Changed your headlight bulbs lately?

ONLY for ADVANCED technical discussion about the 240sx!
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MaineExport
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This is entirey posted so I can VENT! So I had my driverside low-beam burn out the other day. Now, I've changed my fair share of headlights before, no big whoop. Well, I stroll into my local Wal-Mart and pick up a pair of new bulbs. I decide to take on the daunting task of changing bulbs in the parking lot, in the dark! Well I have NEVER seen a more fuc#ed up lighting assembly in my entire life! It's a 95 s14, and who ever designed the clip system for holding the bulb in place should be scalped! Not only do they give you less than 2" clearance to reach in and toy with the rear of the assembly, but there is this little pain-in-the-a$$ clip that you must remove after you manage to get everything else undone. After you sucessfully navigate this introductory step of the installation process, you have to finagle the old bulb out, and somehow convince the new one to go in. That's the easy part! Now, you have to have a Masters degree in the fine-art of FUC#ED-UP to get that little clip to go back into place. Not only did it take me thirty or so tries... one of the clips slipped out of my fingers and slid down into the headlight assembly.... Now I had to remove the ENTIRE assembly from the vehicle, and take it apart while sitting in my car in the Wal-Mart parking lot. TWO hours later, I had everything back together, and guess what, one of the new bulbs is already burned out... after ONE DAY!! If I ever meet a Nissan designer, he's getting the old "purple mushroom tattoo" across the forehead!

Sorry for the long booring post.. but I have to vent or I'll explode!!!


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GodDrivesA240sx
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:yesnod

dude I know exactly what you're talking about. I replaced my front headlights and it took me a day to figure out wtf is going on. I wish I had a 3 yr old tiawanesse kid there so I could use his little hands to assemble it. Eventually I figured out that after you damn nissan enough to hell the metal clip pops out and the light comes out, and you have to, for some unknown reason not related to physics, you have to put the metal clip back in first. It was always my assumption that when you took something apart you put it back togather the reverse way. Not with these headlights, the clip comes off first and goes on first.

anyways I'm tired as s[FONT=times new roman]h[/FONT]it right now so I'm going to bed

oh yeah I have a 95 se as well btw

oh and as for my FSM helping me all it said was something to the effect of : remove wiring harness, replace light, reverse process

:crazy

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Get240DiZzY
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I know whatcha mean... Fortuneately when I bought my car, I bought a Chilton's manual with it. It helped a little, but it was stilla b****. By the way, the manual is HIGHLY reccomended. It's done wonders for me.

s14sr20det
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I feel your pain guys, when I installed my PIAA's Super Blue bulbs it took me few hours to figure out wtf is going on and how to install the ****er, my hands were all brusied and **** and I was pissed.

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Anand
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i just took the whole headlight assembly out in like 5 min.. much much easier to work with and figure out what the hell you need to do...

s14gt
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Bah. You guys are only hurting ur knuckles.Take the whole assemply out instead, and replace bulbs. It is much easier that way.

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kami240sx
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for you guys who didn't take out the assembly, I feel for you.I have a '95 S14 and i just replaced my lights in the parking lot of my university. After two hours of fumbling with the clip right before the sun came down, I put everything back in fine only with frozed ears and a runny nose.

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driftaholic
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S13's rock! 16 screws and BOTH lights are out!

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Kinesthesia
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I have just started down this painful road, how do you remove the whole assembly.

It looked to me like you have to loosen the turnsignal and there are two bolts behind it... and I saw one on the other (next to the grill).

Have I missed anything ?

S13 King
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I LOVE HIDs,lol

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slakker
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The only problem with the s13 is age the 4 small *** stripable screware rust welded in and if the screwdriver slips...just once on those screw..Bye bye. I had to cut the wire frame with cutters to get the screw out. Luckily I have another s13 to replace the light bezel


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