Installing 9004 Headlight Bulbs in the Stock Fog Lights
This article is for a clear (hopefully) explination of how to put 9004 headlight bulbs in the stock fog lights.
Before you start: THEY RUN HOT!!! Do not just let them sit and sit and sit on w/ no air flowing over them or they could explode. This is a could! I have had mine a couple weeks now and haven’t had them get hot that I was scared, but, if they do burn your car down you can’t blame me.
What you need:
9004 bulbs: Easy, any auto part stores
9004 harnesses: A bit harder to find. Either cruise a wrecking yard or I got mine from Shucks for 6 bucks a piece
A sheet of high temp gasket: Again, any auto parts store
High temp gasket maker: Again….
- Remove fog lights (two T10 screws) and remove bulbs, then bend the tabs that hold down the center piece and remove that, leaving a large hole in the back of the housing.
- Drill from the open holes into the rivets of that little metal bracket inside the housing, drilling them out.
- I was lucky and when I drilled through the second rivet the bracket swung around and poped the lens off the housing, on the second fog lights, though, it didn’t and I just had to pull the lens off.
- Make a template on the sheet of gasket material (you’ll need 10 in total) that go around the outer inside edge of the housing for the fog lights. Make the "spacers" (gaskets) just a tiny bit smaller so they for sure don’t stick out making the unit taller then it used to be. Once you get 5 of the gaskets "glue" them one at a time to the housing w/ the gasket maker, then glue the lens on top.
- Turn the housing over and put a little ring of gasket maker around the plastic part right before 9004 bulb and slowly slide it into the back of the housing, MAKE SURE the flat part that attaches to the socket is facing UP when lined with the "top" of the lens (this is seriosly critical and I learned it only after screwing up). It will fit, but don’t force it! It sucks to break the bulb, and I almost did….
- Now, let this to dry.
- Get a good drill w/ a circle cutter bit on the end… this is the scarey part, start drilling on the fog light thing that is still in the car (it is metal, guess you could call it the housing) to cut a rather large hole in the back of the housing. The wires go through a gromet that I had to just drill close to in order to get the gromet out. Once the wires fall out shove them in back so they don’t get twisted in the cutter. There is a fair ammount of plastic behind the metal, drill through that, too.
- Once that is all cleared out, grab the old screws and head down to the hardware store. You need to find screws that are about 1/2 inch longer, but the same thickness. This is another important step, and the better you match it the better off you are.
- Now, if it hasn’t been a couple hours since you last touched the fog lights, chill! If it has been then its time to install them.
- Take the fog lights and kinda cram them into the gfx, then slip them back into the housing. It shouldn’t be that tough, but I had to do a little forcing.
- Get the two little plastic holder things and with the new screws secure the fog light.
- Under the nose of the car should be a piece of plastic that covers that under gfx area. Take out the three screws in it (7mm I think) and pull it down (there is a plastic tab on the outside edge of it)
- Find the old foglight wires and splice that new 9004 socket into that old wiring. (I did it, w/ the three wires is that the one on the left w/ the clips on the bottom is positive, and the one on the left is negative, I left the one in the center)
- Reach up in there and attach the socket to the back of the bulb
YOU’RE DONE!!!
Extra: You can set up a second relay that runs off either a inside switch or your main headlight brights and will turn on the bright on the 9004s.
I hope this is clear for a total kick ass set of fog lights!
