Replacing bulb in factory-fitted Disco front fog lamp ?

I do hope this isn't a "Doh!" question but I'm struggling to work out
how to replace the bulb in my fog lamp.

This is a Land Rover factory fitted front fog lamp in a 1997 Discovery
ES Tdi.

I presume I need to remove the whole lamp unit before I can replace
the bulb. There is a threaded bolt at the top of the unit which, I
presume, is used to adjust the angle of the beam. The bolt is
attached to the top of the lamp unit by means of another pin/bolt
which I /might/ be able to pull out.

I don't want to go removing nuts and bolts willy-nilly ....... I'm
sure it can't be difficult!

Can anyone give me a clue, please?

Thanks
Judith

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:07:42 +0000, Judith
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I don't want to go removing nuts and bolts willy-nilly ....... I'm
>sure it can't be difficult!
>
>Can anyone give me a clue, please?

I must've googled for the wrong words last week ...... but I've found
some old afl posts now.

Alistair, 2nd Nov 2003, said:

Pull the pivot/adjuster off at the top of the lamp unit - carefull as
its only plastic. then there are two torx screws half way up both
sides, these are a pain because not only do they hold it all together
they provide the pivot action for adjustment. So its fiddly getting
them back in. While you have the lamp in bits its worth soldering the
earth wire to the bulb base, I had too after I disturbed it all for
the first time. Its damn annoying when you have struggled to get the
damn thing out like your trying to do, then you put a new bulb in and
find its a bad earth thats stopping it coming on!

---------------------

Can anyone explain the first bit about the pivot/adjuster? What do I
have to pull? Do I pull the threaded bolt away from the front of the
vehicle? Or do I pull the bolt sideways out of the plastic case of
the lamp? This is hard to explain in words!

I suppose it would also help if I knew which bulb it needed - all I
know is it is 55w. I think I have a spare headlamp bulb ...... but I
bet they're different!

Judith

I have done it on mine. remove screws each side of bracket lamp will come
down. Lamp will open on crack threre is a gasket between. bulb is standard
halogen replacement 55 fog lamp bulb H3. Pain is getting the halved together
and holding it up while you get the screws in.

"Judith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:07:42 +0000, Judith
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I don't want to go removing nuts and bolts willy-nilly ....... I'm
>>sure it can't be difficult!
>>
>>Can anyone give me a clue, please?
>
> I must've googled for the wrong words last week ...... but I've found
> some old afl posts now.
>
> Alistair, 2nd Nov 2003, said:
>
> Pull the pivot/adjuster off at the top of the lamp unit - carefull as
> its only plastic. then there are two torx screws half way up both
> sides, these are a pain because not only do they hold it all together
> they provide the pivot action for adjustment. So its fiddly getting
> them back in. While you have the lamp in bits its worth soldering the
> earth wire to the bulb base, I had too after I disturbed it all for
> the first time. Its damn annoying when you have struggled to get the
> damn thing out like your trying to do, then you put a new bulb in and
> find its a bad earth thats stopping it coming on!
>
> ---------------------
>
> Can anyone explain the first bit about the pivot/adjuster? What do I
> have to pull? Do I pull the threaded bolt away from the front of the
> vehicle? Or do I pull the bolt sideways out of the plastic case of
> the lamp? This is hard to explain in words!
>
> I suppose it would also help if I knew which bulb it needed - all I
> know is it is 55w. I think I have a spare headlamp bulb ...... but I
> bet they're different!
>
> Judith

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:15:39 GMT, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I have done it on mine. remove screws each side of bracket lamp will come
>down. Lamp will open on crack threre is a gasket between. bulb is standard
>halogen replacement 55 fog lamp bulb H3. Pain is getting the halved together
>and holding it up while you get the screws in.

Thanks very much. I'll give it a go once I've got the new bulb.

(Not sure why the owner's manual says take it to a dealer and HBOL
doesn't mention it at all!)

Judith

Oh, the bulb has a spring release and wire plugs in you dont need to solder
turn on headlamps low beam fog to check if it goes on make shure you have
the brake on. put it all back and hope the lens is not too scratched up.
peter

"Judith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:07:42 +0000, Judith
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I don't want to go removing nuts and bolts willy-nilly ....... I'm
>>sure it can't be difficult!
>>
>>Can anyone give me a clue, please?
>
> I must've googled for the wrong words last week ...... but I've found
> some old afl posts now.
>
> Alistair, 2nd Nov 2003, said:
>
> Pull the pivot/adjuster off at the top of the lamp unit - carefull as
> its only plastic. then there are two torx screws half way up both
> sides, these are a pain because not only do they hold it all together
> they provide the pivot action for adjustment. So its fiddly getting
> them back in. While you have the lamp in bits its worth soldering the
> earth wire to the bulb base, I had too after I disturbed it all for
> the first time. Its damn annoying when you have struggled to get the
> damn thing out like your trying to do, then you put a new bulb in and
> find its a bad earth thats stopping it coming on!
>
> ---------------------
>
> Can anyone explain the first bit about the pivot/adjuster? What do I
> have to pull? Do I pull the threaded bolt away from the front of the
> vehicle? Or do I pull the bolt sideways out of the plastic case of
> the lamp? This is hard to explain in words!
>
> I suppose it would also help if I knew which bulb it needed - all I
> know is it is 55w. I think I have a spare headlamp bulb ...... but I
> bet they're different!
>
> Judith

news wrote:
> Oh, the bulb has a spring release and wire plugs in you dont need to solder
> turn on headlamps low beam fog to check if it goes on make shure you have
> the brake on. put it all back and hope the lens is not too scratched up.

You may not need to, but it's a good idea to as the H3 bulbs are
notorious for making a bad earth contact and either not going, or
flickering and blowing in very short order.


--
EMB

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:24:24 GMT, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Oh, the bulb has a spring release and wire plugs in you dont need to solder
>turn on headlamps low beam fog to check if it goes on make shure you have
>the brake on. put it all back and hope the lens is not too scratched up.

I went to Halfords and asked the little lad if he could check the
computer to see what bulb I needed. Surprise surprise! Disco front
fog lamps aren't in their database!

They had several different H3 bulbs. There were 55W, 100W and 130W.

Also, some had a wire attached and some didn't. Do I need the sort
with the wire?

(I still can't get the blasted lamp apart! I've only been able to
have a quick look but I still can't figure it out, despite what people
have suggested. I'm going to put my overalls on, at the weekend, and
see if looks any different from underneath. It's only a chuffing bulb
fer pete's sake!)

Judith

On or around Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:25:32 +0000, Judith
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 15:24:24 GMT, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Oh, the bulb has a spring release and wire plugs in you dont need to solder
>>turn on headlamps low beam fog to check if it goes on make shure you have
>>the brake on. put it all back and hope the lens is not too scratched up.
>
>I went to Halfords and asked the little lad if he could check the
>computer to see what bulb I needed. Surprise surprise! Disco front
>fog lamps aren't in their database!
>
>They had several different H3 bulbs. There were 55W, 100W and 130W.
>
>Also, some had a wire attached and some didn't. Do I need the sort
>with the wire?

I thought all H3s had wire. You want (probably) a normal H3 55W. best bet,
of course, is to get the light apart first and take the bulb in to halfrauds
to compare.



>
>(I still can't get the blasted lamp apart! I've only been able to
>have a quick look but I still can't figure it out, despite what people
>have suggested. I'm going to put my overalls on, at the weekend, and
>see if looks any different from underneath. It's only a chuffing bulb
>fer pete's sake!)
>
>Judith

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"Something there is that doesn't love a wall."
Robert Frost (1874-1963)

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 21:42:28 +0000, Austin Shackles
<[email protected]> wrote:

>>They had several different H3 bulbs. There were 55W, 100W and 130W.
>>
>>Also, some had a wire attached and some didn't. Do I need the sort
>>with the wire?
>
>I thought all H3s had wire. You want (probably) a normal H3 55W. best bet,
>of course, is to get the light apart first and take the bulb in to halfrauds
>to compare.

Perhaps it was just the way it was packaged but one of the H3 bulbs
didn't seem to have a wire.

BTW .... don't go telling me I need to take the flipping thing apart!
I *KNOW* I do ...... and I'm getting sick of staring at the flaming
thing!

Oops sorry, I think a little frustration came through there. I've had
a cold for the last 3 weeks. I'm nearly recovered now but have not
been in the right frame of mind to figure out how to get the flipping
lamp apart. The only screws which are visible are half hidden by a
bracket ...... so I can't get the screwdriver onto them!

I think I'll buy a 55W H3 with wire and sort it out, once and for all,
at the weekend. If I find that the bulb is not right (and I haven't
taken it out of the bubble-pack) then I'm sure I can swap it.

Judith

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:25:32 +0000, Judith wrote:

> I went to Halfords and asked the little lad if he could check the
> computer to see what bulb I needed. Surprise surprise! Disco front
> fog lamps aren't in their database!

Not surprised, Halfrauds only list one size of front wiper blade for
all Discos. A Disco II has 21" blades not the tiddly 18" or so they
have in the book. Even if you get the length right I suspect the
fitting isn't quite standard, the blade body narrows on the Real Thing
by the pivot pin, the Halfrauds ones don't...

--
Cheers [email protected]
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

On or around Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:10:00 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:25:32 +0000, Judith wrote:
>
>> I went to Halfords and asked the little lad if he could check the
>> computer to see what bulb I needed. Surprise surprise! Disco front
>> fog lamps aren't in their database!
>
>Not surprised, Halfrauds only list one size of front wiper blade for
>all Discos. A Disco II has 21" blades not the tiddly 18" or so they
>have in the book. Even if you get the length right I suspect the
>fitting isn't quite standard, the blade body narrows on the Real Thing
>by the pivot pin, the Halfrauds ones don't...

might be that the "real thing" blade is wider to make it stiffer or
something. On some things, I've found that they'll take longer blades. Not
looked at the disco, TBH. I gather there are different wiper motors, too,
on the earlier ones, some are 14W and some 28W.

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and
therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"
John Donne (1571? - 1631) Devotions, XVII

On Wed, 09 Feb 2005 07:34:15 +0000, Austin Shackles wrote:

> might be that the "real thing" blade is wider to make it stiffer or
> something.

I didn't take a ruler to the metal back but the "real thing" looks the
same width as the Halfrauds ones but narrows by 1/16" or so for a
couple of inches each side of the pivot/fixing pin. This matches a
plastic moulding that is on the end of that arm carrying the slidy
fixing catch (and spoiler on the drivers side).

--
Cheers [email protected]
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:07:42 +0000, Judith
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I do hope this isn't a "Doh!" question but I'm struggling to work out
>how to replace the bulb in my fog lamp.

Finally got it fixed so here's a few notes to help me remember what I
did for when the other one goes.

I reckon I may have gone over the top removing things. I removed the
entire bracket that the lamp sits in. It's possible, like someone
here said, that I only had to remove the beam alignment adjuster from
the top of the back of the light. (For future ref: it's easier to
reassemble if you just pull the ball out of the socket rather than
pulling the plastic pin out sideways. Hindsight, hey!) Anyway, it
was easier to figure it out with it all removed from the vehicle. (For
future reference, once you decide to remove the entire bracket it is
simple to work out what needs to come undone: two nuts at the top and
two cross-head screws at the bottom - all captive.)

As I pulled the lamp out of the back cover, to get access to the bulb
and the earth, the earth connector disintegrated. Luckily a passing
man was able to solder on a new connector. (I recommend keeping a
man, and a soldering iron, in a cupboard in case you ever need them.)

The whole lamp assembly was damp, and there is green stuff growing in
the bottom of the lens, and all the connectors were at least dirty of
not broken. I cleaned it all up, tested the old bulb in case the
problem had just been the earth, then reassembled with a new bulb.

The bulb is an H3 but these are numbered 453 at Halfrauds and do not
say H3 on the packet. It does say H3 on the bulb, though. About 5
quid for a standard Halfrauds one. I could have spent 12 quid if I
wanted a super megawatt blue lamp.

All in, it only took 2 hours (plus two week's preparation) ....... to
change a bulb!

Judith

Judith wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 14:07:42 +0000, Judith
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I do hope this isn't a "Doh!" question but I'm struggling to work out
>> how to replace the bulb in my fog lamp.
>
> Finally got it fixed so here's a few notes to help me remember what I
> did for when the other one goes.
>
> I reckon I may have gone over the top removing things. I removed the
> entire bracket that the lamp sits in. It's possible, like someone
> here said, that I only had to remove the beam alignment adjuster from
> the top of the back of the light. (For future ref: it's easier to
> reassemble if you just pull the ball out of the socket rather than
> pulling the plastic pin out sideways. Hindsight, hey!) Anyway, it
> was easier to figure it out with it all removed from the vehicle. (For
> future reference, once you decide to remove the entire bracket it is
> simple to work out what needs to come undone: two nuts at the top and
> two cross-head screws at the bottom - all captive.)
>
> As I pulled the lamp out of the back cover, to get access to the bulb
> and the earth, the earth connector disintegrated. Luckily a passing
> man was able to solder on a new connector. (I recommend keeping a
> man, and a soldering iron, in a cupboard in case you ever need them.)
>
> The whole lamp assembly was damp, and there is green stuff growing in
> the bottom of the lens, and all the connectors were at least dirty of
> not broken. I cleaned it all up, tested the old bulb in case the
> problem had just been the earth, then reassembled with a new bulb.
>
> The bulb is an H3 but these are numbered 453 at Halfrauds and do not
> say H3 on the packet. It does say H3 on the bulb, though. About 5
> quid for a standard Halfrauds one. I could have spent 12 quid if I
> wanted a super megawatt blue lamp.
>
> All in, it only took 2 hours (plus two week's preparation) ....... to
> change a bulb!
>
> Judith

You're not a civil servant are you??

;~)

Nige

--
Subaru WRX (The Bitch)

Series 3 Landrover 88" (Albert)

"If you tolerate this then your children will be next"

Judith composed the following;:

> All in, it only took 2 hours (plus two week's preparation) ....... to
> change a bulb!

Some people take years and still don't change anything ..

Heheheh, well done, though.

--
Paul ...
School Ebay Sale Item numbers
3781341852
5556407840
5556395496

On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:30:39 -0000, "Nige"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> All in, it only took 2 hours (plus two week's preparation) ....... to
>> change a bulb!
>>
>> Judith
>
>You're not a civil servant are you??
>
Ha ha! Not exactly but almost and, now I come to think about it,
nothing ever gets done that quickly at work!

Judith

>;~)
>
>Nige