A very common
question I see asked is "How do I change the fog light bulb on my 4th gen
Camaro?" I've done this a few times and because of a few different projects I
have done, I have gathered some pics on this little project. You'll see I am showing
pics on both my 94Z and 96SS so don't get confused if it appears as though the color of
the car changed mid stream :) Another reason why I wanted to make this page is
because I also have heard numerous times people telling others that they need to remove
their front clip in order to change this bulb and that is simply not the case!!!
There are two completely different methods you can use to change this bulb and I'll
describe both. The first method doesn't require going under the car at all and
instead you remove the fog light itself from the front to gain access to the bulb on the
back. The second method involves leaving the fog light itself in place and gaining
access to the rear of the fog light from the bottom of car. I prefer method the
first method because it is easier for me and takes less time.
The bulb you will need for this is a #885
bulb and can be purchased at most auto parts stores. |
Method
#1 |
This method requires a few simple tools.
You'll need a #15 Torx driver to remove the adjustment screw from the top of the
fog light. You'll also need a pair of narrow needle nose pliers. It is
important they are narrow as this will make things much easier for you. A flat
headed screw driver can also help you but may not be required. Pictured to the right
is the type of needle nose pliers you will need. |
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The fog light is held in place by two plastic
pins and an adjustment screw for height. The idea behind this method is to remove
the two pins and screw to allow you to pull the fog light out the front and gain access to
the rear side of it. This can be tricky because the plastic pins are difficult to
get to. |
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In this picture you can see exactly how this
plastic pin/clip works. There is a center "pin" which slides into the main
clip piece. This keeps it securely in place. In order to be able to pry this
clip out, the center pin needs to be pulled out slightly to release the pressure on the
inside of the clip. With this clip installed, the center pin fits flush against the
clip. |
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Here you can see the center pin pulled out
slightly but far enough to allow removal of the actual clip/fastener. I don't pull
the pin out all the way but if you do, be careful to not drop it! Update: Paul K was using this page to
change his fog light bulb and sent me a tip. He said he printed this page out and
when he got to this point (pulling out the pin and removing the clip) he folded up the
instructions a little and slid them under the light. This made it so if he dropped
the pin it would fall onto the paper instead of into the front facia. Sounds like a
heck of a good idea to me! |
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In these three pictures you can see the
process for removing the clip. The first picture shows the clip as it is normally.
The second picture has the center pin pulled out and the third has the clip
slightly pulled out from the fog light. Once you get to this point, you can use your
long, narrow, needle nose pliers to pull the clip the rest of the way out. Be
careful when doing this and make sure you have a good grip on the clip! If you drop
this piece, it will go down inside the front fascia... ask me how I know :) Yes, I
have dropped this INSIDE the fascia and it is a bit of a pain to get back! IF you do
drop the clip, you can get it out by reaching under the car and hitting the underside of
the fascia. This will "bounce" the clip to the edge. You can feel up
in there and see what I'm talking about. I just bounced mine to a point where I
could reach up in there and grab it. Even though this is possible, don't drop the
clip... it's a pain :) The inner clip is more
difficult to get to because there is even less room to work with than you see pictured
here. I don't have pics when removing the inside clip. You may need to push in
on the fiberglass front a bit in order to be able to move your pliers enough to pull the
pin/clip out. Just be careful to not scratch your paint.
Once you have both clips out, you can remove the fog light
adjustment screw with your #15 Torx driver. There is a spring on this screw so be
careful not to lose it. |
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With the two clips and adjustment screw
removed, you can simply pull the fog light to gain access to the rear as shown here to
allow you to change the bulb. It is important that you do NOT directly touch the
bulb itself. With these type bulbs, you do not one to get any oil/sweat, anything on
the lens surface. I also don't recommend using a higher wattage bulb other than what
is recommended because you risk "melting" things due to the higher heat output.
With the bulb changed, you are ready
to button things back up. Just do the reverse of what was done above. There is
a trick to installing the clip though. If you did remove the center pin, I have
found it easier to halfway insert the pin into the clip and then, using your narrow needle
nose pliers, grab the clip and insert it through the fog light bracket and fog light. This
is the most difficult part of changing the bulb using this method because it may take you
a couple tries to get the clip and pin inserted. Once you get the clip inserted
fully, just push in the center pin and you're done. With the two clips re-installed,
you can now install your adjustment screw... don't forget the spring! Now, if you
are only changing one bulb at a time which will most often be the case, just wait until it
gets dark and re-align the light you just changed with your other fog light by parking
about 10 feet away from a garage door or wall and "matching" both beams.
If you are changing both at the same time, you'll have some experimenting to do to get it
right :) |
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Method
#2 |
This second method won't take nearly as much
explaining and may be the better method for you if you don't have long and narrow needle
nose pliers. I've never tried going under the car without using ramps so for this
method I'd highly recommend getting the car up a bit. If you use ramps or a jack,
just make sure you have everything safe and secure before going under the car! Once under the car you'll see three clips similar to what I described
above. These are pictured here. |
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Here is a close-up of this clip. Once
these three clips are removed, you will be able to pry/pull down this piece. While
holding this piece down you will be able to see the back side of the fog light and can
twist the bulb out and pull the bulb and wiring out into the open a bit more. Again,
when changing the bulb, be careful to NOT touch the bulb directly with your fingers. |
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Shown here are pics of the back of the fog
light. The first pic shows the entire fog light. You'll see that if you are
using this method it can be difficult to look up in there. Hopefully with these pics
you'll have a good enough idea of what things look like that you may not even need to see
what you are doing. The second picture shows
the normal position of the fog light base itself.
To remove the fog light, you twist to the left (counter
clockwise) about 1/4 turn. The third picture shows this.
And the fourth picture will show you what the tabs look
like on the bulb and how they connect to the fog light housing. |
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Bet you didn't
think there could be so much detail to describe in changing a fog light bulb! LOL :)
Hopefully this will help some of you less experienced people try to do this
yourself rather than pay the dealer an outrageous price. I know of some people who
have been charged over $100 to do this so if even just one of you find this useful, I'll
be happy ;-) Enjoy! |