my 95 legacy headlights are not very bright. i have aligned them and cleaned the outside of the lens with rubbing compund witch got rid of the yellow on the outside of the lens but the lenses still do not look as clear as i tihnk they should be. the lgiht that comes out fo them is dim what can i do do help the situation short of replacing the housings? can the lens be removed to clean the inside?

The 3m headlight cleaner is good.  Also make sure your bulb connectors are clean and tight.

The cover is glued to the housing, it won't come off.

could it be that im just used to the hid's i had installed in my bmw and that these lights are working as they should?

My lights were always terrible, so I got a new wiring harness putting relays closer to the headlights. I also got different headlights that were much higher quality. Daniel Stern helped me pick out the correct headlamps and built the harness as well. 

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com

 

There's the link. My car's an '83 and now my headlamps are brighter than cars twenty years newer than mine.

Well my stupid phone won't upload the pic of my headlights before and after.

I'll update later

I used the 3m headlight restoration kit on the headlights on my 90 and the results were excelent. It made a huge difference in how much light my headlights put out

 

You need to sand the old clear coat off and then put a new clear coat on to get the best result, the 3m kit does this

Edited December 8, 201411 yr by mikaleda

Try a set of Philips Vision Plus or Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs

they were a bit broke up from the previous owners accident whatever they hit. i since resealed the cracks and holes int he headlight surround but i can see dirt and junk inside the reflective part is not all that clean ither.

if the surrounds have been broken then they probably arent focusing the light like they should - replace the broken housing(s) with good used ones, get new bulbs (they do dim over time) and you should be able to see a whole lot better.

the fronts are not broken. its broken where the mounting tabs ripped off the back of the housing. i have siliconed patches over the holes and the fracture cracks no water is getting inside. i was thinking about getting higher wattage bulbs. what are the dangers of the housings melting if i ordered 90/100 bulbs?

They wont melt as they are a good distance from the lense. Its funny I have a 2005 Outback and a 89 Justy. I much prefer the low beams on the Justy then the outback. I am not sure what I can do about it. Polishing does nothing.

this is what im working with

 

thats good news im going to order some high wattage bulbs this week

 

dont mind the screw driver its there so i could open the hood without running around as i was closing it frequently during the remounting of the headlights.

 

Edited December 9, 201411 yr by sirtokesalot

Inspect all your connections. It is not unusual for  the headlight socket to be melted or on its way out for these years cars. They had been terribly under-engineered for load.

the fronts are not broken. its broken where the mounting tabs ripped off the back of the housing. i have siliconed patches over the holes and the fracture cracks no water is getting inside. i was thinking about getting higher wattage bulbs. what are the dangers of the housings melting if i ordered 90/100 bulbs?

 

the fronts dont need to be broken, it is the rear mirrored part that helps to focus the light pattern...not to mention that if the mounting tabs are broken off you are going to have a very hard time adjusting, and getting them to stay...

 

dont know if it is just the lighting in that pic, or what, but the lenses look a little cloudy... could just be the lighting....

 

New, good quality bulbs will improve light output. and definitely check the sockets, and related wires, as Nipper suggested.

Those are still kind of hazy looking. Try a 3M headlamp polish kit that uses the sanding and polish wheels on a drill. Those are pretty good for getting the deeper oxidation off the lens.

 

If there is dirt inside you can try removing the bulbs and spray compressed air into the housing.

Those are still kind of hazy looking. Try a 3M headlamp polish kit that uses the sanding and polish wheels on a drill. Those are pretty good for getting the deeper oxidation off the lens.

 

If there is dirt inside you can try removing the bulbs and spray compressed air into the housing.

 

 

 the yellowing is on the inside thats the best i can get it without cracking the housing open and i dont think thats possible. i can actually see the film on the inside of it so brighter bulbs and hopefully they will put enough light out to make me happy.

Haze on the inside may just be dust or a film from moisture getting in the lens. I've cleaned a lot of headlights and I've never seen it. Even when people swear its on the inside, it just takes a bit more sanding to get through the oxidation layer on the lens.

They won't oxidize inside because the coating on the inside of the lens isn't exposed to the grit, dirt, sand, salt, etc. that the outside of the lens deals with every day. Dust can get in, but that can be cleaned out by swishing mild soap and distilled water inside the housing.

 

Here's a thread I made a few years ago. Before and after pics of the headlights on my 96 when I first bought it. ALL of the oxidation was on the outside. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/98870-fairtax4mes-headlight-cleaning-write-up/

Edited December 10, 201411 yr by Fairtax4me