Replacing 2001 QX4's parking lights

[npapanikos]

I have one of them burnt out (driver's side). I removed the air box but there was no way to access it (the space is very tight). It seems that the only way is to pull out the HID headlight (unlike the older QX4s'). Any suggestions on how to do it?

nikos
Modified by npapanikos at 9:47 AM 11/21/2009

[QX4dahuneys]

It's funny, I ran into the same issue, I wanted to replace mine with LED's and noticed it was a real tight spot to get there, so I struggled but gave up and was like "forget it". I'm thinking the only way to get there is by removing the whole head lamp, it's ridiculous though, cause the owner's manual does not give you instructions on how to replace the parking lights. Good Luck.

[naladude911]

Yea I want to do LEDs to. I assume that in order to replace the lights, one has to remove each individual headlight housing

[Duckman540i]

You do not have to take the headlights completely out of the car, but you do have to completely unbolt them and pivot each assembly to the side to access the socket that holds the corner bulbs. It's really easy and should only take 5 minutes a side to replace.

First you take out the front grill. There are only 5 tabs holding the grill on, 2 on each side and one in the center. To take them off you simply squeeze the the tabs from behind the grill with needle nose pliers. This is the only challenging part of the whole process. The best way to do it is to squeeze one tab slightly through and then squeeze the second one on the same side through while still pulling on the grill. Both tabs should pop right out after that. Then just repeat on the other side and the center one pops out on its own. Once the grill is out you will have only (2)10mm bolts and (1) 10mm nut on each side that you have the remove in order for the headlights to come out, all 3 should be very easy to spot.

Once you have all the bolts/nuts off you just pull/pivot the headlight out slightly. Once you have access to the socket that holds the corner bulb you need to twist it counter clockwise or (loosen) it like a nut. The bulb should then pop right out.

To reinstall everything you just twist the new light back into the housing and push the lights back in. Make sure to line the tabs up on the side of the headlights with the holes in the fender when pushing them back in.

Next you will install the grill, as simple as it is to reinstall there is one thing you need make sure of when you do. There are two small body color "vanity strips" that are snapped into the bottom of each headlight. They have a slot behind the grill that they need to line up with, otherwise the grill with underlap or overlap them which looks horrible. You also need to push the "vanity strips" into there holes that are on the fender. You will know exactly what I'm talking about when you see it.

The last thing you need to make sure when reinstalling the bolts/nuts is to NOT over tighten them! The plastic tabs on the top of the headlights are old and brittle, you can strip or break them off very easily. The headlights are already snug, the bolts do not need to be very tight. Tighten them until they get very snug and that is all.

You can use #74 bulbs or 194's. The only difference is the wattage. The 194's are 3 watts and the 74's are 5 watts. I prefer the 74's because they are slightly brighter.

I hope this quick write-up will help some of you.

[npapanikos]

Thank you for a really nice write-up. I have two questions however. You say: "... to squeeze one tab slightly through and then squeeze..." Should we squeeze or turn 90 degrees and then squeeze? Also the bottom tab at the driver's side seems almost inaccessible. Any ideas?

Thank you, nikos

[Duckman540i]

If you are asking about the grill you just have to squeeze the V shaped tabs behind it without twisting.

[npapanikos]

I checked the FSM and shows a 45 degrees twist for the tab/clip (2001 QX4). For reference, the image is on page 11 of the Body/Trim PDF file. I broke also one and I cannot find the part number. The FSM only says that it is a CG101 fastener. Any help will be appreciated. The parts' list does not show any fastener at the grille.

Nikos

[tgardner]

Duckman540i,

Where is the best place to buy the #74 bulb?

Thanks.