[zcruiser]

EDIT (07/17/2017): Updated links to PostImage, but misplaced a few images.

Since I had to do it anyway, and didn't find a straightforward 'how to' on changing the lamps on stock 3rd-gen fogs, I thought I would go ahead and do a step-by-step while I figured it out for myself so the next guy would know what he's in for.

Since I have a '99 Limited, it came with stock fog lamps, so this is not for SR5's that might have the Hella DE's installed. It's not a hard job for either one, but the first time I looked up under the bumper at the stock fogs, I thought "how the heck are you supposed to change those things???". After removing the assembly, I started disassembling the lens part first, thinking that was how to get to the lamp, but that turned out to be totally wrong, so here it is.

Removing the stock fog assembly is easy. Disconnect the harness and remove one 8mm bolt.
(This is the driver side.)
IMG_0846.jpg

Then slide the assembly out sideways (towards the center of the vehicle), and here's where you'll see the 2 mounting holes on the outboard side.
IMG_0845.jpg

Next is to clean off the assemblies (since they are not protected from any road grime), and flip them over so the cap is on top. Obviously you'll have wanted to purchase your replacement bulbs ahead of time. I chose the Hella H3 110W Yellow Stars (Amazon price $6 each) because after all, these are fog lights:


Then remove the three small screws from the cap. You may want to spray them with PB Blaster and let them set a spell before attempting to remove, as you don't want to bugger up these small screws.


Note there is no need to remove the screws around the lens, nor the side screws, nor to touch the aiming adjustment screws. (These are all screws I messed with when I didn't now how to get to the bulb.) Other than spraying these with silicone spray right before reinstallation, there is no need to touch these.

Flip the top up, and you'll see a wire spring latch holding the H3 bulb in the socket. Unlatch and rotate the spring out of the way to remove the bulb. Note the path of the bulb wire so that you get it routed the same way when you put in the new bulb.


Remove the bulb and pull the spade end of the wire out of the harness. This part is much easier said than done, and I ended up splitting the white rubber boot to get to the spade and prying it out of the connector with a small screwdriver rather than yanking it out and risking pulling the connector off the harness. That required me to then wrap the boot with electrical tape after reassembly.


Reinstall the new bulb, taking care not to touch the glass. If you do, clean it up with alcohol and dry with a lint-free cloth. Insert the spade lug back into the connector inside the white rubber boot, and re-install the white boot back into the cap as shown:


Reinstall the wire spring clip over the bulb and make sure the spring clamp is securely under the clip, and the electrical wire is not under the clamp.

Now you can reinstall the cap and the three screws. Turn down the screws in rotation so that you get an even seating of the cap all the way around the seal. Don't tighten one down all the way then go to the next our you may cause a gap in the seal.

Now you can reinstall the fogs. Spray the side screws, adjustment screw, and 8mm bolt with silicon spray to give them a little protection from the elements.

Here are the new Yellow Stars turned on, albeit in the daytime. I'll add a night shot later.
IMG_0848.jpg

Night shot...

[peppster66]

thanks so much for this, I really wanted to do this, and had no idea how, all the steps you showed make it real simple,,,thanks,,,,,,,

[Ancient]

Nice guide. I had to figure this out by myself a few weeks ago.

However, instead of completely removing the light assemblies, I just got under the car and took off the 3 little screws, removing the bottom cover and followed the same process after that.


Actually, it was a little harder than that for me as the previous owner had apparently tried to change out the bulbs but stripped all 3 screws on the driver's side. That was a real PITA...

[cwrose]

Thanks for such a great how-to. I actually have to do this with the gf's 4runner sometime. I've been waiting for it to warm up and I think 20 degrees is going to be the best I get.

[maine runner]

There are threads on this. I posted to a few when my bolts were frozen.
I replaced the OEM's with Hella's Micro DE's.

If you travel in a northern climate with sand, salt and grime I strongly suggest treating the bolts with anti-seize. The phillips heads are very small and strip easily.

[jtl_low]

Do you know if it is possible to buy just the glass that covers the light bulbs? Both of mine are broke but I don't want to buy an entire fog lamp.

[peppster66]

I have 2000 ltd, I just wanted to ask what replacement bulbs is everyone using for their replacement foglights, I have seen from 55watts, all the way up to 130 watts, I want to change them, but not sure what the best size and watts would be,,, thanks,,,,,,,

[Brian32]

Originally Posted by zcruiser

Since I have a '99 Limited, it came with stock fog lamps, so this is not for SR5's that might have the Hella DE's installed.

im confused are the hella de standard on the sr5 and not the limited?....i have a 02 sport are the fogs on a limited different from the the sport.. because i found some at a junk yard and this place is pretty far away i dont want to drive an hour for nothing...

[99_4Runner]

I have been looking for a couple of weeks on how to do this correctly, thank you for posting this. I ordered my replacements as HID 5900K's to match my headlights. Once again.............thanks for this post.

[t4rain]

thank you for the write-up... my fog lights weren't working and i was fearing it was something more than 2 bulbs being out. luckily, it is just a few bulbs - cheap fix

[wjamyers]

Originally Posted by zcruiser

Since I had to do it anyway, and didn't find a straightforward 'how to' on changing the lamps on stock 3rd-gen fogs, I thought I would go ahead and do a step-by-step while I figured it out for myself so the next guy would know what he's in for.

THANK YOU!!!! I spent an hour and 20 minutes the other day, lying on my back in the cold under my '99 SR5, in the parking lot of the inspection station figuring this out (clearly, I'm not mechanically-inclined).

The night before I had soaked every damn screw on the assembly with liquid wrench. I decided to start with the 3 little screws since someone said that's "all" you have to do, at least I didn't strip anything (way to make things easy engineers) .

Those damn little springs blew my mind, before I knew it they were both lying on the ground and I had no idea how they were supposed to go back in. I made them work backwards and passed inspection.

When I got home I knew I'd done something wrong (was pretty obvious) so I started looking around and I found this. So I'm gonna buy me some anti-seize (just for good measure when I put them back on) and go back and do this job again (it will be warmer this time) except this time I'll know exactly what I'm doing thanks to THIS FANTASTIC POST!!!

Thanks again.

Interesting note (perhaps), the bulbs that came out looked brand new with no visible defects on the filaments, the inside of the housing was sparkling clean. I was dismayed because I started out with the fuses and so thought the problem may be elsewhere and expensive and that I was probably screwed for my inspection with only an hour to go before they closed. So I told myself "screw it, I'll put the new ones in, if they fix it great, if not i'll have spare bulbs for my fogs for later". Luckily they fixed it. But that's pretty weird to me, TWO bulbs that didn't work, both of which looked perfect? Maybe they were the wrong kind or something. Anyhoo, stoked.

[zcruiser]

Originally Posted by Brian32

im confused are the hella de standard on the sr5 and not the limited?....i have a 02 sport are the fogs on a limited different from the the sport.. because i found some at a junk yard and this place is pretty far away i dont want to drive an hour for nothing...

Dunno about Sport models, but SR5's typically don't come w. fogs and people put in the Hella DE's because they're a nice fit. If your sport has fogs like the picture above then they are the same as Limited. Hella DE's are a different housing. That's about all I know...

[SkidPalace]

So how are those 110W bulbs working out?
I didn't see any mention of upgrading the wiring. Do you run the fogs all the time?
I leave mine on all the time and I am wondering if I can safely run the 100+W bulbs on the stock harnesses.
I do see an 85W Yellow Star on Amazon for ~$6. I may grab those.
Thanks for the writeup, I have been scratching my head for a while trying to figure out how to remove the fogs in order to fix a rattle in the mounting brackets. It appears one of the plastic bushings that sit in the guide holes is broken and missing. I will have to fab one of those up unless someone knows where to get a replacement.

[zcruiser]

How did they work out? I'll show you how they worked out...



But regardless, I really don't think there's any issue with running the 110W bulbs continuously. Increase from 85W to 110W is 25W or ~2A. I never blew a fuse with the 110W bulbs (when I had them), and I'm sure the wiring can carry more than the fuse that protects it.

[notrayray]

Dude.......
What happened, I mean besides the obvious.