Hey guys, I have a problem with my fogs. They're fogging up in the housing. My truck is a 04 Fx4, which would mean I have the rectangular fogs. I walk outside one day and saw this and it is rather perplexing. Doesn't make sense why they would condensate, these lights are not aftermarket either. They are the stock ones, so any ideas how to remedy this? All input is appreciated

 

Mine leaked to, I took them out and dried them in the oven low temp 3-5 minutes at a time. I looked them over and thought it was the bulb, so I changed the bulbs and months later they were full of water. My suggestion is to dry them in the oven, then spray a layer of rubberized coating over the plastic bodies and reinstall them. Or buy new ones from Tasca, they are about $40 a piece.

 

this may be a dumb question, but are they like headlights that have a "breather tube" to allow movement of moisture and air? could be clogged/pinched? id go out and look at my truck but it is pouring here for some reason

 

There is a hole on top covered by a blue sticker, they allow for air expansion. The housings are not that large or have enough air volume to expand so much that they need to move much air into or out of the housing, the sticker is water proof and should be left alone unless for some reason yours has come off some how.

 

Hmm, never did look at the top of the light. But I'll prob just take them out and let them dry then I'll seal them. I just found it ironic that my fog lights would condensate lol. But thanks for the info, has helped me in the right direction.

 

Check for cracks. My oem ones has a crack in them. I couldn't figure out why they kept getting water in and blowing my bulb.. Went to change the housing and found the crack in the lens.. Honestly don't just use rubberized sealer. If the seal on the lens is bad put then in the oven, take off the lens and get some butyl tape to reseal.

 

It depends on the amount to determine what is going on. If both of them are foggy, I'd suspect hitting some water puddles and/or submerging them probably got to them. No need to remove them or putting them in the oven- they have one way vents that allow for the atmospheric pressure to stabilize. If its only one, probably a hairline fracture somewhere in the assembly.

Now if they have water droplets on the lens or on the bottom, you've either got a cracked lens, body, or combination of both. Check for FOD.

Very rarely is it a bulb seating issue if they've been untouched.

There is no need to add sealant or anything else to light assemblies, contrary to popular belief on here. Believe it or not, lamps need to be open (that is where the vinyl vent comes in). If you seal them airtight, you'll only kill your bulb sooner.

 

So basically from what I've been reading, there is no need to mess with light at all? Being that there's a one way vent on them they'll just dry out on their own? Unless they have a very small crack in the lens like Raptor was talking about. So I guess I have two options, either leave them alone, or buy new ones I take it? And also, wouldn't running my fogs evaporate the water inside the housing or do they not put out that much heat? (Might be a stupid question)

 

Yes those are your two options. Now if it didn't go away then you have a problem. And yes the heat from the light should help evap. The water.

 

They will dry from the bulb heat, however if they are leaking they will *** water faster than you can remove it, unless you have them on all the time. When I said spray them with sealer it was a last resort to save some cash, of course don't spray over the vent stickers. Mine (without being sprayed) continued to take on water and eventually grew black mold and began blowing out my bulbs. If they are wet and the bulbs are sealed well, then they will continue to get wet and will not repair themselves. Then you are left with two options repair, or replace. For what it costs I would and did try to repair first, eventually caved and replaced them. Good luck!

 

Did not see it asked or answer, are the stock bulb type & wattage ?
- Want to get a known starting point.

If so, read on.

If you are sure the bulb is seated correctly, the housing might be damaged.

If the bulbs have not been touched, the bulb seal could still be the issue with them.

Driving through a puddle and splashing them should not introduce water into them if the bulb seal is correct and the housing is not damaged.

As a starting point take LTMARK's advice and remove them, and check that the front seal is working correctly.
- The only way I can think of this is to fill it with deionized water and set them glass down to see if they develop a leak over time. That seal should not let any water out ( if it does, it is also letting water in ).

Once you get to that point figure out if you need to replace the seal for the lens, try a bulb replacement or coat the lamp housing to cover cracks in it.
My guess is either the bulb seal is shot, or next on the list the lens gasket material has given up.

If you are running a non stock bulb type or wattage, I would start with correcting that, and see if the bulb mount is still good.
- else might be replace the lamp time if they are out of spec from running a non stock bulb in them.

 

Well to answer your question SSCULLY, I am running just your basic 9145 bulb with stock wattage. And my bulbs are technically brand new since I just replaced them about a month ago. And I checked the gasket or seal around the harness below where the bulb sits, and it looked fine. I had both lights out, housings and all, to inspect them for any suspicious leaks and did not see anything. (Of course knowing my luck, I probably missed something). I did notice however there is a slight gap where the lens meets the housing assembly. Is there supposed to be a gap? Or should there be a gasket there? Just didn't look right, which led me to believe that was the issue.

 

How big a gap. Mine only had like a 1/16 " gap. There is no gasket per say. There is glue (pernaseal or butyl glue) in a channel that the lens sits into. Its grayish looking.

 

Had similar condensation in my factory explorer lamp housing. Mine was actually filled with 1/4" of water one day. I took the lamp housing out and checked over the entire assembly out in the bright sun. A hairline crack had formed in the top of the housing (very difficult to see) but the water in the housing helped pinpoint where the seepage was. After locating I emptied the water out and let them sit out in the sun until the moisture dried out and evaporated. I went around the entire perimeter with clear rvt silicon and let dry, reinstalled and good as new. The area I am talking about is actually right where the black housing meets the clear lens. Mine too have the blue/screen vents which were intact and still good. The lamp housing was not hit or otherwise messed with, so no guess as to why the hairline crack developed.

 

I would say the gap is is about the same as yours lariat02. So my best bet would be to check the actual lens for a hairline crack? Only other option would be to replace them. I guess I should go out and check them. But I'm too lazy to right now lol. Maybe I'll look at them when I get my HIDs. I do appreciate all the advice though, had I not asked, I would have sealed and ultimately doomed my fogs