99.5 QX..Moisture in one of my fog lamps HELP!

[QX22s]

So one of my fog lamps constantly clouds up with moisture droplets on the inside. They way the lamp is, you cant access that part by removing the bulb since there is the yellow cover seperating the bulb from the housing. ANyone have insight on how to remove the moisture and seal it better?

thanks

[QX22s]

anything? surely im not the first to have dealt with this. I was thinking about throwing it in the oven for a quick minute to see if it will evaporate out through the cracks..than resealing it with some silicone caulk...not sure if that will do anything.

Anyone know where to get cheap used parts..looking for a driver side mirror with the housing and everything..99.5 silver (KR4 paint). Branch fell on it and cracked it. At this rate i may have to find a new fog light too

[Pwnin O'Brien]

None of the lamps on the Pathfinders are sealed, so I doubt the fog lights/turn signals on the QX4 are sealed (although I could be wrong). You need to check the breather holes to ensure they aren't clogged, sometimes they can get a thick layer of dirt and grime on them preventing the lamps from exhausting condensation.

Also, the best way I have found to get moisture out of a lamp housing is to stick it in the clothes dryer sitting on the shoe rack at the highest heat (don't let them just flop around in the dryer). Usually this will dry the lamps within 30-45 minutes. Be sure to pull out the bulbs/sockets and the breather hole caps off before doing this.

You will then also want to check to make sure there aren't any holes in the seal around the lamp. The easiest/best way to do this (and it's not the cleanest method) is to pull all of the lamps/sockets out of the housing and pop off the breather hole caps, then plug up every hole (the breather holes and bulb holes) except for one bulb hole. Then you want to put your mouth up to the bulb hole and blow into the housing (creating an airtight seal with your mouth around the bulb hole). If you can create a constant steady pressure then the housing is airtight and no further action is necessary. If you cannot create a constant steady pressure then you need to find the hole and cover it with some black caulking (which you can pick up at any home improvement store).

This should end your condensation problem.

[slickroger]

Ive never tried what Pwnin did but I had the same problem and what I did was use an air compressor hose to blow all the water out and then sealed it with silicone like you suggested. Pwnin's way sounds more effective and more guaranteed to eliminate all the water.

Good luck

[QX22s]

Wow..nice write up Pwn.

Thanks for the tip. I took the housing out the other day and looked at it, i did not see any ventilation holes that went into the main housing. I dont know how the pathfinders are..but the q has the main housing that looks completely sealed and there is a yellow "glass?" bubble that the bulb fits behind. So i will look again but i didnt see any access point to the main housing. The dryer thing seems like a good idea regardles..thouh i dont have a shoe rack and i dont even think one would work in my dryer..its old school. Could i put i in the oven for a short period of time? I assume if the moisture can get it...it should be able to evaporate out. I will than go over the seals with new caulk like you mentioned. Someone else mentioned drilling a small hole from the bottom into the main housing getting the moisture out and than resealing the hole. Seems like that could effect the integrity of the housing though. not sure. I will deff have to remove the fog lamp and look again.

Any QX4 owners (similar to 99.5) know if the fog lamps are vented like the Pfinders are?

thanks everyone for the help thus far..on all my topics.

[jsm02cpa]

I just replaced the bulb in my 2000. It is definately a sealed unit, and I didn't see a vent hole, although I wasn't looking for one since I only had a bad bulb, not a moisture problem.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

After some searching I found that the QX4 fog lamps aren't sealed units. Here are a few pics to show you how to find the breather hole/hose...

-----------------------------------------------------------------97-00 (3.3L) QX4-----------------------------------------------------------------The 3.3L QX4's fog lamps utilize a rubber breather hose which is easily removable. They can also fall of quite easily which can cause dirt and dust contamination of the fog lamp.





-----------------------------------------------------------------01-03 (3.5L) QX4-----------------------------------------------------------------The 3.5L QX4's fog lamps utilize a breather hole which is covered with a small rubber cap and a small piece of purple fabric. The fabric is in place to prevent dirt and dust contamination while allowing the lamp to exhaust air. You can easily pop the cap and fabric off to ensure the fabric hasn't become clogged.

[QX22s]

pwnin..YOU are the man.

I have no idea where you find this stuff..but im glad you do. I had been looking at used parts sites for a new fog lamp. This is huge.

So based on the fact that there is a breather hose...after unplugging it..what do you think would be the quickest and most efficient way to get the moisture all out? I assume driving with the hose open and fog lights on would generate enough heat to evaporate it out...my worry is that is would also risk getting dirt and debris in the lens.

any suggestions?

Thanks again.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Well I wanted to show you the breather hose/hole location so you could ensure that it isn't clogged because a clogged breather hose/hole would cause condensation buildup. You definitely don't want to drive around with the breather hose off, you would most likely get dirt into the lamp.

I would probably suggest placing the fog lamp in the oven at a very low temperature (like 200 degrees Fahrenheit; don't lay the fog light face-down on lens) for five to ten minutes, just enough to heat up the water. Then just leave the fog lamp open (with bulb sockets and breather hose pulled off) face-down on a soft cloth on a table. The warm water will eventually evaporate, heating it up in the oven just expedited the condensation. You could also probably use a hairdryer to heat the fog lamp up, I would just blow the hairdryer directly into the fog light.

[naladude911]

I don't know if you solved it yet, but my 2001 QX4 headlight housing was all fogged up. I just drilled 2 holes and in a day it was clear again, and has been ever since

[QX22s]

I don't know if you solved it yet, but my 2001 QX4 headlight housing was all fogged up. I just drilled 2 holes and in a day it was clear again, and has been ever since

Yea that was my initial plan. But if there is a breather hose that can either be declogged or removed than i dont see a point in drilling holes. But glad it worked for ya! I plan on looking at mine today to see if i can get it fixed up.

[QX22s]

So i found the breather tube...I didnt see that anything was clogged. When i removed the housing i literally DUMPED water out of the lamp. I did throw it in the oven for about 10 minutes on 200 degrees F but it didnt seem to do a whole lot. I did notice that the seal around the lens was pretty much gone. I didnt have a whole lot of time to mess with it since it was getting dark and i had to put my newly painted wipers on..and the lamp on..before it got too dark. I am going to take another look at it tomorrow.