Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Honda Cars / May 2007

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

97 Civic - Replace Turn lsignal bulb

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Jay Fowler - 20 Aug 2006 18:59 GMT
How do you change the front turn signal bulb on a 97 Civic ? It
appears that the entire lens assembly is one piece. Access from behind
is blocked by  a number of things. Am I missing something? I lokked at
my 2000 Accord and it appears to be a PITA also.
ecarecar - 21 Aug 2006 01:53 GMT
>How do you change the front turn signal bulb on a 97 Civic ? It
>appears that the entire lens assembly is one piece. Access from behind
>is blocked by  a number of things. Am I missing something?
>  

Yes, or at least you should be, specifically, the number of things
blocking access from behind.
kspandle@earthlink.net - 30 May 2007 22:34 GMT
Let me tell you a story about turn signal replacement on a Civic (I
have a 98).  It seems that in Honda's infinite wisdom, they made
changing the front turn signal bulbs as difficult as possible.  Even
more so than trying to get at the oil filter.

Oh sure, it sounds easy at first but when you actually go to do it,
you find you're up a creek.  Here is what you are SUPPOSED to do (from
memory):

If you're replacing your passenger side bulb, turn your front wheels
so they are pointing all the way to the left.  If the driver side, do
the opposite.

Get a flat-edge screwdriver and look for the plug that attaches the
wheelwell cover to the car.  Insert your screwdriver into the slot
between the small part of the plug and the base and pull straight out.

If you do things correctly, you should now have what looks like one of
those pop-up timers in a turkey which tells you when things are
(supposedly) done.  If you do things wrong, the top of the plug comes
out and you're now screwed.

If you are so lucky to get the plug to pull out, you should now be
able to pull back the wheelwell cover far enough to get access to the
turn signal bulb.  Like all the other bulbs, it has that locking
mechanism you need to undo first.

Remove your old bulb, insert your new one then reverse everything
above and you're good to go.

For the record, my plug top broke off and I had to spend ~$40 to have
a $3 bulb replaced.  Took it to a local place which only deals in
Hondas and the guy told me afterwards that over time these plugs get
filled with dirt and are very difficult to remove.

Good luck.

KAS

>How do you change the front turn signal bulb on a 97 Civic ? It
>appears that the entire lens assembly is one piece. Access from behind
>is blocked by  a number of things. Am I missing something? I lokked at
>my 2000 Accord and it appears to be a PITA also.
Lynn McGuire - 31 May 2007 18:32 GMT
> Let me tell you a story about turn signal replacement on a Civic (I
> have a 98).  It seems that in Honda's infinite wisdom, they made
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Oh sure, it sounds easy at first but when you actually go to do it,
> you find you're up a creek.  

I did the following steps last weekend to replace the front passenger
side turn signal bulb in my daughter's 97 Civic EX:
1. raise the hood and secure it
2. stare at the headlight assembly looking at the turn signal bulb with
   it's tail extending into the area between the outside fender and
   inside fender whilest saying, "I cant believe it is this tough"
3. remove the top three screws holding the headlight assembly in
   place, assembly will not move yet
4. discover another screw on the right side of assembly, remove it
   by sticking arm up air slot in front fender, assembly now moves
   a little bit
5. turn front tires to the left
6. remove all screws and pushdowns on front bumper cover left side
7. discover and remove another screw holding headlight assembly
   above tire, assembly will now pull out with great difficulty
8. remove bulb from assembly and replace with new bulb
9. reverse steps for reassembly

This took 3 hours to figure out plus the trip to O'Reilly for the bulb.

Lynn
kspandle@earthlink.net - 31 May 2007 23:00 GMT
LOL!  Glad I'm not the only one who has had the fun.

When my dad and I first looked at replacing it, we both thought that
going through the headlight assembly made sense.  I stopped undoing
more screws after the first two didn't have any effect on the
headlight assembly at which point I pulled out the manual and
attempted it myself.

When I take my car in for its 105K checkup, I'm having them replace
the front driver side bulb whether it needs it or not (assuming it
hasn't already burned out).

>> Let me tell you a story about turn signal replacement on a Civic (I
>> have a 98).  It seems that in Honda's infinite wisdom, they made
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>I did the following steps last weekend to replace the front passenger
>side turn signal bulb in my daughter's 97 Civic EX:

. . . . .

>This took 3 hours to figure out plus the trip to O'Reilly for the bulb.
>
>Lynn
Lynn McGuire - 01 Jun 2007 00:32 GMT
> When I take my car in for its 105K checkup, I'm having them replace
> the front driver side bulb whether it needs it or not (assuming it
> hasn't already burned out).

>>This took 3 hours to figure out plus the trip to O'Reilly for the bulb.

It would only take me 30 minutes to replace the other bulb now that
I know the procedure ... and I did buy 2 bulbs just in case.

Lynn

Rate this thread:






 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.