[Johnny 216GSi]

Finally got round to removing the front bits as I'm having a partial re-spray soon.

Having removed the front grille and indicator retaining screws (1 per side) the Haynes manual said remove the 2 (per side) headlight retaining screws - then remove the two top bolts and pull the headlights up and out.

I only found 1 headlight retaining screw under each indicator - and a black plastic post poking through from the main headlamp case moulding.

So I removed the 1 headlamp screw per side and the two top bolts. I'd also at that point removed all 3 hockey-stick retaining screws and pulled the black post on each headlamp free of the bodywork.

Haynes manual says nothing else needs to be done - just pull the headlamp upwards off its mount and away from the car.

Try as I might, I couldn't get those headlights to come out.

Headlamps appear to be stuck on the "mounts" the Haynes manual says you can just lift them from. I assume these are the height adjustment screws...

...when I pull upwards, I can see what looks like an up-turned L-shaped bracket flexing as I pull - I assume these are the carrier brackets for the beam height adjustment screws. But the headlights just won't let go...

Managed to get the hockey sticks out anyway - headlights flexed upwards just enough to be able to squeeze the clips at the back and push them out over the bumper after much swearing

Is this familiar to anyone? What the hell has happened to my headlights to cause them to be permanently attached at the adjustment screw? Have I missed a vital step somewhere or is the Haynes manual wrong?

Thanks in advance...

[crepello]

No, that's not a height adjuster. It's a clip-in seating, white nylon on mine, into which a foot under the headlight units fit. The foot has a circular cross-section so the headlight can rock slightly fore and aft without strain, for coarse azimuth setting against the scale markings pressed in the slam panel next to one of their fixing screw holes. Fine adjustment is supposedly through the access ports in the top of the housing mouldings, but they're very stiff.

The clip-in seatings may have become stiff, possibly brittle. If you can waggle the headlight units side-to-side while lifting they should let go, probably suddenly! The clip you need is XBM10001 if it breaks. Most of the surviving stocks seem to be on the continent, but Wilcox in Wickwar has the last UK stock, according to XPart.

[Rover GTi]

Hi Johnny,

Funnily enough i had to remove the headlights on my car today aswell (to get to the front bumper mounting bolts underneath the lamps) and i had exactly the same trouble as you with the headlamp units stuck fast on to the bottom mounting pegs.
After also being on the verge of giving up, i spent 10 mins cursing old cars and then gave it one last go using a bit more force and they finally popped off the pegs. I don't think the lamps had been off since the car was made, and 22 years of muck and corrosion on the mounting peg must have been the reason why they were reluctant to come off.
So basically give em a bit more of a tug, but keep your eye on the bracket that the headlight mounting peg sits on as it looked quite flimsy on my car and looked like it could bend really easily of forced too much.
When i came to put the lamps back on again i just cleaned up the mounting pegs and put a smear of grease on them and they headlamp units slid back on nicely on reassembly.
Hope this helps.

[Johnny 216GSi]

Thanks for your replies both of you. As always, the oracles of the R200400OC have seen and done everything everyone else needs to know...

I'll give the headlights another go - possibly after I've ordered some clips... I'm just happy I managed to get the hockey sticks out as the car is going for a re-spray in just over a week.

I'll need to do this anyway - my offside headlamp looks a little wonky to me. I remember distinctly it came back from an MOT several years ago and the headlight was off a little - I just put this down to mandatory beam height adjustment so it would pass its tests.

I was half expecting the offside one to be stuck on this basis - people who service old cars and "don't care" about them often break clips and fixings on disassembly and then affect a fix with glue or silicone sealant. But maybe both are okay - they've just become stubborn with old age (a bit like the car's owner ).

[220 GSi turbo]

Just to add further confusion to you all, later cars (mine are both 1994 build) have a bolt underneath each headlamp to secure it in place. It has been a while since I last had to remove/refit a headlamp, but I seem to remember that the bolt has a 10mm head on it and the lug on the headlamp has a slot in it so that the bolt does not have to be completely removed.

[crepello]

people who service old cars and "don't care" about them often break clips and fixings on disassembly and then affect a fix with glue or silicone sealant.

You're not wrong there. Found several cracked and bodged covers round my engine, and misplaced mount rubbers, once I started doing my own repairs. Plus crushed sill seams with flaked stonechip where the 'professionals' hadn't bothered with the jacking points.

[E_T_V]

Yes there is a 10mm bolt on the bottom of the headlamp. You can just see it in this pic (sorry picture was for something else). Directly above the PAS pipe on the drivers side.

Click on the image a couple of times to zoom in on it.

t16 intercooler fitting by E_T_V, on Flickr

Then there is one pozidrive screw into the side (after removing the indicator). And the two bolts on the top.

[Johnny 216GSi]

Mine would appear to be the same as in the picture ETV posted above, even though I can barely see that upturned bracket and bolt because I can't budge the headlight - but looking round the side I can see the bracket and what looks like a bolt sticking up through it. Mine's a 93K reg. so could be classified as one of the newer cars I suppose?

So how does the headlight come off that bolt? Does it just lift off, or slide off if you jiggle it left to right? I don't think I can get a spanner to that bolt without removing the bumper can I?

[E_T_V]

Mine would appear to be the same as in the picture ETV posted above, even though I can barely see that upturned bracket and bolt because I can't budge the headlight - but looking round the side I can see the bracket and what looks like a bolt sticking up through it. Mine's a 93K reg. so could be classified as one of the newer cars I suppose?

So how does the headlight come off that bolt? Does it just lift off, or slide off if you jiggle it left to right? I don't think I can get a spanner to that bolt without removing the bumper can I?

If you have fog lights remove the fog lights and then access is simple. You only need to loosen the nut on the bottom a couple of turns as the bracket is a slot rather than a hole so you can slide if off forward to remove.

The pic is also of a K reg car although I thought they were all the same through the years.