Maybe this will help.
I realize there are threads on this subject before. In fact I got motivated to do this project because silverbullet05 started a thread here
http://www.ramforum.com/f41/sylvania-silverstars-installed-2012-ram-1500-a-21689/ but (call me dumb) I got elbows into the truck and still didn't know what I was looking at. I decided to take some photos and make a this detailed thread so my wife can do this mod while I'm at work (...like that will ever happen ppsssst!).
My project today was to switch my stock bulbs out for Sylvania Silverstars & Ultras. Here are the replacement bulbs you'll need.
Here are the tools you'll need for the entire job.
1) Remove the shoud. Probably the only thing I didn't take pics of is the radiator shroud/cover you'll have to remove. There are 6 plastic push clips that have to be pulled out to remove the shroud. I didn't stick the screwdriver under to pry it up because I didn't want to scratch the paint. I'm **** like that. I lifted the shroud on either side of the clip using both hands and pulled up until the push clips finally popped out.
2) Remove the grill. There are plenty of people that will tell you that they have no trouble with practice getting the headlight housing out without removing the grill. When I started to remove the headlight housing, the top bolt opened into the grill rear so I decided to take it out. There are 4 10mm bolts that have to be removed on the top of the grill. Once they are removed, there are two silver clips that hold the bottom of the grill in place. In order to release them you need to slightly lean the top of the grill (while standing in front of the grill facing the truck) toward you. There are two spring clips at the bottom (one on each side of the grill) that have to be popped out. That is all that is holding the grill. These are the pics of the bolts to remove.
These are the points on the truck where the items to be removed are. The two points at the bottom are where the spring clips that hold the bottom of the grill are.
This is the retainer and spring clip that you are removing. This photo is of the bottom of the grill. Keep in mind while you are removing the grill that the spring clip is under the silver plastic retainer. All you will see when you look down between the radiator and grill is the top of that silver clip.
This is where the spring clip is locked into. The hole just above it is where the plastic retainer is shoved into.
3) Remove the headlight housing. There are only two 10mm bolts and a plastic clip that you need to remove the headlight housing.
A) Here are the two 10mm bolts. As you can see in the pic I already removed the upper bolt.
B) You need to remove a sliding plastic retainer clip that you need to access from an access panel within the wheel well. I turned my tire to the left as far as it would go to give me the most room to work. Likewise, I turned the passenger side as far to the right as it would go. This photo is of the driver side so yu could see where the access panel is.
Here it is closer. To open the access panel, you need to remove the same type of push clip that held the radiator shroud/cover. It's at the bottom of the access panel.
Once you have it open, you'll have to reach in and feel around for a plastic slide retainer. The easiest way to find it is to feel your way along the fender, through a hole. Reach a bit higher and you will feel this SQUARE plastic piece you need. Once you find it, pull it down to release the headlamp housing. It looks like this and you can see my hand reaching into the access panel to give you an idea of how far you need to reach.
This is what is locked behind the slide plate. If you don't get to it the headlamp housing won't come out.
The headlamp housing is ready to be removed. It's much harder to pull it straight out. The easiest way to remove it is to grap the housing from from both sides (so it doesn't fall and scratch your bumper) then swing side near the bolts (center of the truck) toward you (in the direction of the front of the truck) and swing it (the center part) out toward the side of the truck. The opposite side still in it's place. As it swings out you will feel it release and come out easliy into your hands. As it comes out you will see the headlamp wires still holding onto the housing. The wires the farthest to the side of the truck are the amber parking lamps. Now is the time to change these if they are old so you don't have to go through this again in two weeks when it burns out. In this image you can see the smaller hole on the left with the light green color in it. That is where the amber parking lamp goes. Rotate it, to remove it.
The next wire that will be holding on, the last one left, is the headlamp power source. If anyone is installing HID replacement kit, this is the power source you will need to connect to the ballast. To seperate both clips apart you will need the flat head screw driver. First, slide the red retainer back away from the black pug. That is at the top of this image.
Next, reach in with the screwdriver and lift the green tab while pulling the plugs apart. Try not to pull too hard on the wires. We don't want them to come out without the plug.
Now the housing should be free. Place it on a soft cloth to avoid scratches while you work.
There are two dust covers that need to be rotated and removed. That will expose the both bubs (high and low beams) to be changed. Referring back to this image, the lower bulb is the high beam (replacement bulb 9005) and the One on top is the low beam, you can see it in this image with the green color (replacement bulb H11). The bulbs need to be rotated to be removed from the housing and the retainer clips released to pull the bulb from the plug for exchanging.
To reinstall, follow these directions in reverse order.
I exchanged my bulbs with the Sylvania brand "Silverstar Ultra" because I wanted a brighter bulb. I live on a dark dirt road away from the city so I needed the extra light. I took some before and after photos. They are explained below.
The first pictures are the fog lamps alone. Top before (stock bulbs) and bottom after (Sylvania Silverstar).
Second set is of the low beam headlight and fog lamps combined. Top before (stock bulbs) below after (Sylvania Silverstar Ultra).
Third set is of the high beam. Top before (stock bulbs) and below after (Sylvania Silverstar Ultra). By the way, the dot on the right side of the road is a stop sign lol.
If you want to know the difference of the stock bulb to an HID (high intensity discharge) lamp replacement, the HID's are 300% brighter than stock.
To replace the fog lamps, all you need to do is look under the truck and behind the bumper. This is what you'll see.
This image is taken from the driver side of the truck looking over to the passanger side. You can see the back of the fog lamp in white.
Exchange the bulbs by rotating the bulb to remove from the housing and removing the retainer clip to exchange the bulb. Then replace it (replacement bulb 9145).
This image show the bulb removed from the housing.
If this post helped one person out it was worth my time. Thanks for reading it!
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