How do you replace a headlight on a 2000 Honda Odyssey?

Answer 1

Change headlight bulb Honda Odyssey 2000
Just finished this harder-than-it-should-be task. Most of the work is blind and you need to feel your way around the bulb housing to find the clip end of the holddown wire cage. Observe Halogen Bulb practices. Clean off any grease or fingerprints on new bulb with alcohol before installing...otherwise hot spot will develop and kill bulb.

Passenger Side
Step 1: Remove Wire Harness. Find the wires and their harness connected to the back of the bulb. To make sure you have the right harness, wiggle it while looking through the clear lens. If the bulb moves while wiggling the the harness, you have the right one. To remove the harness, simply pull it straight back away from the bulb and off the bulb prongs.
Step 2: Remove Rubber Seal Boot. Note the orientation of the boot (typically, the two rubber tabs extending out the back are at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions). The most exposed edge of the boot is underneath the bulb when viewing from above. Feel underneath for the edge and peel it back away from the bulb housing. Work your way around the bulb housing peeling more of the boot back as you go. You may have to work your way around a few times to complete disengage the boot from the bulb housing. Don't worry about the part of the boot around the bulb prongs. It will slide off easily once the boot is disengaged from the bulb housing.
Step 3: Open Wire Clip. The bulb is held in place by a wire clip. DO NOT unscrew this clip! Find the tab opposite the screw, push it toward the front of the vehicle then pull it up vertically. The wire clip will pivot back. It pivots on the anchor held by the screw. NOTE: The screw merely retains the clip in its mount. The screw does not have to be loosened or tightened during this procedure. In other words, don't touch the screw.
Step 4: Remove Bulb. Once the wire clip is open, the bulb is just resting in the bulb housing. Note the bulb orientation since the new bulb will have to go in the same way (typcially, the three prongs are in the 9, 12, and 3 0'clock positions). Simply pull it out and maneuver it out of the bulb housing and past the wire clip.
Step 5: Install New Bulb. Practice closing the clip and opening the clip without a bulb in the housing. Once you get a feel for it, move the clip out of the way and place the new bulb in the bulb housing. WARNING: KEEP BULB CLEAN -- no contaminants and no fingerprints. Handle the bulb by the metal prongs and maneuver it into the bulb housing in the same orientation as the old bulb.
Step 6: Close Wire Clip. Close the wire clip over the new bulb as you practiced in Step 5 ;p
Step 7: Install Rubber Seal Boot. Maneuver the boot into the same orientation it was in before removal. Place the center hole of the boot over the bulb prongs. Push the bottom edge of the boot onto the bulb housing and work your way around until it is fully engaged with the housing.
Step 8: Connect Wire Harness. Align the wire harness to the bulb prongs and push it on.
Step 9: Test. Turn on the headlights and make sure it works.
Step 10: Drink.

Driver Side
Same procedure as passenger side now except that space is VERY TIGHT and the housing over the air intake must be removed before starting. The two fasteners on the air intake pull straight out with a little tug by pliers. Save the fasteners, you will need them to reinstall cover later.
Good luck. I am sure the dealers charge at least $100 to do this paininthea** job. So you are saving some dough for the aggro. Owners manual actually has a reasonably good diagram and I recommend looking at it.
Howard
With Howard's guidelines, I was able to cut his time in half. Thx. One piece of advice on the clip wire that holds the light in place; put the square end of the clip under the screw and tighten the screw half way, then press down on the opposite end of the wire to "hook" the wire under the bracket. Tightened the screw completely after the wire clip is in place. Definitely worth doing it yourself.
NOTE: The above 10-step procedure does not require any adjustment to the screw that retains the wire clip. The screw simply holds one part of the cage's wire frame in place and allows the clip to pivot around the retained wire. Practice opening and closing the clip in Step 5 and it all makes sense.