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If what I'm reading on the internet is true, changing the headlight on my 92 Toy is a major project. I've read you have to remove the grill, remove the sidelamps and even remove the front bumper to get to the lower bumper clips; clips break when trying to be removed as they are so old and fragile. What in the world were the Toyota engineers thinking when they designed this configuration? Has anyone had any experience doing what I thought would be a simple task? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

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On my 88, its a pain until you figure out how to do it. Need a long flat screwdriver (maybe 9 inches). Stick the blade between the lips on the clip and turn just a little to separate the lips, pull on the grill a little and it should pop free of the clip.

when you look at the clip, you'll see it has two tiny lips (catches) Only one side of the lips moves, and it only moves about 1/8 inch

Look at the clips on top to get a feel for what needs to be done. don't put to much pressure on the clips, they break easily. start on one side and work your way across. On mine, one of the clip locations has a screw that needs to be removed.

The first headlight I changed took 1/2 hour trying to figure it out. The second one took about 5 minutes.

JOhn Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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The newer body style grill is a pain to get out you are on the right track but you don't have to take the bumper off. Leave the bottom screws in the lamp holder bend it out of the way and bring the dead lamp out the top of the holder.

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I got the light changed by using the skinny screwdriver and bending technique. I only changed one though. Seems so simple now. Just tore out all the carpet and will be re-carpeting with some Berber I saw at Lowe's. $12 per linear foot on a 15 ft roll..plan on 4 feet in order to not have any seams. Originally there was linoleum or something similar as I can see it now and it looks not to bad, just lots of holes from previous lousy carpet installation. Wish me luck. Thanks again for all the info on the headlight.

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No problem, I even went to the dealer and got a couple new clips to replace one that were broken. I think they are about $2.50 each there are two different sizes, so make sure you know the location of the clips your replacing. (anyway I have a couple spares that I keep in the tool box.

JOhn Mc

88 Dolphin 4 Auto

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Maybe I'm spoiled by the headlights in my newer Vehicles but I have so far avoided driving the TOY at night till I up-date the lites. So has anyone put in either the hi output lites or the really brite blue lites like on my 2008 Subaru, don't know what ther'e called but they are SUPER!! even at speed you think you don't need to go to the hi beams but when you do it's almost like daylight in front. You can change these from inside the enging compartment.

vanman

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Maybe I'm spoiled by the headlights in my newer Vehicles but I have so far avoided driving the TOY at night till I up-date the lites. So has anyone put in either the hi output lites or the really brite blue lites like on my 2008 Subaru, don't know what ther'e called but they are SUPER!! even at speed you think you don't need to go to the hi beams but when you do it's almost like daylight in front. You can change these from inside the enging compartment.

vanman

rallylights.com I don't think you can buy off the shelf lamps other then halogen. If you really want bright you'll have to go with "E" spec. off road assemblies with H4 replaceable bulbs that's some pretty old stuff so there is not much interest in making upgraded lamps.

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Try these--http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=744 then go with the 100/80 bulbs. They are "E" spec lamps you won't blind people the low beam cut off is 10 times better then US spec lamps. I did communications for the Maine Woods rally for years (they race at night in the woods on logging roads) and they are what I used in my Tacoma and I never run into a moose!

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if anyone does the brighter lights please get ones that don't blind the on coming drivers. every time i pass one of the blue, too bright set of lights, i want to stop them and break out their head lights. personally i think they should be against the law. personally i want the oncoming driver to be able to see as well as i do.

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if anyone does the brighter lights please get ones that don't blind the on coming drivers. every time i pass one of the blue, too bright set of lights, i want to stop them and break out their head lights. personally i think they should be against the law. personally i want the oncoming driver to be able to see as well as i do.

Yes! It also is imperative that they are properly adjusted! I'm glad I'm not the only one that does not like the blue lights and I'm not talking about cops!

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AS for myself i Hate those blinding blue lights . Icant figer out why they allow those. they willprobly allow them until somebody is sued.

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5Toyota

AS for myself i Hate those blinding blue lights . Icant figer out why they allow those. they willprobly allow them until somebody is sued.

Maybe those aren't adjusted properly, or they'e not dimming. On my Subaru I can see the cut off at the top of the low beams and they seem too low to me to be a problem. The high beams are really bright and no cut off.

vanman

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Fog lights 'On' when it isn't foggy (or even dark) is my pet peeve. Especially, of course, when they're out of adjustment! :ranting2:

In the UK, it's illegal to use them unless visibility is reduced. There's even a website devoted to the question, so I'm not the only one!

http://www.fogsoff.com/

"You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves."

[Law RVLR regs 25 & 27]

http://www.direct.go...ycode/DG_069859

The ONLY upside to people driving with them on is that I've never seen a police car with fog lights, so if a car is coming up behind me with them on, I can be assured it's not the police! :ThumbUp:

"You are not cool with your LooK @ me lights!"

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Derek up North

Fog lights 'On' when it isn't foggy (or even dark) is my pet peeve. Especially, of course, when they're out of adjustment!

You are not cool with your LooK @ me lights!

The Outback has fog lamps, but I have't used them cause the main lites work so well. I will have to look for the switch to try 'em, it's getting foggy here now. They are not that bright anyway are they? I thought the thing was they are mounted low and point straight ahead not up so they don't reflect back on you??

vanman

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I thought the thing was they are mounted low and point straight ahead not up so they don't reflect back on you??

vanman

I'm not really sure how they're designed these days. I think they're more a 'fashion/styling' accessory than a well designed system. They should have a low, flat beam. Yellow or clear lenses.

There's a good write-up here (bearing in mind he sells lighting):-

http://www.danielste.../fog_lamps.html

I've often been unimpressed by the lighting in 'modern' cars (not that I've driven too many. It seems to me that AFTER the wind tunnel testing and styling departments have finished their work, the lighting Engineers are given some weird lens shape and told "here, try and make this work"! Life must have been so much simpler in the old days when the could work with a simple round or rectangular lens. I miss my old Cibie 7" Round 'Z-Beams'!!

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THE org big s qure lights often had only a 35 watt low and a45 to 50 watt high beem. I use the upgrad 55 watt low beam and 65 watt high beam. and HALGON ONLY. AND yes make the aim right . THOSE *) NOT TOO hard to CHANGE THE 1977 78 four small round ones you split the grill in 2 halfs center and side put four on the 1978 Minimax 2 years ago

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  • 3 weeks later...

Now that you know what a pain in the butt they are to replace here is something to think about. Hella makes a replacement that uses the 9004 bulb (I think). Once you swap them out the bulbs can be replaced from the back without pulling the grill. Yaap, that's what I have now!

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wELL I WONT BE DOING ANYMORE WORK ON THE 78 MINIMAX AS I HAVE JUST SOLD IT. IN NOV I BOUGHT A 87 dOLPHIN 400 AM SO LOOKING FOWARD TOO USING IT NO LEAKS INSIDE 22RE AUTO 66000 MILES SEEMS TO BE NICE CLEAN SHAPE.

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5Toyota

wELL I WONT BE DOING ANYMORE WORK ON THE 78 MINIMAX AS I HAVE JUST SOLD IT. IN NOV I BOUGHT A 87 dOLPHIN 400 AM SO LOOKING FOWARD TOO USING IT NO LEAKS INSIDE 22RE AUTO 66000 MILES SEEMS TO BE NICE CLEAN SHAPE.

Great, ours is also a model 400 and I really am glad we got it because of the arrangement of the bed/seats/cabinet. Does yours still have the Captains chair to the right of the entry door, behind the truck passenger seat??? ours was gone when we got it , only the 4 holes in the floor where it was.

vanman

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YES IT DOES HAVE THAT GLAD TO TALK TO ANOTHER 400 OWNER SEAMES NOT AS COMEN AS SOME. ALSO HAVE 88 4WD XTRA CAB. mYN IS MISSING THE AIR BAGS THEY ARE CUT OFF PART ARE THERE NO RUBBER. aLSO THOSE OUTSIDE MIRRIORS. SOMEONE PUT JUNK ON AND MADE EXT OUT OF HARD WARE TURNBUCLES LOOK LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT

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5Toyota

YES IT DOES HAVE THAT GLAD TO TALK TO ANOTHER 400 OWNER SEAMES NOT AS COMEN AS SOME. ALSO HAVE 88 4WD XTRA CAB. mYN IS MISSING THE AIR BAGS THEY ARE CUT OFF PART ARE THERE NO RUBBER. aLSO THOSE OUTSIDE MIRRIORS. SOMEONE PUT JUNK ON AND MADE EXT OUT OF HARD WARE TURNBUCLES LOOK LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT

Well I originally wanted to get a replacement for the Captians chair, but the birds cage is now bolted to the RV in that corner, but we got nice outside chairs at camping world.

vanman

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NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT ETHER AWAYS TAKE ALONG MY OUTSIDE CHAIRS BUT WE LEAVE P RINCES THE C ALICO CAT AT HOME INSIDE .

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