Headlight Removal

[gary996]

1999, 996 C2. Am I missing something? I follow the owners manual but I can't get my headlights out. I used a 5mm Allen (not the Porsche tool kit one) it fits and turns the nylon nut but I can't get either of them out. 180 degrees, 45, 90, 360, 720 clockwise, counter clockwise, I can't get them out. Now I want to wait until later but I don't know if they are loose or locked so I'm really scr...ed!

Help! Any suggestion? I'm at a lose

[SNaray8442]

Are you sure you're turning the correct "nut"?

Do you hear any loud POPs when you turn it?

[gary996]

Are you sure you're turning the correct "nut"?

Do you hear any loud POPs when you turn it?

100% positive, that's why it's so strange.

Thanks,

G

[Loren]

Sometimes you have to wiggle the headlight a little too. If they don't wiggle then they may not be unlocked.

If you get really desperate you can always go in from behind by loosening the wheel well liner.

[SNaray8442]

If you get really desperate you can always go in from behind

:thumbup:

[Tool Pants]

Allen is used to adjust the headlight. 5 mm socket is used to remove the headlight, or you use the 5 mm tool in the tool kit.

[wvicary]

Your turning the wrong "nut".....it's a steel looking nut not nylon.

[gary996]

Thanks All,

In my own defense and by looking at Tool Pants' picture and wvcary's description AND reading the owners manual, I was in fact in the hole which can be seen in Tool Pants' photo on the upper right, half covered by the trunk liner, with the rubber plug! The owner's manual says to "remove the rubbber plug" but the light removal hole has no plug in my car but he upper one does. That was the problem. Now I have to make sure all of the twisting and turning of that nylon socket didn't screw anything else up.

Got it now. Life just like cars, everything is easy once you get it in the right hole.

Thanks again.

Gary

[Tool Pants]

When you said allen and nylon I knew you were in the wrong hole....

That is how you adjust the beams, not remove the headlight.

At our local work on cars days we get to see cars that are on the second and third owners. Sometimes we see a car and the ROUND plug you need to remove to insert a headlight removal tool is missing. If I hunt around I can usually find it because it was dropped behind the trunk carpet. Or inside the trunk. I once found one in the storage pocket for the spare tire.

Second picture shows the tool from the tool kit in the proper hole to unlock/remove the headlight. The factory tool is usually a sloppy fit so I use a 5 mm socket, 1/4" drive.

[rcg412]

When you said allen and nylon I knew you were in the wrong hole....

That is how you adjust the beams, not remove the headlight.

At our local work on cars days we get to see cars that are on the second and third owners. Sometimes we see a car and the ROUND plug you need to remove to insert a headlight removal tool is missing. If I hunt around I can usually find it because it was dropped behind the trunk carpet. Or inside the trunk. I once found one in the storage pocket for the spare tire.

Second picture shows the tool from the tool kit in the proper hole to unlock/remove the headlight. The factory tool is usually a sloppy fit so I use a 5 mm socket, 1/4" drive.

Be super careful with the included 5mm tool... Mine for some reason got stuck in the hole and I could not pull it out (tried with pliers, diff leverage, everything). I read somewhere here they get caught... after some very careful wiggling it unlocked and I got the tool out... but going forward I use a screwdriver with 5mm hex wrench on it. Very scary.

[KevinMac]

When using the correct tool, the normal motion of releasing the headlight usuaully cams the light forward some. So if the HL assembly is not caming forward, i think you have the wrong area.