New AS - how to repair clearance light?

[bel73]

I am getting ready to repair and replace all the lights on my 2010 International and also want to install the Classic rings. Does anyone know if there is a gasket that gets installed between the Classic ring and the body of the trailer to isolate the two?

My lights are very difficult to pull away from the body. Is this normal?

Bruce

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by bel73

I am getting ready to repair and replace all the lights on my 2010 International and also want to install the Classic rings. Does anyone know if there is a gasket that gets installed between the Classic ring and the body of the trailer to isolate the two?

My lights are very difficult to pull away from the body. Is this normal?

Bruce

Do you have LED or incandescent clearance lights? They are a completely different fixture, and I think they switched to LED's during the 2010 production year. If they are LED contact Airstream Customer Service, they may still help you fix them.

There is no gasket with the Classic aluminum bases (rings?). Our LED fixtures were difficult to pull away from the body because there is a gob of sealant around the wires where the go through the hole in the shell. Be really careful you don't pull the wires too hard and break or disconnect them; you'll have a tough task trying to locate them inside the shell and reconnect.

[Howard L.]

Bel73, In addition to what dkottum said, if you do have the new LED lights, there is a possibility of two securing connections on the rear of the lights. The probable one is shown above and is two wedge/springs that press into the square holes of the original plastic base. On those lights, you can remove by grabbing them with both hands and rock back and forth while pulling away from the trailer. Once the wedge clips are free you can work the wires out of the hole in the hull to get enough room to slide the lights and old rings through the new classic cast rings. AS states that there is 3 inches of wire you have to work with and suggest spray silicone on the wires to help loosen them. Airstream's instructions are to install the new cast rings. old base and light, and then caulk all three pieces, leaving a small drain area at the bottom of the cast base next to the skin for drainage. I did not do it, but I see no problem forming your own gasket with a small bead of sealant around the base of the new cast ring and then press that to the skin when installing (again, leaving a small area on the lower side for drainage. The cast piece would be more difficult to remove later, but i don't know why you would ever need to. Your only work in the future would be to remove and change out the light itself if it burns out.

If after trying to remove several lights using the rocking and pulling method above, you get no where, the lights probably have a different type of back clip. That will be "L" shaped clips on each end. The "L" will point away from the center on both ends. With that type of securing clip, you need to slide a very small thin screw driver in under the light at one end and push the L clip toward the center while easily lifting that end away from the base. Once one L clip is free the other will slide free also.

[bel73]

The LEDs that I have are the L shaped type. On a couple lights both tabs are broken and the others are ready to snap any day. The lenses are also starting to get dull. New lights and trim rings have been ordered. The parts guy said the new lights will be the wedge spring type.

I also talked to the tech about this project. He says the factory places a glob of sealant on the wires from the inside and on the outside. That's why the wires are so hard to pull out. He also seals all three pieces with no drain at the bottom?.

Lights and filiform..... not quite the project I want on a new to me trailer.

Thanks for all your input

Bruce

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by bel73

The LEDs that I have are the L shaped type. On a couple lights both tabs are broken and the others are ready to snap any day. The lenses are also starting to get dull. New lights and trim rings have been ordered. The parts guy said the new lights will be the wedge spring type.

I also talked to the tech about this project. He says the factory places a glob of sealant on the wires from the inside and on the outside. That's why the wires are so hard to pull out. He also seals all three pieces with no drain at the bottom?.

Lights and filiform..... not quite the project I want on a new to me trailer.

Thanks for all your input

Bruce

The wires also go through a grommet to keep them from chafing against the aluminum hole. Like Doug said, they will be difficult to pull out so try the silicone and take your time. For the install of your new lights along with the install of the new cast Classic bases, you will have space between the base casting and the hull to stuff the extra wires and butt connectors--ie. you won't have to try to stuff all the wires back through the hole into the hull.

As long as your caulk job is perfect, no drain hole should be OK. I wasn't that good and glad I had a drain. Good luck, you'll like the new look.

[Tyvekcat]

I appreciate the pic Howard L . That is exactly like I have on a 2014 International. Right front yellow marker popped out of his base, while on the was home. I spread the two clips just a little on the wider front portion of the marker light. Rear clips were holding fine , it was just the front clips that had let go. It went back in place. Yeah its some kind of black foam-rubber, not really rubber gasket under the chrome-plastic base.
Marker went back in place. It looked sealed. No condensate in it
Great thread, thanks for the help

[Howard L.]

Originally Posted by Tyvekcat

I appreciate the pic Howard L . That is exactly like I have on a 2014 International. Right front yellow marker popped out of his base, while on the was home. I spread the two clips just a little on the wider front portion of the marker light. Rear clips were holding fine , it was just the front clips that had let go. It went back in place. Yeah its some kind of black foam-rubber, not really rubber gasket under the chrome-plastic base.
Marker went back in place. It looked sealed. No condensate in it
Great thread, thanks for the help

If you ever have trouble with a light not holding even after spreading the clips a bit, check the plastic base. Since that base is concave on the sides (made to mount to a slightly convex surface) the center will pull downward and the front and rear of the top area will pull inward the more the two mounting screws are tightened. If the base is tightened down too much, the base's top perimeter lip will be warped that way and will stop the light ends from snapping fully into place (it will look like the teardrop light is slightly longer than the slot it's made to fit into). Ease up on the two screws, the mounting area will level and make room for the light to snap fully into the recessed area.