The plastic headlight lenses on my 944 are clouded and they have separated from the reflector lens. I was able to get one of them free of the whole light setup and have been trying to polish it back to brightness.

I would like to remove the entire assembly and polish the lens and seal it back in place.

But, everything that I see is twenty year old plastic and I don't want to put any torque on anything for fear of breakage.

On top, each headlight lens has a couple of plastic hexagonal "bolts" that look like they could be removed. One side can be turned for each lens. The other side seems to be held tightly.

I have tried to find some information on removal of these lenses from the car but so far haven't found anything.

I just did this refurb 2 days ago and by no choice of my own... as I was fiddling with the lens it basically fell off in my hand.

Regarding the polishing:
I was about to purchase a Meguairs kit but was too cheap to shell out the $30.

Instead I found a bottle of 3M plastic and lens polish on clearance and then picked up 600,1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet sand paper as well as a large sponge.

I cut a 2" x 2" piece of the sponge and used it as a conformal backing for the sand paper.
I spent about 5 minutes with each grit working in circles with the polish and a bit of water. After the 2000 grit I used a clean piece of sponge with the polish alone. lots of elbow grease. Rinse well with water and then dry and final clean with lint free cloth.

I used a small screw driver to remove all of the old gasket material from the channel and then applied a generous bead of clear silicone adhesive to the housing channel, pressed in the lens and secured with two rubber bands.

its difficult to apply proper elbow grease with the lens in place for fear of breaking the aiming adjusters so for me the method I described above is preferred.





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'90 245 290k, '93 945 296k

I used 1200 grit to start and then went to Mother's cut polish [I already had a supply on hand]. At first I didn't give it enough and it looked better but still cloudy. I then went at it again with the cut polish and I don't think it is as clear as it probably was new but it is certainly much improved. I might have another go around with the cut polish before I assemble the lens to the reflector unit.

Right now I am waiting for a couple of headlight adjusters to arrive. One of the adjusters was broken off at the head and I was able to fish it out using Spook's technique.

Not easy getting the old gasket material out. I used various knives, etc. but still don''t have it completely clear.

I don't bother getting the old out, the new sealant fills in the gaps well I find.

Dear muskox37,

Hope you're well. The clear plastic lenses are not supposed to be removed for maintenance. They are glued to the reflector portion of the headlamp housing.

The bright silver coating on the reflector's interior is very fragile, even when factory-fresh. If you want to remove dust from it, use compressed air at low pressure.

To re-attach the plastic lens to the reflector housing, remove the old, failed adhesive (usually a gray-white material). A small flat-blade screwdriver can be used "to chip" away the old adhesive. A hair-dryer can be used to warm/soften the old adhesive.

Once you're removed the old adhesive, apply a narrow bead of Silicone sealant and gently press the lens against the reflector body. Allow the sealant to cure.

The hexagonal fittings at the top of the housings are used to aim the headlights.

If you wish to replace the entire headlamp housing, post back.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Hello again Spook.

I was thinking that it might be easier to recondition the lenses and reattach them to the mirrored reflectors on the bench rather than to try and do it in situ. Maybe I will revisit that thinking.

I did notice a somewhat rusty bolt on the inward side of the lens/reflector unit and was thinking that it probably holds that half of the unit in place. The outer side bolt would probably be revealed if I removed the turn signal lens. If there are only two bolts holding the unit in place it should not be a real bear to remove and get onto the bench. Maybe put a little penetrating oil on the bolt and let it sit overnight.

I still haven't resolved the possible problem of coolant disappearance and will not spend a lot of money on this car until I know the significance of this phenomenon. I have driven the car around quite a bit and haven't noticed the coolant getting noticeably lower. My mechanic pal says he can smell anti-freeze when I opened the hood after a run. But his laser thermometer gave us a temperature of 190F and there does not seem to be any coolant in the oil if one is to go by the oil filler cap condition [no grey sludge around it]. The temperature gauge sits rock solid in the middle position where it should.

Getting to another problem. There is a pronounced oil flow running down onto the top of the water pump and this seems to indicate a leaking camshaft seal. Before I go there however I want to check the flame trap to see if it is plugged and is creating internal pressure problems. I know it is somewhere around the same place as the one on the 240 but haven't located it as yet. I couldn't work on it yesterday because the engine was still hot [thus the headlight lens project]. But I am going out today to try to locate it and to clean it. Car is keeping me busy.

As per usual, thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

Bob

There are 4 bolts that hold the assy to the car, two under the turn light and two sidways into the side, accessed behind the grille.
As Spook said, the lens oughtn't come off but of course it does, and I have glued many back on. They are renewed with 1500 or so wet or dry sandpaper, then some polish. Only on the outside. Some prefer other products, like the commercial cleaners etc, but I have had good luck with at least 30 of these.
The big plastic nuts on top are for the adjusters. If one doesn't turn easily,don't force it. Lube both where they attach to the lens housing, where the end of the adjusting screw fits into its clip; the clip is actually what seizes. These are accessed best with the whole unit off the car.

Jerry,

One of the plastic adjuster bolts that would be used to adjust the headlight is broken off at the end. Do you happen to know if these things can be bought separately or does one have to replace the whole assembly. Or do I have to get creative and figure out an alternative.

The other 'bolt' is frozen in place and I am trying to get it to turn [very gingerly and gently of course]

Bob

Dear Muskox37,

Hope you're well. The hex-head headlamp adjusters are available from Volvo. According to Volvo VADIS - the now-superseded dealer parts/service database - if the car is a 95 940, without foglights next to the grille, the height adjuster is Part #3534201 and the vertical adjuster is #3534202. Each item is about $10. The bottom of each ends in a helical gear, that drives a helical gear on a shaft, that moves the headlamp housing. Both pieces - the hex-head adjuster and the corresponding shaft - come as a set.

If the car is a 940 or earlier, then different part numbers are required.

If the ball is stuck in the housing, lubricate the ball with dishwashing liquid. Then, heat a small sheet metal screw and while it is still hot, turn the screw so that it sinks into the ball. Let the plastic cool completely. Grip the screw's head with a pliers. Yank or lever the ball out of the socket.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Hi Spook,

This worked fairly well. I couldn't get a screw to 'take' in the broken off ball joint but I did manage to heat up a scriber and stick it into the ball sufficiently to get it to pop out of the socket. I am now awaiting arrival of the headlight adjuster sets, one of which is coming from the United States and the other from Sweden. I guess they are getting fairly rare.

I put the headlight back into place while I am awaiting the parts. I am also waiting for a new flame trap to arrive from the local Volvo dealership. The old one was fairly well plugged and hadn't been serviced in quite some time, judging from its condition. It could be reused with some cleanup but I did break off some of its flange in the process of removing it from its housing so I decided to replace it.

I want to get the car on the road again so that I can continue to monitor it for any potential coolant problems.

Brakes are pulsing and noisy when applied but do work okay. If the coolant issue does not work out to much I will probably pay to have them looked at and repaired at a garage. I did replace the right caliper which was stuck but didn't take the time to check out the disc.

THis is unfortunately common. the end of the screw is a small ball, that fits into the socket on the mount. The socket is what gets stuck, mostly.
You'd have to replace the socket, as the ball is stuck in it now. Or figure out a way to get it out, then how to get another screw off another hl, then ... etc etc.

Not worth it IMO. Someone else here had that same issue and bought another hl from me, which was near new. Otherwise, you'd have to find a car with one, take it apart without breaking it, and then put it in yours.

I will go out and try to find the bolts that are located beneath the turn signal this morning. I have the middle top panel out already and have located the upper bolt that goes in sideways and I figured that had to be one of the bolts holding the entire assembly in place.

I have the right hand lens out already. It was disconnected from the unit and I hadn't realized they were not supposed to come apart at that point. I didn't break anything in the disassembly so it must have separated itself somewhere along the line.

I will have a go at it today and get it out on the bench. I have been using 1200 grit and Mothers rubbing compound to try and restore clarity.

I found the flame trap fairly well jammed [and obviously hardly ever maintained] and am hoping a new one will relieve the internal pressure and perhaps end the oil leak from the camshaft seal. I have to say the flame trap location on this car is a big improvement over the 240.