FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS
Ford Truck PartsHow to Seal Your Headlights

How to Seal Your Headlights

The below installation instructions work for the following products:
Smoked F150 Headlights
If you own a Ford truck, chances are you're just as independent as we are. But in order to make tackling an installation on your own a bit easier, we've collected some of our best DIY (do it yourself) guides to provide a helping hand. It's like doing an install with your best buddy - these guides will provide some valuable help and hopefully answer your how-to questions along the way. And unlike your best buddy, we won't hog all the salsa when the install is done.

If you're here, it's probably because your new F-150 or Super Duty headlights or OEM lights are fogging a bit due to moisture in the air or some heavy weather. (We recommend this step before installing any of our headlights as a preventative measure.) This quick and simple process can ensure a long life for your new headlights, or help you get condensation out of your old ones - and keep them from developing any more.
Note: Do this at your own risk. AmericanTrucks is not responsible for destroyed headlights because of this process.
How to De-Fog Your Headlights:
  1. Remove ALL of the bulbs and wiring from the headlights. Failure to do so will result in severe damage to the headlight housings. (... And you don't want to buy another set of headlights, do you? That's why you're doing this, after all.)
  2. (Skip this step if your headlights are brand new or don't have any fogging.) However, if you are re-sealing headlights that already have some fog inside them, you'll want to place them in the sun until the existing moisture evaporates. (Alternatively, there is a process for heating your headlights in the oven, but we recommend you be very careful if using that process, which is outlined below*.)
  3. (If your headlights are new or do not have any condensation, you can skip directly to this step.) Take some silicone RTV sealant, which is available at any hardware store, and spread it along the line where the housings come together. This step will cover any open holes in the sealant that was applied between the 2 pieces of the headlight housing during manufacturing.
  4. Let the freshly applied silicone dry before re-installing the headlights into your truck. Reinstall bulbs and wiring.
  5. You should also check the seals around your F-150's or Super Duty's headlight bulbs as well to make sure there is no extra air leaking into the headlights from the bulb housings.
Using the Oven to De-Fog & Help Seal Your F-150 or Super Duty Headlights:
  1. Remove ALL of the bulbs and wiring from the headlights just like you would above. This step is especially important if you're going to put your headlights into the oven! If you don't do this, you'll almost certainly end up buying another set of headlights - if you don't ruin your oven and set your house on fire. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP.
  2. Remove all racks from your oven except one. Place that rack close to, but not touching, your bottom heat source - allow lots of clearance from any heating coils for your lights! (We speak from experience.) Heat your oven to 250 degrees and sit a piece of WET cardboard on top of an oven-safe plate or cookie sheet. *Note - all you're doing here is getting any water that's already inside your headlights to evaporate quickly. If you are not comfortable with this step, please just place your headlights in direct sunlight as mentioned above. (Note that with sunlight, it will take longer for the water to evaporate.)
  3. At 250 degrees place the headlight on top of the cardboard for 3 min (Note: It is NOT necessary to pre-heat the oven for this process).
  4. Remove the headlight from the oven (careful, it will probably be quite hot) it and push your F-150 or Super Duty headlight back together as much as you can. Our headlights are sealed front to back, so push as hard as you can on the front and back housing to create a better seal. Try your best not to have any openings between the housings.

    What this process does is melts the silicone glue that has come from the factory that was used to seal the housings. Sometimes that glue has open spaces left over after being sealed at the factory. As the silicone glue dries, it re-hardens and is pressed tighter between the two headlight housings, creating a stronger bond. The step of adding more silicone glue is necessary to cover any other possible gaps in the headlight housing so that another leak does not develop.
  5. Take some silicone RTV sealant, which is available at any hardware store, and spread it along the line where the housings come together. This step will cover any open holes in the sealant that was applied between the 2 pieces of the headlight housing during manufacturing.
  6. Let the freshly applied silicone dry before re-installing the headlights into your truck. Reinstall bulbs and wiring.
  7. You should also check the seals around your F-150's or Super Duty's headlight bulbs as well to make sure there is no extra air leaking into the headlights from the bulb housings.
Related Articles
How to Install Projector Halo Headlights (97-03 F150) How to Install Projector Halo Headlights (97-03 F150) How to Install Projector Halo Headlights (04-08 F150) How to Install Projector Halo Headlights (04-08 F150)