Am I just very very lucky or do the headlights last 13 years on everybodys Aerostar? I just replaced the drivers side and had to remove the battery to have enough room to pop the clip so it would come off. I have gone through dozens of tail lights and finally the first headlight.

Doug

 

My 93 is on the original bulbs too! Last year I thought that I would be smart and replace them with "better" ones from Eurolights.com. They didn't last a year before one burned out. They only had a 90 day warranty and the company would not respond to my email. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I put my original bulbs back in and all is well.

 

Yep, original light bulbs last forever! Just recently replaced mine as well, also a 93. I figured it would be easier to just remove the turn signal assembly and then the headlight assembly to replace the bulbs, especially the side with the air box.

 

Original bulbs are normaly yellow light, which is actually better, easier to look at and just lights the road better, without penalizing your night vision. Yeah the blue looks nicer, but lighting effectiveness is more important.

 

I changed the headlights on my car 3 times, but all the signal and marker lights, and all interior lights, are still using the same bulbs. One of the headlights I used was a GE "Extended life" bulb, and it dies about a year after installation. I quickly relaced them both with Sylvania Xtravision, which worked really well, but the higher power required the installation of relays for the headlight wiring.

I would stay away from those bulbs that have been dipped in blue paint or tint. Not only do they have reduced illumination, bad color rendition, and worse focus, they also tend to heat up and melt down due to the paints trapping the heat on the bulb. If you want the "look of HID lights", get HID lights. At least you will get much better illumination.

 

How odd you mention this. I just checked all my lights this weekend because I could never remember changing any of the signal or marker lights either. They were all working fine. I also use the Sylvania Xtravision but have not installed any additional relay. Truth be known, it never occured to me to check. They appeared to be OEM style replacements, so I just popped them in there. (For you newer model guys, we're talking about the old, glass headlamps here.) They have held up for a long, long time now,

 

Someone documented a way to convert newer lamps to the old sealed beams. I'd be interested in that again. It's a good way to get rid of yellowed plastic lenses.
I honestly believe the auto maufacturers did consumers a dis-service by going to plastic. there are sooo many cars out there with poor lighting because of this.

 

Vango,
Plastic lenses can be restored to near new condition by sanding and buffing. We have two '95 Fords in our family fleet with fading plastic lenses and I used the following method for each with excellent results.

In a nutshell, you first remove those casting "****" with a sharp wood chisel. This gives a uniform surface for the sander/buffer to work on. Wet sanding with 1000, 1500 and a final with 2000 grit followed by buffing with polishing compound works great. I've also heard of people getting results using toothpaste, baking soda and commercial products available for this purpose.

 

Dave:

I did all that and the lens turned yellowish/brownish again within 6 months. I gave up after that and let it be.

I think the original lens had a layer of UV protection that was scrubbed off after we polished and buffed it.

 

My '96 headlight lenses are not as clear as they were. Are these items still available OEM from Ford? Considering that they've lasted 10 years, and new ones should too, it might not be a bad investment in safety for me.

 

I replased my headlight to european. my headlight is made in russia of OSVAR brand, before the lust accident i had german headlight by Hella (from old VW transporter). European headlight shines a bit wider, but there is a symbol on it, that allows me to get euro-2 certificate to drive to Europe with low taxes.... that is all....

 

I checked about a year or so ago and they were still available, heck they were even in stock.

 

This may sound tacky, but there is something you can do to extend the life of the plastic lenses, if you're replacing them with factory originals. If you can find clear headlight covers, like from GT Styling, that fit over the plastic headlights, they will protect them from UV. I think they make them for some trucks with big headlights. They may or may not turn yellow and hazy as they absorb the UV radiation from the sun, but if they do, they cost only about $40 to replace, vs whatever the factory replacements will cost. Make sure you get the clear versions, so they don't block your lights.

Then you just have to worry about the plastic lenses deteriorating from the heat of the lamps themselves. It's a losing battle, so the real cure may be to retrofit with the older instllations. You need to get the adjustment cups that the sealed beam units will sit in, the tension spring, and the two adjustment screws and the plastic nuts they screw into. I would go to a salvage yard to find these. While you're at it, you might want to also pick up the "doors' that have the corner marker/signal lights. The later models have a larger openning for the slightly larger plastic housing, which will leave a gap around the sealed beam housing. This will be far cheaper than getting the original replacement plastic housings, or even the headlight covers.

When I switched over to the Sylvania Xtravision, I found that its low/high beams ran at 55/65 watts, while the original lights they replaced were something like 35/55 watts. The higher power of the new low beams overheated my headlight switch and it shut off the lights as I was driving down a narrow winding mountain road one night. I would have been in the dark if I didn't have my auxillary fog lights. So, in went the relays the next weekend.

 

I prefere glass lens.... briter! But you can install xenon bulbs... better vision....

 

There have been quite a few problems reported on this forum related to the headlight switch. Do you suppose this could be a contributing cause?