slope and with a dial switch between the window switches, red diode pack (plugs into red base near the light diode pack), and motor behind the headlight, adjust the headlights on German/Finish spec (and mine) cars.
The DLR system uses a relays harness that plug into the 2 green connectors next to the relay bank in the engine compartment to switch the headlight bulbs to half power when the ignition is on.
See FIG 30 in the 1994 4.0l wiring diagram.
Yes Paul, super write up. Here's a couple of answers.....
The red/black wires l believe are for the headlight park/side light bulb and the white connector is connected to the white connector under the ski slope and with a dial switch between the window switches, red diode pack (plugs into red base near the light diode pack), and motor behind the headlight, adjust the headlights on German/Finish spec (and mine) cars.
The DLR system uses a relays harness that plug into the 2 green connectors next to the relay bank in the engine compartment to switch the headlight bulbs to half power when the ignition is on.
See FIG 30 in the 1994 4.0l wiring diagram.
Tks Malc, that's helpful.
I thought that 2-wire would be for you boys that have the side lights in the side of the bumper. We just have reflectors there in the UK.
Having today eventually fitted the replacement headlight, I thought I would rewrite the removal procedure with some pictures, and then detail my refit procedure, for the potential benefit of other owners.
REMOVING THE HEADLIGHT
- Start by CAREFULLY removing the yellow clip securing the end of the adjuster cables from the inner wing. Two issues. It is very easy to break the retaining tangs that hold it in place. And it is also easy to break the clip in two, so go easy.
- Now carefully take the cables off the yellow clip and push them gently through the hole in the inner wing so that they can be pulled through with the light on removal.
- Remove the headlamp bezel - one screw at the top - careful, easy to snap the plastic mount clip if you are not careful, one at the lower outside, and one underneath in the centre (a little awkward to see and access). My screws were not magnetic, so it is easy for them to fall inside the headlamp recess, so be careful.
- One then has to undo the five Torx 40 screws holding the lamp and the black frame to the car. This is where the fun starts. Four of the Torx screws can just be seen with the use of a torch. If you are careful and with the use of various 1/4" drive extension bars or wobble bars, you can just get access to them. On my UK car which has never had the lamp previously removed, they were incredibly tight from corrosion. But, you MUST ensure that you have a really firm engagement of the Torx bit and DO NOT let it slip or round the fixing! Otherwise, you will be in a world of pain as you will have no chance of getting a drill bit in there to drill them out.
- Do not fully unwind the Torx screws, just sufficient for them to have come out of the captive threads in the bodywork. There is a small rubber 0-ring on the end of each screw which enables the screws to stay just intact with the black plastic frame. This is really important when you come to refit the light.
- Now the difficult one. The fifth Torx screw is at about 2 o'clock on the RH lamp and 10 o'clock on the LH lamp. It is not visible. You can just feel it via the access hole in the metal in the bodywork that surrounds the lamp. You will need to experiment with short wobble bars etc. I used two very short wobble bars and then could just get the Torx bit on the head whilst the 1/4" drive ratchet could move through about 20 degrees, just behind the glass edge of the lamp. It is an absolute pain. Go slowly and do not let the bit slip off, you are working blind here.
- With the fifth Torx screw loosened, you can then start to wiggle the lamp forward, it is a bit fiddly.
- Once the lamp is moved forward about four inches, you can then unplug the wiring plugs.
- The lamp and frame can then be pulled out, carefully pulling the adjuster cables through with it.
- With the lamp placed out, make sure that you have all 5 Torx screws still attached to the frame. Also check that the rubber O-rings are on the end of each one. If not, you may be able to retrieve them from inside the lamp recess.
REFITTING THE HEADLIGHT
- First of all, clean up the threads on the five Torx 40 screws. Get them as clean as you can as it makes a world of difference when you come to refit the lamp
- Clean up the headlamp recess and wax protect the recess, the forward edge of the wing etc etc. Also, remove the bulb access panel inside the wheelarch and get some wax protection inside the recesses and the inner top of the wing from there. It is a good idea to mask tape up the wiring loom just to avoid the wax getting on the wires and making the wiring difficult to handle
- Now lubricate the captive threads in the bodywork and trial run in the Torx screws to ensure everything will go back together easily without seizing.
- With the screws removed, fit them to the headlight black mount frame remembering to put the washers on first and then fitting the little rubber rings, once the screws have gone through the black mount frame. This is very important as you can not easily, if at all, fit the Torx screws into the frame once the light is being put into position.
Check that the outer sheath of the adjustment cable slides easily over the inner cables, lubricating as necessary.
- Tie a piece of string securely to the end of each cable adjuster as it is really quite awkward to get the cables through the hole in the inner wing once the headlamp is manoeuvred into the car.
Now the reinstall can really begin.
- Hold the headlight up to the front of the car and thread the string through the opening and up through the hole in the inner wing.
- Connect the headlamp wiring plugs and then balance the light carefully on a box etc just in front of the car. Get in the car (or get a willing helper) and test the sidelights, main and full beam work. You do not want to have to remove the light again if you have a wiring or bulb problem!
- With the light confirmed working, turn off the ignition and now carefully manipulate the light just into the recess. It is a bit fiddly so be careful getting it over the lower bezel mount plate, as it is easy to foul on that.
- Go to the inner wing and use the string to help pull the adjuster cables through the hole in the inner wing. You might be lucky but this can be a real pain. Once they are through, use the string to make sure that they can not fall back through the hole. In retrospect, it MIGHT have been easier to go to the inner wheel arch and manipulate the cables up via the bulb access panel at the back of the light?
- Going back to the front of the light, carefully manipulate the light further back into the recess. The easiest and most visible Torx screw to line up is the lower outer corner.
- Using a long extension bar on the end of your Torx 40 bit, engage the screw until it has caught a few threads into the captive threads.
- Now do the same on the top two screws. Much harder to see and to access. One of them is almost fouled by the front wing mounting bolt but you can just get past it. Don’t fully tighten, just get a few threads engaged.
- Then do the lower inner Torx screw. You can see and access this one. A few threads again.
- Now for the really difficult fifth one. It’s located at about 2 o’clock on the RH lamp, 10 o’clock on the LH lamp. You can not see this one with the headlight in the recess. However, there is a small round hole in the bodywork and, if you put your finger in and feel upwards, you can just touch the head of the screw.
You can not access the head of the Torx screw directly straight with an extension. I used 2 x 3” wobble extensions and with my finger in the hole to be able to feel the Torx bit, I could then engage the bit in the head. I then got a ¼” ratchet drive on the wobble extension and could carefully tighten the Torx screw. Be careful!
- Go back to the other four screws and carefully tighten them.
- With the light now securely mounted, go to the inner wing and very carefully fit the yellow adjuster mount clip on the adjuster cables. Then fit the clip carefully to the inner wing. Be very careful, it is really easy to break the clip.
- With everything in place, you can now fit the headlamp bezel. Start with the outer screw as it can be difficult to line it up and you really do not want to now drop it behind the light! Then do the top screw, which is easy, but do not overtighten and snap the plastic tang on the light. The lower screw under the light is a bit fiddly, so use some heavy grease or tape on the end of the screwdriver, again to stop the screw falling off under the light!
- With that all done, wipe the light, bezel and bumper chrome clean, stand back and congratulate yourself on a job well done. And as Greg says, it will be easier next time as you know what you are doing!
I think that all facelift cars and US cars from1988 with euro headlights had the park/side lights in the headlight, not in the bumper indicator light. See your photo of the back of the headlight.
Yes, they do have the sidelight bulb in the headlight but that's the black wiring plug in the photo. The blue 2-wire plug is an unused plug and I understand that it's for certain markets that use the side lens in the bumper?
All you need to do is remove the front bezel, 3 screws.
Underneath the bezel are the screws holding the light to the black frame.
Then you just need to unhook the lamp connector.
No need to disconnect the adjusters.
I am amazed at how faulty my memory is.
Only had to do the job once, more than 20 years ago.
Please excuse the misdirection and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
I'll let myself out!!!
Last edited by equiprx; Feb 11, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
Reason: Misspelling
I am amazed at how faulty my memory is.
Only had to do the job once, more than 20 years ago.
Please excuse the misdirection and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
I'll let myself out!!!
No need for apologies at all! I'm always grateful for any well-meaning input, and I know that pre-facelifts are different as well. We all have faulty memories. I'll probably forget already by the time I do the LH light!
Removing Late Facelift Headlight
