WHAT sealant do you guys suggest for resealing headlights
 

hey
searched the forums alot to find out what sealant I should use to reseal my headlights. I saw in one thread JNC suggested the nissan butyl sealant from their dealership but that requires taking off the old sealant so that would be alot of work. Is there any other sealant that you guys suggest where I could just put it around my headlight and layer it up to insure that I get ZERO condensation?

I never removed the old sealant just heated up the edges/crease that had the old sealant with a heat gun. Squeezed the two halves together and used "Permatex black silicon" to seal the outer edges all the way around. Did my headlights a tails using Permatex with no issues.

Anyone else can chime in with what they used.

If its the first time separating the headlights and you do it carefully you dont even need to use more sealant. Just heat up the pre-existing sealant and just press together. If you do decide to use the butyl rubber just be careful not to be over zealous with the butyl rubber because too much in the channel will not allow the 2 halves of the headlight to compress all the way and form a good seal.

if you want it done but dont want to go all out and put too much work, then re-use stock sealant. make sure you heat it up enough and CLAMP it back(dont just use your hands to squeeze) use multiple clamps and make sure it sits flush.

if you want to do it professionally and guarantee against condensation...you have some choices.
nissan butyl tape(the best, but also cost the most, around $30)
3m window weld(decent quality, available on amazon for ~$15)
generic butyl tape(cheap, available anywhere, questionable quality but plenty of people have used it)

scraping the old sealant is NOT hard. it is very simple if you use a heat gun to heat it up and scrape it out with a screwdriver. remember once the sealant is hot, it comes out almost like butter.

Thanks for the input guys

If I buy the Nissan sealant from the above link will one be enough to do both headlights?
Also how if I apply the permatex black silicon over the surrounding edges how long should I allow it to dry for?

Exactly how I do my headlights and other peoples'.

Raj is right, you don't need to use more sealant but usually once the headlight is apart, the conformation of the existing sealant has been changed and simply pressing them back together sometimes will suffice, and sometimes it won't, since it can create gaps. Which is why I suggest using silicone all the way around.

Clamps will help, but only the VERY outer edge where the tabs are. Clamps alone will not do the job. Your hands pressing together will exert much more force than clamps so I advise using both. The easiest part to seal is the very corner, since it is thin and not awkward in shape. Once you get towards the DRL/fog, the size and tabs make it awkward for your hands to seal. I recommend having someone else on the lens side and you on the back housing side and pressing together really hard, so pressure is applied everywhere, the places where clamps will not press alone.

If you don't want to use the silicone (I hate it, since it gets everywhere and it takes 2 hours to cure), you can press the headlights back together with the existing sealant, and on top of the outline, you can apply a string of nissan butyl sealant. Heat it up, and mold it to cover the gap all around the headlight, pressing down on the sides to flatten it out and create a seal.

Headlight re-assembling also largely depends on the conditions during which it is put back together. Make sure it is a dry, semi-hot day. One VERY useful trick I use is vacuum suctioning. There are multiple places where moisture can enter: the turn signal, the DRL/fog, the HID, and all around the edges. Make sure the outer edges of the headlight is sealed before doing this. Place a strong vacuum hose on the turn signal side to suck up all the air that is inside the headlight while all the other caps, sockets, etc are installed. Once a vacuum is sucking up all the air in the turn signal, you can feel the suctioning power at the DRL/fog end. After about 10 seconds, QUICKLY put the turn signal socket back in, and you have a headlight without anything inside. If all the edges of the headlight are perfectly sealed, the ballast is properly installed with the gasket, along with the DRL/fog and HID bulb cover, then nothing should be getting inside.

I hope this helps.

I personally would not use anything additional and simply re-use what's on there. I would be more concerned that removing all the original and putting in my own would be more risky for getting leaks and condensation than just leaving it alone and reattaching the headlights using only what's originally on there.
I have taken TL headlights apart on two different cars never got any condensation and didn't use any additional sealant.

James

I used some Automotive Goop black sealant. I can't remember exactly. It worked great. What I did was when I went to close them up I heated them with a heat gun, as I was doing that I was putting in a thin bead into the grooves. Then when I closed them up I ran a thin bead in the cracks where the pieces meet. I thought I had some condensation but when I reopened that one headlight, it wasn't condensation at all. it was some weird dust that came off the turn signal bulb. I think because the bulb was chrome, that's the same color dust I whipped off. Been through 4 days of constant rain and no leaks or condensation

Nissan Butyl Rubber sealant for mine. Direct from the local Nissan dealer's parts desk. $25.

Also insert new (or re-use the original) dessicant packs.

i will be taking out my angel eyes and resealing my headlights this weekend. Will try to use all the advice

This is what I did with my TL lights. On my previous car that I did a projector retrofit on, I removed the old sealant and replaced it all with permatex and never had any issues.

I did get some real bad condensation in one of my TL lights at first, but it turned out that the turn signal bulb was not making a good seal with the headlight. Used a shop vac to suck out the moisture and put a little bit of silicone around the socket, and no leaks so far after driving on the highway in the rain, pressure wash, and regular hand wash.