Dipping headlight control lines R&R advice

[gkrea1]

Waking up from my nearly three year nap and getting back to wrenching on the blue car...

Dipping headlights. Has anybody here replaced the pneumatic control lines? (PN 63 12 1 386 148) I thought I'd get this superfluous but nifty system repaired before SESF.

[claylakem6]

Greg,

Are you sure this system is pneumatic? I looked into this for a Euro E30 and it used a glycerine-like fluid with no way to add fluid (self-contained). I have seen a maintenance kit and it did look easy to implement. Surely someone will respond that knows more than I.

[gkrea1]

Hi Clay! I disassembled the headlights and played with the old actuators. I suppose there could have been a fluid in there at one point. I was able to move the actuators by applying a vacuum to the inlet which is why I think they were pneumatic.

[e24mpwr]

Hmmm...I'd thought they were fluid-based as well.

Have your lines been cut or were they all left intact?

[gkrea1]

The lines had no fluid in them when I separated them from the actuators. Regardless, I'm ordering a new assembly from Mr. Tunnell. Just trying not to go into the repair blind. I'm venturing beyond the borders of the known universe as defined by Bentley...

[Layne]

I read that it's mineral oil, but definitely a liquid of some type. Mine is more or less intact, but I have no idea how to fill it up.

[claylakem6]

I think Layne touched on the problem. Being a closed system I could find no way to add fluid or bleed the system.

[86GT635]

From what I remember it was a glycol based fluid, it had a sweet taste haha. My guess is to prevent freezing. I had to cut the lines on mine to get the panel out of the car to remove the pedal box to repair a crack.

I seem to remember the system was on a vacuum as well, the switch acted as a valve. Up at the head lights, there are the positioning valves and they have some sort of pin that was permanently set and I believe this is where the fluid was installed and the vacuum was added. It's a zero maintenance system.