VSP112

I need to figure out how to remove the left front headlight assembly on my 2005 vette to install new bulb socket and new wiring harness for turn signal, drl, park light ? Can not get to it thru the inner fender only ? Headlight assembly must be removed ?

LS WON

Turn or remove tires. Is this an upgrade or replacement of bulbs and or defective wiring?

spin-doktor

Not totally sure what youre trying to do or why, but If the headlight must absolutely come out to let you do what you wanna do, only way to do it is to remove the front bumper or at least loosen it and separate it from the fender, then loosen the front half of the fender and move it up to give the headlight room to come up and out. The headlight is held on to the fiberglass wheelhousing from the bottom with three 10MM nuts.

talon90

Remove the wheel. Remove the wheel well liner. Loosen the front fender (at least the front half of the bolts to allow the fender to lift up off the light assembly gasket. Under the fender once the wheel well liner is out there are three bolts that hold the light assembly in place.

LS WON

BlackZ51Vett

Here a diagram of the front facia. Dont know if itll help ya.......

RLSebring

Slip some small tubing over the studs when you get em loose and up off the inner fender. They look for paint to scratch if things aren't out of the way enough.

VSP112

Thanks for all your quick responses to my problem. What happened is my drl, turn signal bulb got very hot, to the point of warping the socket the bulb goes in to so i had to go to my gm dealer and order a replacment socket with the short wiring with connectors but it is impossible to get to the one connector on the headlight to unhook it and install the new one. The only way i see to get to it is remove the headlight assembly so you can get to the connector on the bottom rear of it. A real, big job. I thought it would take maybe 15 minutes. Wrong. Gm engineers sure didn't make this simple and easy...
Thank you all,
jim
virginia

VSP112

Hello everyone,
after reading the 3 pages here on this problem here is what i have. I have a nice 14,000 mile 2005 corvette coupe i just bought last november, and the left daytime running , turn signal light stopped working. Went to replace it and the socket had been so hot it warpped and ruined the socket. So i went to my gm dealer and ordered a replacement socket with wiring connectors but it is impossible to get to the wiring connector on the rear of the headlamp. Headlamp assembly must be removed or loosened enough to get to the wiring connector. I still think after reading all the problems others have had that it still will heat up eventually and destroy the bulb socket ?
Jim

yojack1

Take it from me, you have to remove the front bumper!
Jack up the front, remove wheels. Removing the hood is optional.
It is very simple, remove the screws for the black rubber air dam. The small black inner panel behind the headlight inside the wheelwell remove. Disconnect the the lower front fender with the sides of the bumper at that joint. Unscrew the bumper across the top where the hood opens. Remove the row of screws holding the top of each fender in the engine compartment. On the outside finish removing all the screws holding the lower front bumper. Disconnect the fog light harness, now lift straight up where the front bumper comes in contact with the fender (top side next to the open hood) to release it off a clip which holds the bumper and fender in alignment. It seems scary at the time but once you do it, it is easy. Now that the bumper is off there is one last screw to remove where that clip is located. It holds the very top front of the fenders and could only be accessed after removing the bumper section.

Now disconnect the headlght wiring harness, the three nuts holding on the light assembly from underneath, then gently lift up the upper front section of the fender about 3" and presto, the headlight assembly lifts right out. Whew!

You should be able to do the whole job in a couple of hours.
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LS WON

QUOTE=yojack1;1569736372]Take it from me, you have to remove the front bumper!
Jack up the front, remove wheels. Removing the hood is optional.
It is very simple, remove the screws for the black rubber air dam. The small black inner panel behind the headlight inside the wheelwell remove. Disconnect the the lower front fender with the sides of the bumper at that joint. Unscrew the bumper across the top where the hood opens. Remove the row of screws holding the top of each fender in the engine compartment. On the outside finish removing all the screws holding the lower front bumper. Disconnect the fog light harness, now lift straight up where the front bumper comes in contact with the fender (top side next to the open hood) to release it off a clip which holds the bumper and fender in alignment. It seems scary at the time but once you do it, it is easy. Now that the bumper is off there is one last screw to remove where that clip is located. It holds the very top front of the fenders and could only be accessed after removing the bumper section.

Now disconnect the headlght wiring harness, the three nuts holding on the light assembly from underneath, then gently lift up the upper front section of the fender about 3" and presto, the headlight assembly lifts right out. Whew!

You should be able to do the whole job in a couple of hours.
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[IMG][/IMG][/QUOTE]

WHOA that is a bit much to do. Wasn't there a TSB back in 2005 on a problem just like this where the wiring harnesses had to be replaced? I believe there is one. Since this DRL does double duty as a turn signal I usually shut it off before start up to use it less to prevent this from happening so at least I have turn signals or prolong this from happening.
I don't know how effective the DRL's are on a Corvette but they can sure see you coming head on or from the side of road i.e police. I see DRL's real good from the other side of the freeway too and I would hope when you are behind someone they may see you easier too. Perhaps people have a problem seeing Corvettes because they are low? I wonder if a study was ever done on this? I know this was started in Canada but corvettes are different. we get chips in worst of places compare to other cars that are higher up and of regular height.

Pro Stock John

yojack if you don't mind, where and what kind of headlights are those?

talon90

Pictured are OEM lights.

danl72

Good info.

VSP112

After around 2 hours of work i finally got the bumper off , fender front's loose and the headlight assembly out. What a job! Like to have the gm engineer do this once and maybe he would have redesigned this. After inspecting the right front drl, turn signal socket, it too was defective. It had been real hot and warped the entire socket, so now i must go to my gm dealer and order a new socket and wiring harness for this one too. I also put the dioelectric grease in the new one i just installed with a new sylvania, supposily cooler bulb. You would think gm would take care of this problem and the costs of it all after spending that much money on such a high tech car.? Thanks for all the information of this to everybody... Jim

yojack1

Yeah, but next time you could remove it in under an hour.

C6XTACY

Ah, that makes sense. I was taking a look at my car today as I have some black headlights coming in. Sure as hell isn't the 10 minute job it was on my other car.

sprinkler

I have to do this job myself due to crazing on one of my lenses. Dealer would not touch it so it's on me to replace the headlight assembly. I too appreciate all of the information, however, I think I would prefer to go to the dentist for a root canal rather than do this job!

RLSebring

I'd be interested in buying your housings if they are complete and no broken tabs, Lens doesn't matter.

NVR LAT

I also had a heat related issue with the lenses on my '05. Both were starting to "fog" up just above the DRL because of the heat. I was lucky enough to convince the Dealer to replace them under a "customer satisfaction" claim. Now I quickly turn off the DRL's as soon as I start the car, hoping this will not happen again. The Dealer did not mention any problem with my light sockets, I hope they were/are OK.