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This may seem like a silly question, but the 92 I just bought didn't come with an owners manual. I tried messing around with the actual headlight, but couldn't figure it out. So...

After getting the connector off, how do you get the bulb out? All I see are the connectors and a big rubber boot.

TIA

The rubber boot will have a tab sticking out towards the back of the car. You grip this tab and gently pull back until the entire boot comes off.

If the boot is in bad shape (hardened rubber due to exposure to sunlight and the elements) it may tear apart. Be careful.

I saw that tab, but wasn't sure if I was supposed to be pulling it or not.

Thanks!

New question, same basic topic (that's why I'm not starting a new thread)

Any idea how I'd go about removing condensation from the inside front of the headlight assembly? I tried a rolled up paper towel, but I wasn't able to get enough contact with the surface.

I've come up with a couple of ideas: 1) pull the bulb out and let the air do its thing, 2) use a hairdryer on either cold or the low heat setting to actually direct airflow onto the surface, 3) look at how they come apart, and do it that way.

Any thoughts? I'm hopig nobody's had to deal with this before, because it looks terrible!

Yeah, you won't be able to blot it up through the bulb hole. If you're lucky you won't lose the paper towel inside. :)

Taking apart the headlight is more of a pain than you'll want to go through. It's held together by this black sticky sealant goop that's hard at normal temperatures but softens at high temperatures.

I think you'd be best off leaving the bulb out and letting the water all evaporate. Be sure you leave it somewhere where the air is clean because you don't want any crud (visible or otherwise) inside your headlamp.

To speed the process up, you could stick it in an oven set to around 200 degrees, but check it every few minutes! You really don't want to overcook a plastic headlamp. To be safe you should probably only bake it for 5 or 10 minutes and then leave it out to cool and evaporate. Only do this if you feel comfortable with the responsibility and the potential consequences! And leave the bulb and boot out, of course.

Before you reassemble everything, as a precautionary measure you should wipe down the bulb's surface with isopropanol and let it evaporate off, to make sure the bulb is clean.

Once again vrg3, thanks!

Yeah, I almost did loose the paper towel when I decided it might work better if I folded it in half.

You're welcome.

Your sig says you're hoping your sport sedan will pass the safety inspection... what's the concern?

Just wondering what the Canadian Tire guys are going to find "wrong" with the car, and how much they're going to try to ding me for. I wanted to take it to a Subaru dealer, but they didn't have an opening.

I'm actually more worried about the emissions test, because the car sat for 4 months. I going to do what I can to get a single full tank of gas through it before the test.