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Headlamp condensation with LEDs

Andy

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i have never suffered with this problem before fitting the led bulbs ( which I find excellent), previously I had HID’s & no condensation issues.
I realise it it probably due to the lack of heat from leds, but my truck has been in the dry garage since November & the lights are still all condensed up, so I took one out tonight thinking the breather may be blocked, but it is clear.
Was wondering if I drilled a hole in the bottom to help air circulation in the lamp if it would help or if it would just make matters worse as water could get In more easily.
They did get quite wet in Russia with the river crossings, but no puddling in them or water swooshing about.
Any thoughts or shall I go back to the hotter hids or fit some upgraded normal bulbs as mentioned in others threads?.

Andy
 
Are you sure it’s condensation and not water getting in somehow?
I had this problem but, curiously, only in the offside lamp. The bulbs I fitted required some modification of the OEM rubber boots that fit snugly over the original halogen bulbs. After suspecting the seal between the lamp lens and casing and reselling it, I realised water was somehow getting past the boot and into the back of the lamp. I cured it with a rubber flap that folds down over the rear of the bulb and it’s been fine since.
 
The rubbers around the bulbs seal well & are new, I suspect water got in through the breather pipes in Russia, but after bing indoors now for 3 months, I would have expected them to have dried out via the breather pipes, will probably remove them, dry em out & refit & see what happens under ‘normal’ use

Andy
 
The Phillips ones fit the boot very well. It is, however, tricky to be sure the boot is fitted back over the rear of the headlamp housing. This is where I would suspect water was getting in.

Thinking out loud here, if you got them completely dry or as dry as you can, might there be a way of dropping a little bag of silica gel (do not eat!) in each lamp on a piece of cotton to the bulb so it can be removed? Don’t know how much or if it would affect the beam pattern.

It’s usually down to the rubber boot not going back properly though.
 
You’d have to open them up and dry them with a cold hairdryer Andy to get it out. It won’t exit of its own accord as it’s the temperature change that’s made them ‘breathe’ the moisture in.
 
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As SC has said, if water gets in it’ll just sit there as the airflow through the lamp is not enough to dry them even with clear breathers. I dried mine by taking out both high and low beam bulbs and rigging up some flexible tube to a hair dryer and feeding air in through one bulb aperture. It dries them out in minutes.
 
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Had this on one lamp of my 100. The factory had never fitted the rubber boots to that side.
Your cool bulb would not cause the problem but a hot bulb may dry them out. Best course is to take off the boots and dry out the lamps. One of the bulbs on each lamp I found difficult to seal on the 80. To make sure I took the lamps out to work on them.
 
i have never suffered with this problem before fitting the led bulbs ( which I find excellent), previously I had HID’s & no condensation issues.
I realise it it probably due to the lack of heat from leds, but my truck has been in the dry garage since November & the lights are still all condensed up, so I took one out tonight thinking the breather may be blocked, but it is clear.
Was wondering if I drilled a hole in the bottom to help air circulation in the lamp if it would help or if it would just make matters worse as water could get In more easily.
They did get quite wet in Russia with the river crossings, but no puddling in them or water swooshing about.
Any thoughts or shall I go back to the hotter hids or fit some upgraded normal bulbs as mentioned in others threads?.

Andy
Or just fit hot bulbs for a day then switch bak
 
Got the lights out, will dry them out & refit with the leds to see how it goes, the rubber boots are new & seemed to fit well, will double check when I refit them

Andy
 
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