Do-It-Yourself Clear 03-05 Cavalier Headlights

These are instructions for removing the orange reflector from the side of a stock 03-05 headlight.  There are a few different methods that people use to do this, all focusing on the removal of the plastic front of the headlight housing.  The most common is “baking”.  This is the method that will be covered here as it seems to have a very high success rate.

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any personal loss, financial loss, lost pets, bodily injury or legal issues that may result in your use of these instructions.  These are presented only as a guideline of what others and I have done and are not intended to cover all possible situations that may arise.

Step 1: Removal

While it might seem pretty obvious to some people, I still thought I should add this step.

Tools Required: 13mm Wrench or Socket, Pliers, Flathead Screw Driver

a. Radiator Cover Removal

The cover needs to be removed so that you can reach the inner headlight bolts.  To do so, remove the 6 retaining clips as shown below

The clips are removed by pressing down on the outside and pulling the center pin upward.  I have found that the easiest way to do this is with a flathead screwdriver and a pair of pliers.

-use the screw driver to pry up the center pin so you can grab it with the pliers

-press down on the clip and pull the pin upward with the pliers

-once the center pin is up, you can slide the clip out. You may need to pry it slightly with the screw driver.  Try to not break the sides of the clip.

-after all of the clips are removed, simply lift the cover out.  It is only tucked under the fenders so it should come right out.

b. Headlight Removal

The headlight is attached by 2 bolts, a clip and your wiring harness.

-Start by removing the 2 13mm bolts from the top of the headlight.

The clip is on the lower back of the housing.

Most of the time you can slowly pull the housing forward and it will pull free.  If the clip is not releasing, you may need to press in one side with a screw driver to release it.  If you break the clip, you will need to either fix or replace it.  Otherwise your housing will tend to bounce when you drive and could break the top mounting tabs.

-Unhook the wiring harness from the housing.

Be careful not to break the blue clip when removing it. The other 2 wires just turn and pull out.

Once the harness is disconnected, your headlight is free for you to take inside where it is warm (It was just starting to snow when I did this) Tip: place the headlight bolts back in the holes so you don’t lose them

Step 2: Baking

This is the fun part; this will soften the adhesive used to hold the front of the housing on.

Tools Required: Oven, Cookie Sheet and Gloves

-Prepare oven by preheating to 200-350 degrees (you can start low, if that temp doesn’t work, try again at a slightly higher temp)

-Place lowest rack in oven, and place cookie sheet face down on rack (just makes it easier)

-Remove all extra caps, bulbs etc as shown below. Don’t forget the rubber drain tubes.

You cannot remove the Internal Headlight wire, just tuck it away.

-Place Headlight housing in the preheated oven for ~12min (with the door closed of course) If your headlights are held together by JB weld like mine were, the oven will make the weld brittle… oops lol

Step 3: Disassembly

This it the hardest part of the entire process, removing the front of the headlight housing and disassembling it.

Tools Required: Gloves, 2 Flathead Screw Drivers, 7/32 socket/ratchet, Stanly Knife (optional) and Dremel tool (optional)

Remove the housing from the oven. DO NOT BURN YOURSELF. USE THE GLOVES! (No not thin wimpy gloves either)

a. Housing Front Removal

-Use the screw drivers to work your way around the outside of the housing, prying it apart as you go.  DO IT SLOWLY, it will separate.  I found that the best place to start is on the side with the orange reflector.

-Push the screw drive in as far as you can into the groove of the black housing, then pry the front forward.

You can also use a Stanly Knife or Razor Blade to help cut the seal instead of just pulling it all apart..  I found that this helps some but is not required.

Be careful of the tabs, while I don’t think they are needed, they make it a little easier to reassemble.

Once the Front is removed, separate the 3 pieces and onto the next step.

b. Reflector Removal

-use the 7/32 socket to remove the 2 screws from the reflector.

-push the tabs through the holes to remove the side reflector.

c. Cleaning the Seal

Remove what is left of the seal on the 3 pieces. (this can be done at any point from the time you take the housing apart till you put it back together) the more old seal you remove, the better the new seal will hold.

I found that the best way to do this (for me) was to remove as much as I could with a screw driver, then use a Dremel tool at ~7,000 rpm with the wire brush attachment

This makes a little mess, but it cleans it good without eating into the plastic.