This is a way more detailed and helpful teg tip I wrote up on how to clear taillights with a heat gun. I would’ve done the oven method, but unfortunately my sister had cleaned the numbers right off the temp dial for the oven, so I didn’t risk it. I believe this writeup is way better than the existing one. Please find my errors, give suggestions, and improve on this.
Clearing 1992-1993 taillights with heat gun
Materials:
2-5 flat head screwdrivers
a phillips screw driver
8mm 12pt wrench
2 wet rags
working gloves (leather preferred)
window cleaner (windex)
chrome tape (near ductape section at hardware store)
two temp heat gun from ace hardware ($28)
silicon sealant.
3 hours if lucky
To remove taillights from the car, you must remove the rear trunk panel, and have the trunk side panels loose (for 2door coupe). There are six 8mm bolts you must remove from the inside, be careful, these bolts are easy to round. When they are unbolted, the taillight won’t just fall out, you have to push it out pretty hard. Make sure you don’t push one end out before the other, try to take the whole thing out at once. You must also remove one plug on the left taillight, and two from the left side. The left side has two, one is like the right, but the other you don’t actually disconnect, you have to remove it from the backing, because it is mounted there. You will see.
Clean taillights with Windex and wet rags. Taillights may be caked with dirt, debris, and other crap. Clean this off so it won’t burn and just for the sake of cleanliness.
Turn the taillight face down on a nonflamable surface. Remove bulbs, wires, the entire thing from the back. There is an annoying plug that’s attached to the back, you just gotta pry that sucker off. It’s hard to do, but just pull that thing off with the screwdrivers. I used an open cardboard box as a platform, where it would sit on the edges of it. No problems there. Now select the high heat on the heatgun, and briskly “shoot” the heatgun over the foam gasket, do this for about 2 minutes. Then very carefully, and slowly, pull the foam gasket off the back. This is a little tricky, try to keep it from breaking or parting. Patience is key. Now remove three screws from around the vent area. Briskly train the heat gun over the plastic pieces that holds the vent. Make sure you do not keep it in one area too long, for you will burn the lense. Another 2-3 minutes should do it. Slowly pull the vent with the plastic off. There is one more plastic/rubber piece on the opposite corner, do the same.
Now, set aside at least 12 minutes. Begin heating up the edges of the backing. To do this, first notice where the gasket was glued to the backing, it was glued to a ridge made to be glued to. Now the outer edge of the backing has a similar ridge, that is where the headlight’s glued. So heat up those areas with the heat gun, the lense and such should not be heated directly. Basically just do laps around the headlight on the ridges, and where there aren’t edges, just visualize where the glue would continue. Heat everything for at least 12 minutes, no longer than 15 min. remember don’t let the heatgun stop anywhere, it may melt things which is not good. Don’t try prying or touching anything, just heat. The glue will slowly melt.
After 12 minutes, using the flathead, stick a flathead in the gap on the opposide end of the vent, between the backing and lense. Turn the flathead slightly to get the lense to separate a little. Be careful not to chip the lense. This is the hardest part, if you take more than 1.5 minutes, you must reheat again for 3 minutes. The easiest place for the lense to crack is right around where the reverse light is, starting from the top of the lense. So make sure that area is never stressed. Using your own logic and skill, just pull apart the lense slowly. All you need to worry about is the lense area right around the reverse light. If that area is being pulled, rather than either the vent area, or opposite side, you shouldn’t be able to crack the lense. You’ll also notice a lot of tabs holding the backing and lense together, shove flatheads under the headlight housing, to free them. I broke two tabs, no biggie. Don’t use brute force, just constant force. This is very difficult, take your time, and keep heating it up. Remember wear the gloves, because it can get very hot, especially the metal parts, and you don’t want silicon on your skin for too long. If you are unsuccessful for 1.5 minutes, heat for another 3 and try again, or else the glue will cool and harden again, and you’ll end up cracking the lense. When sticking flathead screwdrivers in to lightly pry the lense apart, do not stick it in too far, because you’ll bend the housings that surround the bulbs, and will be visible and ugly.
After the lense is seperated (easier said than done), you’ll see the amber piece just chillin. Pull that off (after heating up the edges of it slightly) and it’s cleared. Also pull the clear piece under the amber piece after heating the sides up slightly, and you’ll notice two screws holding this metal bracket where the bulb would sit within. Take chrome tape and chrome up the inside edges of this thing. You can remove it with the two screws, and replace. Remember, heat all the old glue, and add a bit of silicon to everything you remove. You can never use too much silicon. Replace everything other than the lense and the amber piece. Now heatup the edges of the housing, and lense where the old glue is, so that it’s slightly melted and will stick. Now add a BUNCH of silicon where the old glue is as reinforcement and smack, put that baby back together. You’re going to have to squish it together with your hands or something to get it to fit flush back together. One trick is to wrap it in a thin towel, then duck tape it real tight. I didn’t do any of that, just sort of sat on them for about an hour while doing homework. The smell can be bad for you, so do it in a ventilated area.
Once the taillight is mostly dry, silicon the gasket back on, as well as the other rubber/plastic, and screw the vents back on. Remember, vents use the “silver” screws, not gold ones. Within the lense it uses gold colored screws. Replace bolts, and the plugs.
I waited a day for the taillights to dry before replacing them. But that was because I was lazy. Depending on what kind of silicon, 3 hours of drying time should be enough. It will smell like crap for 2 days at least.
Now replace the taillight with the six 8mm bolts, be sure to push the tail in while tightening the bulbs, because the gasket there will compress. Initially it will not sit as flush as before, you just need to keep pushing it in and screwing the bolts tighter slowly over a couple of days, and it should be okay.
Using stock bulbs will keep your lights somewhat legal when signaling because they look sort of yellow/orangish. If you’re very scared buy some 1157 amber bulbs from kragen or pep boys.
Goodluck.
