Fog light assembly - how to remove

I'm looking for the same info. One is burnt out and I need to replace it. I have the replacement but it came with no instructions.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Pretty sure this info is around elsewhere but I too had a hard time finding it before. I have only removed the assemblies once so pardon my procedure if it is off slightly.

To remove the light bulb only:

1. Remove the screws attaching either the drivers side or passenger side (whichever bulb) plastic skid plate to the bumper.
2. Pull the black plastic (not the bumper) down so that you can reach up behind the fog light assembly.
3. Grab the connector that sticks out of the fog light assembly and twist. I don't remember if it's clockwise or counter. Sorry.
- I have found it easier to do this before disconnecting the wire but I think it's recommended that you disconnect the connector first. (fat fingers)
4. Disconnect connector from the bulb.
5. install the new bulb in the socket.
6. Connect the connector. (Snaps on when inserted properly)
7. Replace plastic and screws.
8. Drink Beer as you are now done.

To remove / Replace the fog light assembly, follow steps 1 - 4 above then:

Remove the fog light grille panels. There are two clips on top and two on bottom that secure the panels to the bumper. (No screws) I used a small screwdriver wrapped with tape to find and release the clips. Then the panels pull out forward.

There is a small plastic clip that secures the fog light adjustment screw to the bumper. (This is a hollow plastic clip which surrounds the head of the adjustment screw). You can feel the clip just below / above (don't remember but it's the only one there) and to the side of the light socket. If you compress the sides of that clip with pliers, you can then pull the fog light assembly forward. You will notice that something else catches the assembly at this point. Look on the (I believe left) side of the fog light housing and you will find a small piece of the bumper plastic which interferes with the assembly. If you use a small screwdriver again, you can push that plastic out of the way. Now the assembly will pull out. To reinstall, simply push the fog light assembly back into the bumper and reinstall the light bulb.

 

Thank you, butchbs1985.

I'm going to give that a try.

 

Thanks a lot butchbs1985 for the detailed info. I am going to give it a try.

 

I still cannot figure out how to pop out the entire assembly. The adjustment screen is holding it in. I cannot squeeze the plastic with a niddlenose plyers. Is there anyway to unlatch the adjustment screw from the back?

 

I guess you could unscrew the adjustment screw all of the way out until it disengages from the plastic clip / lamp. I had a very hard time with my drivers side lamp but the other one was easy. (edit): The new / old lamp just pops back in afterward. You will have to readjust to suit your needs if you unscrew it completely.

I have attached the two pages from my service manual detailing the removal of the fog lamp assembly. Sorry for the poor quality but my desk isn't set up for scanning a book. I definitely recommend purchasing the Bently Publishers Prius repair manual if you plan to do maintenance on your car. This forum is great but for $50 or less, it is worth it. I'm sure it's not as detailed as the Toyota manual but that costs over $300 I think. The book is usually advertised on the PC homepage as well. (Got mine from Amazon.com though before it was on the site)

 

Thank you so much for making the PDFs. They are great images and very helpful.

Yes, I am on the driver's side light.

I'll try it later on today and hopefully get that assembly out without the adjustment. But if i need to i will remove the adj screw. Why do they make it so hard?

 

Those lights aren't even stated as 'user serviceable' in the owners manual which says "contact your Toyota Dealer". The Toyota service manual states that you need to remove the entire bumper even to change the light bulbs. If the users can't change them, more $$ for the service Dept. I suppose.

 

I can attest to the fact that the buld is fairly easy to change. but if you have a cracked lens, it seems harder to remove.

 

The dealer i go to told me they could'nt install my foglight bulb replacement (more bright) because it was too complicated for the techs. Figure that out.

 

Thanks butchbs1985, I just changed out my foglight bulbs to brighter/whiter ones. I wanted to get a better balanced look due the HID's caused the fogs to look very Yellow. Following your directions it took about 20 minutes after I got the car raised up some. And boy do they look better....
Thanks again for the change out direction

 

Thanks Butch for the excellent info. I've almost got the bulb out, but I found that there wasn't enough play in the electrical wire. I was only able to turn the thing just about a quarter turn counter-clockwise before it got too tight to keep turning.

Is there an easy way to disconnect the wire from the socket? That might make things easier. I don't want to have to unlock the 'claws' that show in the pdfs you posted.

Thanks again so much for the very useful info!

 

The connector that holds the bulb in is just a plastic clip. You should be able to feel the flat side that you have to push down to pull it off. It is a bit of a pain but I too had that issue at one point. Hope you get it.

 

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to contribute my feedback, as I just replaced my lamp assemblies this weekend. It was a bit tricky, but with enough patience I got it. I apologize in advance for the wordy post.

First, Brian's instructions are fantastic - thank you!

I ordered replacement lamps off eBay for $100 for the pair including bulbs (from seller erica1955), and while they are clearly aftermarket, they fit and look OEM, which is what I was hoping for.

Both of my lenses cracked almost two years ago in the winter about the same time (at least I noticed them at the same time), presumably as a result of shifting temperatures. I procrastined far too long before replacing them, but interestingly the driver bulb kept working for several months after it cracked, even though half the lens was missing!

In any case - back to the job. I tackled the driver side first; the advice of wrapping electric tape around a butter knife and sliding it between the grille and the painted bumper is good, as it is pretty easy to release 3 of the 4 tabs. The fourth tab (below the lamp) can be easily released reaching from below/behind once the plastic shielding is removed.

Ironically, what got me stuck the longest with the driver lamp was that I couldn't get the bulb out off the housing! It was turning fine, I just couldn't get it out. Eventually, I resorted to taking advantage of the half-missing lens by poking the base of bulb through the broken lens which I twisted and pulled from the back and I got it. I'm sure it was corrosion from being exposed which made this more difficult. Once that was done, squeezing the adjustment screw was fairly cooperative and the lamp released, and completed by pushing that last bumper tab out of the way. All in all, it took me about 90 minutes for the first lamp, about half that time trying to get the bulb out.

I felt much more confident now to tackle the second lamp. This time around, the grille came off very easy, as did the bulb (though it seemed there was considerably less slack in the wire on the passenger side making it difficult to release the bulb from the harness), but what got me stuck was I had difficulty releasing the adjustment screw. Once that was done, I would have been done in about 45 minutes, but I had a few adjustments to make.

Though the new lamp was seated correctly, it was not locked in place. Upon investigation, it seemed the tabs of the [new!] plastic cover on the adjustment screw snapped off when it was inserted, so the lamps were loose. Well, that just wouldn't do. Out the lamp came again, I pulled off the plastic cover [which then snapped in half... aftermarket build quality. Sigh], but I was able to fix the situation by harvesting one of the clips from the original lamp, so all is well in the world.

Anyway, popped the lamp back in, fiddled with the adjustment screw for a few more minutes until I was satisfied with alignment, and I closed it up and I was DONE!

Now where was that beer....

Thanks again for the tips!

 

I know this is old but it is the one I found to help me. Thank you all.

Given it was a "comfy" 15F not including wind chill, I figured I needed to remove more of the parts holding the plastic liner in place to keep from cracking the liner when I pulled it down. Why do it NOW? Because the inspection is due by tomorrow, the glass lens was cracked and if the car has fog lights they both have to work and the lenses can't be cracked even though the lights still work and aren't letting any moisture in. It is also NOT OK to have one working assembly in and one not installed. However it IS OK to have a big hole in the grill with the electrical connectors open to the elements. Stupidity.

My findings:

I unwittingly thought the 2 screws holding the little air dam thing in front of the tire needed to be taken out to get the liner loose. DO NOT DO THIS.
They were rusted in place, the bolts sheared off at the heads with the rest of them rust-welded into the nut that is welded to the metal backing plate inside the plastic liner. The bolts do not go into the frame at all.

You really only need to remove the 3 screws around the outside edge of the forward part of the liner and the plastic barbed "screw" on the inside back by where the liner turns up under the wheel well. This one might be optional in warm weather, but I was nervous.

I sheared the upper right tab on the grill housing on the driver's side. I thought the tab was loose but apparently not and (again, maybe due to the cold) it sheared off so cleanly that there were only 3 small grey marks on the housing. So, being VERY careful on the passenger side, I got the top outboard and inboard sides loose ... and sheared the similar tab which is on the LOWER outside corner on that side. !@#$%^&* So, beware. Take these out by getting your face, a flashlight and flat screwdriver on the inside of the bumper after you pull the liner out.

Yes, getting the adjusting screw cover thing out is a bitch. It is part of what holds the light in place and if you are supposed to squeeze the 'clips' I have no idea how since they seem to be aligned vertically and there is no way to get a pair of pliers of any sort in there vertically. Just mash the hell out of it with the pliers so you can pull the assembly out the front. You are going to throw the old assembly away so who cares.

Bruce

 

What bulb style is in the fogs? I want to upgrade to HID's

 

I just replaced the bumper and it's easy - especially with the bumper off, which is also easy.

Each fog light is held in place by three pressure points - no screws. one is a hole, another is a hole with a plastic tab that puts pressure on the lamp fixture and the last one is a soft plastic cap that fits over the adjustment screw. The cap is easily compressed with needle nose pliers (the only tool needed) and then pushes through the hole with your thumb. See progressive pictures I took (with bumper removed).



If the car is on a lift, you can probably just remove the bottom wind / mud flap and access the fixture from behind (w/o removing the whole bumper), but I have not tried that.

 

I just installed after market fog lights into an aftermarket bumper. I had to do a little modification to the bumper and the fog lights. I was trying to gather information about this but I didn't find much. I agree it's much easier to do with the bumper off. I added some small screws and washers to keep things secured and I use LED lights instead of the halogens that came with them. The whole kit, lights, cut out bezels, wiring, and switch was $43 on Amazon