70 series headlamp lens replacement

There's just the 3 bolts, and the electrical connection. The signal comes away with the headlight, just leave it hang on the wires, it'll snap back into place after the headlight is reinstalled. Then you need to remove the wiper stop, and all the clips holding the lens on. One clip will be glued, but the glue will break away fairly easily when you pry that clip off. I reused the original rubber gasket as it looked better than the one that came with the new lens. There's no vacuum issue.

Thanks very much Mike, I really appreciate it. JR

Well it looks like I will be doing this in the deep frezze. I plan to remove the assy and bring it inside where it is warmer. Any info on how to remove the wiper stop? What is the best direction to access it from?

The wiper stop is screwed into the headlight assembly from the bottom. It's easily accessible when the headlight is out of the car. The wiper arm will just fold out of the way.

Also, I've found that a Gear Wrench (ratcheting boxend combination wrench) is perfect for this job. If you've been thinking of getting a set, now's the time! There are different types, some have the normal

15° offset and a lever to change direction, some are flat, you just turn them over to change direction. The 15° offset is much better in this case. (Mine are Craftsman branded, from Sears.)

From my November 24th post. Hope it helps!!

So I finally got around to replacing the cracked headlight lens on my S70. From what I had read in this group it sounded like it would be time consuming if not particularly daunting. Within an hour and with 2 slightly dirty hands the job was done. The new lens looks great! I ordered the replacement from IPD and even though it took 6 weeks to arrive (The union that takes care of cross border importation in Canada went on strike the day after I placed my order!) all was in order. The replacement lens comes with new clips and a new rubber seal.

Listed below are the necessary steps to complete the replacement:

On the back of the headlight assembly are 3 bolts that hold the headlight unit to the front crossmember. Remove these. Extend headlight wiper if you have that option. Uncouple headlight connector from the back of the headlight unit. Uncouple second connector from the inboard side of the headlight unit. Gently (!!!) start to pull the headlight unit out of it's position while lifting just enough so as not to scrape the paint on the bumper. It will seem like the unit will not come out but it will eventually. There is a slide lock on the outer parking light attachment which will come out attached to the main headlight unit. Uncouple the parking light connector. The unit will now come away as one piece. Gently (!!!) slide the parking light portion forward while pushing backwards on the headlight unit. They are held together by another slide lock and will come apart eventually. Prise up on the clips holding the lens to the headlight unit. They come off more easily than it might appear they would. Or at least mine did. Remember to remove the headlight wiper clip from the bottom as the lens will not come away with it in place! Once all clips are removed prise the lens away from the headlight unit. Mine was original and was fitted very tightly as it had been there for 5 years. The lens will come away and the rubber seal should be re-usable if need be. Be very careful not to break the plastic track the seal sits in. Remove the rubber seal from the track in the headlight unit and clean the track well. Relpace with new seal and fit new headlight lens. Very gently snap new clips onto lens and headlight unit. I used a pair of needlenose pliers in reverse (To pull apart not squeeze together) to get the clips on. They have 2 holes in their tops that makes this possible. Once the headlight unit is together reverse all steps to put the unit back in. Just remember to replace the headlight wiper clip or you will have to remove the unit a second time like I did!

That should be it. I didn't need to remove anything in the engine bay to get at the 3 screws holding the unit in as others has mentioned they needed to. I have a digital camera and was going to take pictures but forgot to. Hope this helps!!

Jordan 1999 S70 Loaded!

Thanks for the details. I got lucky one day with warm weather at 28 degrees f and did the job (it had been in the single digits and below 0 for many days here) I did not have the racheting box wrench you mentioned. I can see how it would have speed things up. I found the round hole in the side fender to be helpful to manipulating the outside screw. The clips are a nice design. I found that when replacing them hooking them on the plastic side first and then pressing them in place over the glass edge worked well. I was careful to not pry againist the plastic when they were coming off. The aftermarket lens looks remarkably similar to the original (light pattern) so I am happy, it is also DOT approved, so no issues there. I found this to be easier than I expected it would be.

A note of caution the side marker lamp housing appears to me to be made of a plastic that becomes VERY brittle in the cold. I have found that the locking tabs will not unlatch without breaking the locking tab. I have found that in the cold temps it is common that in order to release the side marker lamp housing the locking tab must be pushed past the point that the plastic will stay together. I ended up doing a hidden wire retention to keep the housing in place. Can't tell from outside, only with the hood up.

Does anyone know are newer housings made from a material that performs better in cold weather?