2012 Quest headlight condensation

A forum for the Nissan Quest... minivan lovers unite!
dbailey
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:35 am
Car: 2012 Nissan Quest SL

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Friends - our 2012 Quest is getting a lot of moisture condensation on the inside of the headlight, only on the driver's side. This weekend I took out all three bulbs and used a hairdryer to completely dry it out. That afternoon it rained and it was back to square one: as soon as we got home the inside surface was covered in condensation. I looked at the back of the headlight assembly and there appear to be two vents, one at the top without a cap, and the other at the bottom that has a rubber cap with a foam spacer (I assume so it doesn't close and seal). Neither appears to be clogged. Do you guys have any advice?
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faifai613
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 12:33 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Quest

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My 2012 Nissan Quest just started having the issue on the passenger side headlight assembly recently as the weather gets warm. I noticed it seems to happen when the engine bay is hot from driving. The condensation would be gone once the car sits overnight. Have you figured out a remedy for the problem? Thanks.

dbailey
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:35 am
Car: 2012 Nissan Quest SL

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I took the bulbs out, used a hair dryer to thoroughly evaporate all the condensation, and then reseated all the bulbs. The problem never came back (despite all our storms and humidity in Georgia) so it’s possible I never really had the bulbs and covers/boots really firmly seated. Those rubber boots are tricky.

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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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faifai613 wrote:
Sat Jun 19, 2021 6:22 pm
My 2012 Nissan Quest just started having the issue on the passenger side headlight assembly recently as the weather gets warm. I noticed it seems to happen when the engine bay is hot from driving. The condensation would be gone once the car sits overnight. Have you figured out a remedy for the problem? Thanks.
dbailey wrote:
Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:59 am
I took the bulbs out, used a hair dryer to thoroughly evaporate all the condensation, and then reseated all the bulbs. The problem never came back (despite all our storms and humidity in Georgia) so it’s possible I never really had the bulbs and covers/boots really firmly seated. Those rubber boots are tricky.
Nissan headlights are all vented, so moisture can usually be "baked" out by running the high beams continuously for several hours. There are lots of places for accumulated moisture to hide in the bottom of the housing, and behavior like @faifai613 is seeing usually means there's a puddle someplace in the bottom of the lamp. Usually that much moisture also means a leak somewhere, either a bulb seal, lens seal, or cracked housing.

faifai613
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 12:33 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Quest

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VStar650CL wrote:
Sun Jun 20, 2021 4:50 am
faifai613 wrote:
Sat Jun 19, 2021 6:22 pm
My 2012 Nissan Quest just started having the issue on the passenger side headlight assembly recently as the weather gets warm. I noticed it seems to happen when the engine bay is hot from driving. The condensation would be gone once the car sits overnight. Have you figured out a remedy for the problem? Thanks.
dbailey wrote:
Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:59 am
I took the bulbs out, used a hair dryer to thoroughly evaporate all the condensation, and then reseated all the bulbs. The problem never came back (despite all our storms and humidity in Georgia) so it’s possible I never really had the bulbs and covers/boots really firmly seated. Those rubber boots are tricky.
Nissan headlights are all vented, so moisture can usually be "baked" out by running the high beams continuously for several hours. There are lots of places for accumulated moisture to hide in the bottom of the housing, and behavior like @faifai613 is seeing usually means there's a puddle someplace in the bottom of the lamp. Usually that much moisture also means a leak somewhere, either a bulb seal, lens seal, or cracked housing.
Thanks for all the input. I visually inspected the housing and I couldn't find any visible crack or defect. It had never happened before so it was quite strange that it happened all of a sudden. I did caulk the top of the housing where the clear plastic and the back housing meet but I guess either that wasn't the source of the leak or like you said there's a puddle somewhere at the bottom of the housing. I guess I will try to dry out the housing and see if the problem goes away.

Thanks guys. I am grateful there's actually a community of Quest owners watching out for each other.

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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8294
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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faifai613 wrote:
Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:52 pm
Thanks for all the input. I visually inspected the housing and I couldn't find any visible crack or defect. It had never happened before so it was quite strange that it happened all of a sudden. I did caulk the top of the housing where the clear plastic and the back housing meet but I guess either that wasn't the source of the leak or like you said there's a puddle somewhere at the bottom of the housing. I guess I will try to dry out the housing and see if the problem goes away.
You're most welcome. The best way to find an unobvious crack or leak is to spray the whole outside of the assembly with soapy water, then gently blow air into the housing through a bulb hole and look for bubbles.


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