How do you replace the headlights on a 2001 Honda Civic EX?

Answer 1

I wanted to help those who are like me. People who have: 1) lost their

manual and don't want to take out a small loan to buy a replacement 2)

have burned out light bulbs 3) are cheap and don't want to pay someone

to do it 4) have looked online and haven't been able to find any

anwers.

This may apply to Honda Civic's for 2001 through 2004, but I'm not

sure. I can only speak for my 2001 Civic LX. I may add pictures later

(if people ask or need).

Btw - this is not an official way to do things. The manual may say

something different, and I may be omitting some steps that may be

important, but if you just want to get the job done this instructional

may provide at least some confidence.

I have found the driver's side headlamp to be the easiest one to

replace. There's a small bottle that stands in the way. It may be

steering fluid or Transmission Fluid of some sort. Just lift it up and

out of the way and turn it so you can access the small area behind the

headlamp.

You'll see a black round rubbery flange type of covering (approx 4-5"

wide) with a black squarish rectangular plastic box (a little over an

inch wide) with wires attached to it in the center. Make sure your

headlights are turned off. Pull the black rectangular plastic box off

first. This is the plug to the headlamp.

Next pull off the black rubber thing. This is the cover and insulation

to the headlamp. Next is the tricky part. There's a round metal wire

that goes around the lamp. It's job is to secure the headlamp in place

and make sure it doesn't rattle around when driving. It kind of hangs

on one or two tiny little clips. Pull the round wire upwards and lift

it over the clip(s). Then you can pull the wire away and down from the

headlamp.

Btw - I usually use the Sylvania cool blue type of headlamp. It can be

found at Kragen's for around $13 per bulb part number 9003. I don't

like the totally blue ones because my eyes don't seem to respond well

to the blue light.

Once the wire is out of the way the bulb is easy to remove. Put the

new bulb in, but try not to touch it with your fingertips as I've been

told oils from your fingers can drastically shorten the bulb's life.

Check the appearance of the bulb as it rests inside the housing. It

should appear like the bulb on the opposite side. There are three tabs

on the bulb. One tab should be facing straight up and the other two

tabs should be facing downwards at near 45 degree angles.

The bulbs I just replaced in my car (both) were only used for about 3

months so apparently I got really crappy life out of both (neither

were replaced by me).

After putting the new bulb in and making sure it is oriented

correctly, pull the wire up and around the bulb. You will notice that

the wire has the ability to completely retract below the headlamp

housing so it may have hidden itself down below while you were futzing

around with the headlamp. Just pull it back out so you can pull it

over the headlamp and onto the clips again.

Put the black rubber thing over the assembly and secure it. Then take

the three pronged plug (black rectangular box with the wires attached)

and secure it to the three prongs sticking out of the black rubber. If

you don't see three metal prongs sticking out, then you have to

reposition the black rubber thing so that the plugs of the headlamp

are coming through the center hole of the black rubber.

Turn your headlights on to see if it works. Now make sure you take the

little bottle of steering fluid/transmission fluid (whatever) and put

it back in place so when you close the hood it won't get in the way.

Congratulations: You're finished! Do the same with the other side. The

other side may be easier to work with depending on each person. As far

as I know there's nothing to remove to get access to the rear side.

Just get in there and do your thing.

Your title made me to believe this was a how-to for replacing the headlights, yet once I read your write-up, I see it is a how-to for replacing just the headlight bulbs. You should have been clear in your title.