2k ford explorer projector headlights to use in 2k mountaineer

[ThatNGuy]

Junk yard is your best bet for a grill. Any second gen explorer or 1997 mounty.

Removing it is straightforward, at least for the explorer. Remove the plastic on top of it, remove the parking lamp, remove all screws, pull forward. I'd imagine that the mountaineer is similar, maybe save for the parking lamp assembly.

 

[Camacorn]

If you can't locate a grill soon, let me know, there is a mint condition '97 Mountaineer grill at my local junkyard, I could ship depending on how much it would cost.

 

[handwiper]

How much shipped to 55124? PM me, and would you let me return it if it doesn't work?

 

[Camacorn]

- Removed, PM'd instead -

 

[Justme63]

Sure, taste is debatable.

But what is not debatable is the glare those projectors make - but you probably don't care if you blind other drivers...

To SoNic67, What you are confused about are the HID lights put into regular reflector housings VS. projector. The projector style are the proper way to use HID. I had considered using one of those kits until I discovered why there is so much glare from some, and I mean some not all, HID lights.The light dispersion in a regular headlight housing is designed for the halogen bulb and tends to scatter light from the HID and acts more like a flood light. If you doubt me just look it up, I did. If those projector housings weren't so expencive I would put them on my old 96 but I settled for aux spots and brighter halogens

 

[sloop]

tons of naysayers on here - and i suspect they did not check the link

i'd like to see the outcome

 

[handwiper]

Thanks Sloop

 

[morbid81]

heres my housings and hid's haven't been flashed yet nor blinded other people

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ofuvt2dqkjkcrh8/truck.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ikqr4llz1rs4kqh/hid fogs.jpg?dl=0

 

[ThatNGuy]

To SoNic67, What you are confused about are the HID lights put into regular reflector housings VS. projector. The projector style are the proper way to use HID. I had considered using one of those kits until I discovered why there is so much glare from some, and I mean some not all, HID lights.The light dispersion in a regular headlight housing is designed for the halogen bulb and tends to scatter light from the HID and acts more like a flood light. If you doubt me just look it up, I did. If those projector housings weren't so expencive I would put them on my old 96 but I settled for aux spots and brighter halogens

Not all projectors are created equal. The idea to to take a beam of light and place it on the road. By using a hid bulb, you change the location of the beam of light, and it thus changes location on the road, leading to glare hot spots, ect. Some housings are worse than others.

Don't use a halogen in a hid projector, and don't use a hid in a halogen projector. They are specific for a reason.

 

[Camacorn]

The argument might as well be over, I have purchased him a new grill at my local junkyard, and will be shipping it out by Saturday.

 

[sloop]

the guy is not even contemplating putting a hid bulb in his housing

but as for all the noble people worried about glare, every hid headlamp will blind you when you are both cresting a hill from opposite directions

 

[1998Exp]

That is true for conventional halogen lights as well. Of course, projector lights, and especially those with HIDs are much brighter, making this more noticeable.
Perhaps the bigger challenge with HID retrofit is bumps in the road. As far as I know, HIDs are approved in new models only if equipped with a gyro-type stabilizer that prevents the lights from following rapid changes in up and down body orientation. I have yet to see an aftermarket projector so equipped.

Does anyone know how Ford (and other automakers) got away with changing the headlight design from twin reflectors to a single lamp with a dual filament, sometime in the late 90s? It rendered the high beams completely useless and degraded the low beams too.

the guy is not even contemplating putting a hid bulb in his housing

but as for all the noble people worried about glare, every hid headlamp will blind you when you are both cresting a hill from opposite directions

 

[handwiper]

All i want to be sure of is that the headlight mounts are in the same position in my mountaineer as they would be in a ford explorer 2000 or mountaineer 97

 

[sloop]

the site you are getting them from has a video of a 95 explorer and shows him changing the assemblies - not a lot of detail but it might be enough to rule out an absolute nogo

in the video, he changes both the headlamp and parking lamp components - but does not put in the one piece assembly on the site