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Cleaning the Inside of the Headlamp
Assembly
 The headlamp lenses and reflectors in the W140 may
cloud up over time. If there's anything I really dislike, it's cloudy lenses. It
just looks awful. The good news is that this can be fixed. The glass lens can be removed to gain
access to the inside surface. Cleaning the lens and the reflector will make them
sparkle like new.
This procedure is for W140 Sedans. It
may work for the Coupes, but I don't know for sure.
Please note that I do not have a
complete set of pictures for this project. I did not have a digital camera at
the time. To help, I am using a well-drawn diagram to illustrate and pictures
that I took at a later time. I am also unsure of the tools as I did this quite a
while ago, so you'll have to determine that along the way.
Parts needed;
- No MB parts req'd (if you don't
break anything disassembling)
- A strong water-proof epoxy
CAUTION, WARNING! When working on Xenon
headlamps, there are lethal levels of high voltage. Never touch any conductive
parts in the headlamp unit when the lights are switched on. Make sure that the
lights are off when working on the headlamp unit.
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Remove cover, item
1. Push the retaining tabs towards the front of the car, and pull the
cover up and out.
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Reach into the opening where the
cover was, and disengage the spring clip holding the corner lamp assembly
in place.
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While pushing on the spring clip,
pull the corner lamp E1e5 / E2e5 out towards the front of the car to gain
access to the wires feeding the lamps in the assembly. Rotate the bulb
holder to pull it out of the corner lamp assembly, and pull the assembly
out.
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The wiper arm, item 3, now needs to
be removed. Look closely at the wiper arm where it attaches to the car.
You will see a cover and hinge.
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Using a large flat blade screwdriver
and thick rag, pry the cover away from the attachment point.
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Pull on this cover, and it will
swing up to reveal a nut holding the wiper arm in place. Remove the nut,
and pull the wiper arm off. This could be difficult to do. These
components were very stubborn on my car, probably due to exposure to the
elements.
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Pull the expanding plastic rivet
out. Carefully pry it out with a small flat blade screwdriver.
Once the rivet is out, pull the
auxilliary fan grill towards the front of the car to provide some
clearance.
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Remove screws items 8 and 9.
Carefully pull cover, item 11,
towards the front of the car.
Remove screws, items 6,7, and 10.
Carefully pull the headlamp
assembly out. Make sure it doesn't snag on anything on the way out. It's a
little bulky, so make sure you have a good grip on it. You don't want to
have to buy a new one of these!
Disconnect all the electrical
connections. If you have Xenon headlamps, disconnect the pneumatic line
for the range adjustment.
Disconnect the line for the
headlamp cleaning system, item 13.
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The headlamp assembly is now out,
and we can begin to take the lens off for cleaning.
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The rubber seal is held onto the
assembly by several tabs.
(Note that this photo shows
headlamp still in vehicle)
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Push the tongue of each tab down and
out to remove the seal from the assembly.
(Note that this photo shows
headlamp still in vehicle)
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Carefully pop all retaining clips, Item 3, off using a flat blade screwdriver. Wear safety glasses. My car
had epoxy holding the clips in place. I had to pick the epoxy off before I
could remove the clips. If your clips have epoxy on them, you must clean
all of it off before reusing the clips.
(Note that this photo shows
headlamp still in vehicle)
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VERY CAREFULLY, pry the lens away
from the reflector assembly. The lens should pull away from the rubber
seal fairly cleanly. Go slowly and if needed, help separate the lens from
the seal using an x-acto knife.
Make sure the seal is still
pliable and not ripped or torn. If it is, replace it.
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Once the lens is off, clean all
surfaces thoroughly using dish washing detergent and a scrubbing sponge.
Make sure you get all the residue off the inside surface. Use rubber
gloves to ensure no skin oil is on the parts.
Dry the lens thoroughly. Inspect
for damage, cracks, holes, etc. If damaged, replace it.
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STOP! You MUST use caution cleaning
the reflector assembly. DO NOT get skin oil on it or the bulbs! This can
cause bulb failure, as well as introduce contaminants that will cause
future clouding.
Use a soft, clean 100% cotton
cloth to gently clean off the reflector assembly, as well as the bulbs.
The reflector surface is easily scratched. I did not use any cleaning
agent so as to avoid any possibility of repeat clouding.
Inspect the reflector for damage,
cracks, holes, etc. If damaged, repair or replace it.
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Once the lens and reflector are
clean and dry, re-assemble the lens to the reflector. Do not use any
gasket sealer on the mating surfaces. It is not necessary.
Assemble the retainer clips to
the lens. Make sure they snap fully into place. My clips did not seat
well, and seemed like they were close to popping off when under tension. I
used epoxy to hold them in place.
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Reverse all steps to re-assemble and
install. Make sure that you align and fit the corner lamp assembly in
correctly when re-installing it.
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Once everything is back together,
make sure all lamps and signals work properly.
You will need to align the
headlamps. My car has alignment instructions on a sticker near the
headlamp units.
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Well done! You now have shiny,
clear, sparkly head lamp lenses again! Don't they look beautiful?
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