Man that sux you guy's are having problems, i've got an 04 xlt 4x4 and i've never had any problems with my fog lights. I live in Ohio, so it sees it's share of snow and mud. I have never noticed any moisture in them either! It's funny how some have problems and some don't .

 

yeah i hear ya there, that should work for ya

 

Definately, as stated above ... never handle a halogen bulb with the bare hands.

No matter how clean your hands are, the smallest dab of oil from the skin will cause heat to be retained at the glass and breakage in use. If in doubt, if you do touch it, clean in with isopropyl alcohol to remove all traces of oil.

The old bulb that you're throwing away, yeah, safe to handle them.

As to drying out a housing, I've removed all bulbs and set a shop vac hose to one opening and let it draw air through the light and it will dry them. With a small fog light, with just the bulb and vent, might use a small vac with the small hose, and open those vents you sealed up.

Key to vents ... don't seal them up because then you trap moisture in there, even if it's just the moisture content of the day you sealed them up. Unless you seal them with moisture free dry air. When in use, the bulb heats the air, and the lense and housing are cool surfaces, and moisture contained in that air will condense. Even if you never turn them on, if moisture is in the "atmosphere" contained inside the housing, sunlight will heat it and the moisture will condense in the housing against the lenses and reflector.

Best to put a short hose to the vent and put a turn down on the end. If you have drain holes at lowest point, run a hose from them too to discourage splash from puddles entering. Always a turn down end. Your headlight housings are vented for this reason.

Look at the sealed double pain windows in a house, and look at the one that cracked and fogged up inside. Look at the sealed bean headlights or fog lights and then look at one where the seal leaked anywhere? If not sealed with 100% moisture free inner atmosphere, they'll condense the moisture unless ... you get some moving air.

It's possible that some lights aren't properly vented, the design may be poor, but the only way sealing them will stop it is if there is no moisture in the atmosphere you seal up in there.

 

For those of you that don't have this problem, do you drive with the fog lights on when the head lights are on? I have them turn on with the sensor. After replaceing the entire housing, within 6 months the moisture is back and bulb is back.