Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 25 June 2011, 16:18:11

Title: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 25 June 2011, 16:18:11
I suffer with condensation inside the passenger side headlight. . I can't find a maintenance guide for headlight removal.

Is it best to pull it out from the front......or do I need to remove the battery and work from inside?

Do  I need to remove it at all?

Any ideas for removing condensation quickly?
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: RobG on 25 June 2011, 16:21:33
Quote
I suffer with condensation inside the passenger side headlight. . I can't find a maintenance guide for headlight removal.
Is it best to pull it out from the front......or do I need to remove the battery and work from inside?

Do  I need to remove it at all?

Any ideas for removing condensation quickly?
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1154966960
 ::)
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 25 June 2011, 17:10:58
Quote
Quote
I suffer with condensation inside the passenger side headlight. . I can't find a maintenance guide for headlight removal.
Is it best to pull it out from the front......or do I need to remove the battery and work from inside?

Do  I need to remove it at all?

Any ideas for removing condensation quickly?
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1154966960
 ::)


 Thanks Rob. I checked three times and failed to notice it.... :-[ :-[
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: duggs on 25 June 2011, 20:00:32
Drive with your headlights on for a while, night and day.
The heat they generate seemed to clear it for me.
Has never came back since.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: feeutfo on 26 June 2011, 01:23:07
My issues with this seemed to coincide with me using an automated car wash.  :-/

No idea why that should differ from a good rain shower though. :-/
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: x1xv45 on 26 June 2011, 09:44:23
I don't spray directly at the headlamps anymore when washing the car as that's what did it to mine. I looked at the headlamp removal procedure and it looked a pain and luckily it cleared itself in a few days of dry weather before I got around to it.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 26 June 2011, 12:21:01
What does the M.O.T tester make of misty headlights ? Pass or fail?
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: lee4206 on 27 June 2011, 21:24:15
Quote
What does the M.O.T tester make of misty headlights ? Pass or fail?

Should pass as long as the light output isn't seriously reduced(it would have to be extreme condensation). In my 5 years of testing i haven't had one fail on misting alone.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Chris_H on 28 June 2011, 08:48:42
With HIDs the likelihood of glare increases with condensation so they may fail that in future.

One way of removing humidity is to remove the bulb and insert a pipe connected to a vacuum cleaner,  It will cause the air to be changed and replaced with whatever is surrounding the unit.  Poke the pipe into one of the further recesses and it should create turbulence that will flush the whole unit.  That won't really help unless the source of water ingress is located and fixed though.

Headlamps in particular pump air in and out as they are powered-on then powered-off.  So if they are sitting in a pool of water, or water is sitting in a seam that leaks, it will be sucked in as the air in the unit cools.

I was amazed when I found that my Discovery had vent tubes in the loom to the low-level fog lamps that presumably dip into rivers etc. when on off-road trips.  This allowed them to breath without taking in water (theoretically).
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 28 June 2011, 11:13:26
Quote
With HIDs the likelihood of glare increases with condensation so they may fail that in future.

One way of removing humidity is to remove the bulb and insert a pipe connected to a vacuum cleaner,  It will cause the air to be changed and replaced with whatever is surrounding the unit.  Poke the pipe into one of the further recesses and it should create turbulence that will flush the whole unit.  That won't really help unless the source of water ingress is located and fixed though.

Headlamps in particular pump air in and out as they are powered-on then powered-off.  So if they are sitting in a pool of water, or water is sitting in a seam that leaks, it will be sucked in as the air in the unit cools.

I was amazed when I found that my Discovery had vent tubes in the loom to the low-level fog lamps that presumably dip into rivers etc. when on off-road trips.  This allowed them to breath without taking in water (theoretically).

It has nothing to do with it being HID's, the defraction of light as a result of condensation affecting the beam pattern is the same for both the lense based Halogen filament lamps and the lense based HID lamps.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Chris_H on 28 June 2011, 11:20:40
Quote
Quote
With HIDs the likelihood of glare increases with condensation so they may fail that in future.

One way of removing humidity is to remove the bulb and insert a pipe connected to a vacuum cleaner,  It will cause the air to be changed and replaced with whatever is surrounding the unit.  Poke the pipe into one of the further recesses and it should create turbulence that will flush the whole unit.  That won't really help unless the source of water ingress is located and fixed though.

Headlamps in particular pump air in and out as they are powered-on then powered-off.  So if they are sitting in a pool of water, or water is sitting in a seam that leaks, it will be sucked in as the air in the unit cools.

I was amazed when I found that my Discovery had vent tubes in the loom to the low-level fog lamps that presumably dip into rivers etc. when on off-road trips.  This allowed them to breath without taking in water (theoretically).

It has nothing to do with it being HID's, the defraction of light as a result of condensation affecting the beam pattern is the same for both the lense based Halogen filament lamps and the lense based HID lamps.
But they're super-sensitive when it's HIDs 'cos everyone gets dazzled good and proper.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 28 June 2011, 11:26:50
Quote
Quote
Quote
With HIDs the likelihood of glare increases with condensation so they may fail that in future.

One way of removing humidity is to remove the bulb and insert a pipe connected to a vacuum cleaner,  It will cause the air to be changed and replaced with whatever is surrounding the unit.  Poke the pipe into one of the further recesses and it should create turbulence that will flush the whole unit.  That won't really help unless the source of water ingress is located and fixed though.

Headlamps in particular pump air in and out as they are powered-on then powered-off.  So if they are sitting in a pool of water, or water is sitting in a seam that leaks, it will be sucked in as the air in the unit cools.

I was amazed when I found that my Discovery had vent tubes in the loom to the low-level fog lamps that presumably dip into rivers etc. when on off-road trips.  This allowed them to breath without taking in water (theoretically).

It has nothing to do with it being HID's, the defraction of light as a result of condensation affecting the beam pattern is the same for both the lense based Halogen filament lamps and the lense based HID lamps.
But they're super-sensitive when it's HIDs 'cos everyone gets dazzled good and proper.

They are no more sensitive than halogen filamnet lamps......a light source is a light source and the light emmitted obeys the same scattering and defraction laws of pyhsics.

The trouble with HID's are they are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them (the same happened when Halogens lamps were first introduced in the 70's).

THE bigest issue is poor headlight aim (which is part of an MOT test clearly) and poorly aligned headlights of any type will dazzle others.

Granted a HID setup produces more light (although the major percentage of this is used to illuminate the ground creating a more consistent illumination).

Its just the lates thing of blaming HID's when in reality its not specific to HIDs  :y
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Chris_H on 28 June 2011, 11:32:28
Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
With HIDs the likelihood of glare increases with condensation so they may fail that in future.

One way of removing humidity is to remove the bulb and insert a pipe connected to a vacuum cleaner,  It will cause the air to be changed and replaced with whatever is surrounding the unit.  Poke the pipe into one of the further recesses and it should create turbulence that will flush the whole unit.  That won't really help unless the source of water ingress is located and fixed though.

Headlamps in particular pump air in and out as they are powered-on then powered-off.  So if they are sitting in a pool of water, or water is sitting in a seam that leaks, it will be sucked in as the air in the unit cools.

I was amazed when I found that my Discovery had vent tubes in the loom to the low-level fog lamps that presumably dip into rivers etc. when on off-road trips.  This allowed them to breath without taking in water (theoretically).

It has nothing to do with it being HID's, the defraction of light as a result of condensation affecting the beam pattern is the same for both the lense based Halogen filament lamps and the lense based HID lamps.
But they're super-sensitive when it's HIDs 'cos everyone gets dazzled good and proper.

They are no more sensitive than halogen filamnet lamps......a light source is a light source and the light emmitted obeys the same scattering and defraction laws of pyhsics.

The trouble with HID's are they are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them (the same happened when Halogens lamps were first introduced in the 70's).

THE bigest issue is poor headlight aim (which is part of an MOT test clearly) and poorly aligned headlights of any type will dazzle others.

Granted a HID setup produces more light (although the major percentage of this is used to illuminate the ground creating a more consistent illumination).

Its just the lates thing of blaming HID's when in reality its not specific to HIDs  :y
The "they" being MOT testers of course ;D

T'internet!  Honestly.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: feeutfo on 28 June 2011, 16:57:12
I dont think "they" are at all in my experience. Going by what passed and where the beam was on the road on my own cars they need to tighten up IMO.

Never mind what's actually on the road blinding everyone. I do love my rear blind btw  :y
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: olzz on 29 December 2011, 11:58:43
Hello Vauxhall Omega Owners!

I have to raise the topic regardign the condesation in front light(HID) again.  I changed my xenon bulb on the passenger side in June and now lamp housing is full of water droplets.
Last weekend already used the hairdryer drying  trick and put silicone lubricant on the covering gap and rubber sealing after installation. 2 days it was ok, but the droplets returned again.

Does anybody know, where are the weak points in the front light, where the water can penetrate in?

(Car has no crash record and the front lights are defect free).

Br,
Olari
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: TheBoy on 29 December 2011, 12:22:33
There was a bulletin for Omegas that condensation is NOT a fault, unless it doesn't clear within 20mins of use.

Sounds daft, but if thats what GM say, I guess they consider that problem normal/common :(
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: Webby the Bear on 29 December 2011, 12:43:58
I've read through the Guide. Might be worth noting (assuming I've got this correct  ::)) that in some cars the plate with the holding pin and central pin are in some cases just held on with a ''hook''. :)
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: vauxsull on 29 December 2011, 13:21:46
What will cure this is to remove the sidelight bulb and simply let it dangle then run about with your headlights on for awhile as the condensation will evaporate through the hole...plus you can always bung one of those sillica gel bags just inside the rubber bulb cover after.
Title: Re: Condensation in headlight.
Post by: olzz on 30 December 2011, 10:38:56
There is a battery uninstallation needed before any your proposed operations. Which is annoying job, if it has to be done every weekend....

Another proposal to leave one of the opening open for a while, then the next topic will raise - dust in the front light casing.Not a good thing either...

Strange thing is that, I havent experienced something like this during 10 year history of the car maitenance.

My  goal remains the same- to find the cause-how the water/humidity penetrates into the casing.

BR,
Olari