Looks like I will be on the phone with my local dealership tomorrow.

I kinda remember that the headlight locking ring may have lost one of the teeth on it, somewhere along the 520K miles it held in there, and perhaps was not holding the bulb connector in there just exactly perfect any more.

But last time I had to change the passenger side bulb (the more fun side, requires removing the primary battery first), I got it to hold OK enough to not be jiggling the bulb around, put the battery back in and proceeded to drive many more thousands of miles, cuz that’s what Super Duty does.

But some of those miles were pretty regularly not on brand newly paved roads and somewhere along the way that connector got loose enough to fray some wires and start shorting things out. Which burned up pert near 100% of that locking ring, the part of the housing it is supposed to connect to, and probably enough of the wires to the connector that I will have to splice in new ones. Happy happy joy joy.

The moral of the story is - if you have the primary battery out for any reason, you might could check that headlight housing connector ring to make sure it is still holding on tight, with it’s now 17-21 year old plastic teeth, all 3 of the tiny little buggers, and a simple twist back into their assigned places might keep this from happening to you. Over on the driver side, you only need to pop the hood to check out the health and wellness of that ring.

 

Consider Eagle Eyes brand ‘02-04 headlights like these.

Soooooooo much better light than the bathroom glass lenses and they look good too. A little over $100/pair with clear turn signals.





For even better light, get a relay harness and 100/80 watt HELLA bulbs. This is literally night and day diffemce from your (dangerous) old foggy lenses and do not annoy other the drivers the way most drop-in HID/LED bulbs do.

on edit: before pic

 

Gentlemen
I am in the market (while still dragging my feet) for new headlights and turn signal assemblies.
I want no amber to be part of the assemblies as i plan to simply install amber bulbs for the signal bulbs.
Provide websites and part numbers please.

There are some on ebay that are appealing to me.

 

Search for Eagle Eyes brand. That’s what the ones in pics above are. In my experience, they last as long as OEM did. I’ll try to check my order history for links.

 

Yeah it does seem like a good time to replace both if I have to replace all of one.

I looked around for EagleEye some but am concerned on 2 things - the website is from Taiwan - and would "02-04" really match my build, which is from 11-99 = 2000 model year? If only source is via eBay...I can't afford a boo-boo on things like this, this week. Leaving for a long roadtrip pretty soon.

Off to search this site for any good after-market brand available a little more guaranteed from Zone/Vance/Reilly

 

Yeah I suppose if I have to replace all of one it would be the best time to just replace as a pair.

I searched around for "EagleEye" some and concerned on 2 things - the website is from Taiwan, and would "02-04" really match my build of truck, which is 11/99 = 2000 model year?

Every time I have ever had a parts clerk look up a headlight part # they always ask me - old style or new?

I can't afford a wrong part off eBay right now - I am leaving for a long road trip very soon. Hope to find some suggestions elsewhere on this site for an aftermarket brand available from Zone/Vance/Reilley. Initial consult with them yesterday was "yeah, we can order that"

 

Yes. They are made in Taiwan. I’ve installed LOTS of these and the quality is adequate for me to recommend. Some people like to add sealant to these headlights where the lens meets the reflector housing because SOME of them will allow moisture in. They do have a warranty IIRC, but I’ve never had any problems with them.

Both gpld trucks above started out with lenses like you have now. The x-cab is an E99 and the CCSB is a 2000.

 

The local parts stores can likely get this brand for you.

If not, they can get this style (‘02-04) and possibly cover them with a lifetime warranty?

Please don’t get the bathroom glass style again. They REALLY suck.

Also, throw away whatever bulbs come with the new housings. I STRONGLY recommend a headlight relay harness from www.rallylights.com and 100/80watt HELLA bulbs. You’ll want to thank me many times in the future for this. If you must use store bought bulbs, spend the ludicrous $$ on the high end Silverstar bulbs (they are 1/2 the price of relay harness and the HELLA bulbs are <$10/pair).

 

not convinced to try a 'different' model year style, maybe seal them myself before moisture season arrives now, buy a different/extra set of bulbs to put in them, and hope that the local store guarantees all of this working right, all right before a long trip

just looking for a simple plug&play unit to use with the existing connector - shouldn't be that rocket science? my To Do list is long right now, not looking to do a total do-over with 3 different parts orders, though I am sure that would turn out nice. getting anything delivered lately in Corona Year is a crap-shoot with parts back-orders and delivery services swamped and a short work week this week, too. all that is magnified when you live out in the sticks.

 

You’ve be given the most solid advice you’ll find. I have personally done this to literally DOZENS of trucks - no exaggeration. (2) are pictured above. One pic even shows the old style lenses you have now. I’ve provided this recommendation on the forum and I know MANY people that have taken this advice and are very glad they did.

The relay harness is plug and play using factory plugs - at least one of yours is broken, making this an even better idea. You’ll just attach a positive and negative wire to the battery (or a better place I’ll glady recommend for the cleanest instal)

The newer headlights I’ve suggested are 100% drop in. No different than the ****ty design of the faded junk you have now.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I appreciate the insights. Removing the old lens now is getting exciting. Can’t recall the last time I needed a 90 degree bend Phillips screwdriver, where mine is, and whether the shaft on it is long enough to reach a recessed screw head on the housing, which isn’t looking likely to match my memory of that particular doo-hickey. Have a bad feeling about my work schedule at this point.

 

There are 2 ‘clips’ on the top of the lens and just run the adjuster all the way out to remove the lower mount. I think it’s a 7mm nut for the adjuster?? Maybe also has a cross on top for Phillips head???

Should take about 30secs total to extract the headlight lens with an electric drill/impact.

 

I put in the following TYC headlights and turn signal assembly a couple months ago and are generally similar in appearance to those that SkySkiJason recommended. I got these at Rock Auto. If you click on the links for the parking/turn signal they indicate 2002. They are an improvement (though not as much as I'd hoped for) over the OEM style which had gotten pretty hazy. They look good - in my opinion. The turn signal lens is probably not quite as "clear" as the one SSJ showed. This one has an amber turn signal bulb. Also, the corner/side markers have an amber lens, so not sure if that disqualifies it for you.

I will mention that the driver side parking lamp assembly had a bad seal on top that allowed water to get into the housing. I just wanted to be done with the project so I sealed it with caulk as best I could rather than sending it back. I don't have any condensation in there at the moment, but time will tell if it needs to be replaced.

TYC 20644000 (20-6440-00) Headlamp Assembly $ 28.79
TYC 20643900 (20-6439-00) Headlamp Assembly $ 28.79
TYC 12506791 (12-5067-91) Parking / Turn Signal Lamp Assembly $ 9.51
TYC 12506891 (12-5068-91) Parking / Turn Signal Lamp Assembly $ 10.94

 

Blue circles are the clips (available at autoparts).

Yellow arrow is for the adjuster. I realize now that may be what you were using screwdriver for...

 

Your truck turned out nice. These headlight assemblies often come with bulbs. Really, really bad bulbs....

If not doing a relay harness and higher wattage bulbs, spend the $$ on ‘ultra premium’, etc bulbs.

Halogen bulbs will fade over time. Fresh bulbs put out more light in case someone said ‘these are still working, good!’ and reused their old bulbs.