How to Change a Headlight on a Honda Odyssey
by Jody L. Campbell
Introduced in 1994 as a1995 model series, the Honda Odyssey has used a couple of different headlight replacement procedures. Up until 2004, the Odyssey used an H4 headlight replacement. The single bulb accounted for both the low-beam and high-beam headlights. In 2005, the Odyssey employed two separate bulbs to account for the high beam and low beam units.
1995 to 2004 Honda Odyssey
Step 1
Open the hood. If you're replacing the driver's side headlight, proceed to Step 2. If you're replacing the passenger side headlight, proceed to Step 4.
Step 2
Remove the two upper plastic retaining pins from the air intake duct. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers if necessary.
Step 3
Pull upward on the air duct to release the lower retaining pin. Remove the remaining air duct housing by twisting it off of the air box housing.
Step 4
Disconnect the wire harness plug from the socket blades of the headlight.
Step 5
Pull the black rubber weather seal off of the back of the headlight assembly.
Step 6
Reach down into the location of the headlight and then disconnect the wire retaining clip by pressing it inward and away from the locking tab. Swing the clip out on its screw hinge to remove the headlight.
Step 7
Install the new headlight and reverse the procedure to reinstall. Be sure not to touch the glass bulb of the headlight with your bare skin. Oils in skin can create a weak spot on the bulbs and cause them to fail prematurely.
2005 to Present Honda Odyssey
Step 1
Open the hood and turn the headlights on to determine the position of the faulty light bulb. Low beam bulbs are on the outside near the fenders, and the high beams are inside near the grill. Turn the headlights off once you've located the spent bulb.
Step 2
Remove the air intake duct work as explained in Section 1 for the driver's side headlights.
Step 3
Disconnect the wire harness plug from the socket of the composite headlight.
Step 4
Turn the retaining ring collar counterclockwise 1/3 of the turn and then remove the collar and headlight from the headlight assembly.
Step 5
Install the new headlight by reversing the procedure. Again, be careful not to touch the glass bulb of the headlight with your bare hands. Be sure to align the retaining ring collar tabs to the grooves in the headlight assembly before turning a 1/3-turn clockwise to tighten it.
References
Things You'll Need
- Needle nose pliers
- Replacement headlight(s)
Writer Bio
Jody L. Campbell spent over 15 years as both a manager and an under-car specialist in the automotive repair industry. Prior to that, he managed two different restaurants for over 15 years. Campbell began his professional writing career in 2004 with the publication of his first book.
