07 Headlight removal instructions with pics

[Mongo Ranger]

Ok, here we go!

Tools needed:
small regular screw driver - to help get the pop pins out
7mm and 10mm sockets 1/4" drive is fine
1/4" drive 6" extension
1/4" swivel
1/4" drive ratchet or I used my cordless drill with the extension in the chuck
10mm combo wrench

Time:
50 - 70 minutes

Bulbs:
High Beam: 9005LL
Low Beam: H11
DRL: 3157K
Turn Signal: 3457NAK

Please note that these images are of the driver’s side.  Also, turning the wheel all the way to the right for the driver’s side and left for the passenger’s side helps give you more room to work.

Step 1:
Take out all 6 bolts along the top of the grille.



Step 2:
Take out the 2 - 7mm screws, 3 push pins, and 2 pop in pins in the wheel well



Step 3:
Pull the wheel well lining towards the tire and remove the 2 10mm bolts that go up into the fender.  When you remove them the bumper mounting bracket will come out.  Also note that this image shows the location of the 3rd headlight bolt as well as a bumper mounting bracket.





Step 4:
Remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the headlight in.  2 are on top and the third is behind the bumper as shown in the last image.  I found that I was able to pull down on the bumper and use the extension with a swivel to take the 3rd bolt out.



Step 5:
Pull the entire headlight forward.  You will notice 2 guide pins that go into the fender and a part that snaps in on the inside of the headlight.  Pull it forward just enough to clear those pins and unsnap the inside.



Step 6:
Pull the inner corner of the headlight out while pushing down on the bumper.  Take care of the snaps along the edge of the headlight as they get caught on the bumper and can scratch it.  TAKE YOUR TIME AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE DOING, this is the hardest part.  As you get the inner side of the headlight out rotate the headlight leaving the outside stationary.  The reason for this is the bracket that was held by the 3rd headlight bolt hangs down there.  You have to get the inside of the headlight out then you can move the outside in and clear the top of the headlight and the fender.





Step 7:
Once you have the headlight out, disconnect the wiring harness and remove the headlight.

Step 8:
Change what ever it was you needed to change and put them AMBERS in the DRL's!!

Step 9:
Replace the headlight the same way you took it out.  It seems to go in much easier then it came out. Don’t forget to reconnect the wiring harness!

Step 10:
Repeat steps 2-9 for the other side.

Step 11:
Put everything back together in reverse order.  I suggest testing the lights after you put the 3 10mm headlight bolts back in.  (the same ones you took out in step 4)

Please do not repost this on another site without permission, remember it is copyrighted.

[Az-Spoiled-Wife]

Cool. This is great. Thanks so very much. We will have to check it out on ours. I feel nekkid without ambers on my front.

[DougD]

Wow, that's convenient.......

 

GREAT writeup, LOUSY design from GM.

[ItsStopher]

Good job

[ASUndevil]

Excellent pics and instructions...thank-you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[DougTX]

Great writeup! Glad someone finally figured out the correct way to do this.

A little more time consuming than my "remove the top bolts & rip the skin off your hands" method.   

[Z66 BUTCH]

I sure hope that you bought those long life bulbs, that is quite a job to change to ambers! Good post!

Butch

[Mongo Ranger]

Here is the finished product!

[Az-Spoiled-Wife]

Looking good. 

We will probably try mine on the weekend.

[ygmn]

Seems that is pretty complicated for something that should be easy...

i mean if you go to dealership for bulb change (some may not be able to do self) they would charge you like 1-2 hours...OUCH...

there has to be better way... or someone slap the designer of the light attachment point...

[Tdybr27]

My guess is that the same person that designed the headlights on the 07 is the same person that thought of removing the cladding.

 

[avdavidw]

Maybe this will be on the list of things to fix between the 07 and 08 models, just like there was a lot that changed between the 02's and 03's.

Great writeup though, truck looks sharp!

David

[RoarinRow]

Maybe this will be on the list of things to fix between the 07 and 08 models, just like there was a lot that changed between the 02's and 03's.

Great writeup though, truck looks sharp!

David

Definitely great write up.   

[blackbeauty]

You've gotta go through all of that just to change a bulb??!!!!!!!!  There is no way GM complicated such a simple process!!!!!!!

Excellent write up and detail BTW.

[Uesque]

I think it should be a rule that whoever designs it, should also have to assemble and dissassemble it before the design is approved.  Like the S60 with it's wheel bolts instead of studs/lugs.  You have to hold the wheel in place while trying to start the bolt.  The engineers should all have to be mechanics first.

[USA1fan]

My guess is that the same person that designed the headlights on the 07 is the same person that thought of removing the cladding.

 

Nope.  This was the same guys that came up with cladding in the first place.  More stuff between the working parts and the parts that need replacement to worry with.

[PUNISHER]

   cool.

[MrJim]

Really nice write-up, Mongo, but shoot,   I could almost replace all of  my front lights (10 in all)  inteh time it took to read your instructions. 

Nice going, GM.


MrJim

[Intimidatoruag]

Congrats on the new truck! ... looking good!

[Dune]

Very nice write-up!

[ajhartman]

Very good write up..  thanks..

NOW.. can you do the same for the fog lights?   

[Mongos Wife]

07 fog light info

Ask and you shall receive! (and I helped!) 

[SabreXray]

 

This writeup so makes me want to run out and buy a 2007 so I can do this AMBER mod. (And put in some HIDs while I am at it!)

JP

[SamHouseIII]

Just wondering, What does the owners manual say about bulb replacement and how to do it?

Yes this is a great write up.  Thanks for the detailed info 

Sam

[Mongo Ranger]

The owners manual says to see your dealer. 

I bet that the engineer that came up with this design also saw his dealer before he made this design, I just don’t think it was his local Chevy dealer.

[SamHouseIII]

I walked into that one 

Sam

[Az-Spoiled-Wife]

I got my ambers put in today in addition to the arizona avalanches window decal & a LOF.

 

    Thanks to ghostwheel, avalanchevy & amd1900mp for the installs.   

I am not 100 % sure what method they used to get the ambers in. Hopefully one of them will post up. I was busy trying to skim thru the owners manual. The lt3 has a lot more options then my old ls.

[Az-Spoiled-Wife]

Now we need to figure out full time drls. Has anyone done that yet?

[avalanCHEVY]

 “Spoiled, your humble and unworthy minions were honored to serve you once again, your magnificence.”



Several members of the ‘Arizona Avalanches' club did learn a few things about the 07 model on Sunday July 09. We tackled the amber DRL swap on the 07 Avalanche of Az_Spoiled_Wife.

Thanks go out to Donna, Eric, Todd, Keith, Darlene and Nick who all assisted.

Installing the ambers on an 07 is not that bad – it is mostly removing and reinstalling a bunch of 10mm bolts, four sheet metal screws, and a handful of snap-in plastic plugs. Mongo Ranger’s amber’s installation instructions and photo’s are right on and provided us with the information base we needed.

http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,66071.0.html

Many Thanks to you, Mongo Ranger – great job!

We gained a lot of experience and knowledge from our learning curve.
I figure future DRL swaps will require about a half hour per Avalanche.

The 07’s are now factory equipped with 4-ONs – the low beams now stay on when the high beams are switched on. No more need to mod to get this feature. (Did GM pick this up from our 02-06 mod postings?)

We were next going to remove the tailgate to make installation of a ‘Line of Fire’ L.E.D. (rear lighting strip) just a bit easier.
The first thing we did was to disconnect the tailgate wiring connector beneath the tailgate. This connector routes the wires for the tailgate lock and rear camera.
The second thing we did was start to remove the tailgate. We noticed that the tailgate is now VERY easy to raise or lower. Apparently there is now a spring or other torsion system to give assistance.
On the left pivot of the tailgate seems to be installed a device, or cover/adjustment for the device.
At that point we did not go further with our attempt to remove the tailgate for fear that a spring would go "SPROING"    and that we would not be able or know how to reassemble or retension said device.

More info should be ferreted out before anyone attempts to remove an 07 tailgate.

P.S. The owner’s manual does state to NOT attempt tailgate removal, and this issue COULD be one of the reasons.

We were not able to accomplish the Full Time DRL’s mod. The wiring system is totally different from the 03-06 models. We pulled several relays in an attempt to at least identify the relay controlling the DRL’s and we were unable to narrow this down. By the way, the under hood electrical center now has about half the relays and fuses of the 03-06 models.

At this point we decided to stop our Full Time DRL’s mod attempt and do further research in our need to locate schematics for the 07 headlight/parking/DRL wiring design.

And it was 106 degrees while we did all this, but we did have a nice floor fan and plenty of cold water to assist in death-prevention.

           

[CavalancheNY]

Any one try these yet?

Hyper Amber
http://www.stylinconcepts.com/part.aspx/partid/19710/partfamilyid/267/subcategoryid/353/categoryid/26

or

Super Amber
http://www.stylinconcepts.com/part.aspx/partid/19709/partfamilyid/267/subcategoryid/353/categoryid/26


LED Action
http://www.jamstrait.com/

[WaterRat75]

Ok, since I'm fairly new to the forums here, I've gotta ask the STUPID question.  What the heck is the deal with Ambers?    I've seen it mentioned in multiple threads.

[CavalancheNY]

Replacing your clear DRL's with Amber bulbs.

http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,20905.0.html

Ok, since I'm fairly new to the forums here, I've gotta ask the STUPID question.  What the heck is the deal with Ambers?    I've seen it mentioned in multiple threads.

[steve841]

Man ... thanks tons for the outline.

I cut some corners cuz I was only replacing the hi/low beams.  But could NOT have done it without this guide!!!

[Ldiddy]

Many thanks Mongo Ranger.  Put my ambers in today in about 45 minutes with your directions.

[PUNISHER]

   kinda sucks you have to get into the wheel well to get the headlight out.

[betty bowtie]

Okay, I don't get it.  maybe it's because I am a woman, and/or because I am blonde.  But why go through all that trouble?  Just drive with your parking lights on!  Maybe I'm missing something, please elaborate.

[CavalancheNY]

Heck yeah... and those plastic push pins are only gonna take so many pulls and pushes till they break and become useless, then the plastic in the wheel well will be floppin in the breeze.

   kinda sucks you have to get into the wheel well to get the headlight out.

[USA1fan]

Dunno Cav.  The Silverado used those same pushpins, and I can tell you I removed and reinstalled them several times while working with the GM mudflaps I put on it.  They still worked fine.   (read instructions better next time! )

Besides, at the rate GMs replacing real sheet metal screws and the associated metal retainers with these plastic things, they should be a dime a dozen from the dealership before long.

[USA1fan]

Oh- and the plastic pushpins are a heckuva lot easier to remove and reinstall than screws any day too!  I actually saved some from the Silverado mudflaps because it had extras for those that needed them to install on Suburbans.  So I at least have a few spares if I do ruin the ones in the AV. 

[LakeLewy]

I replaced my DRL's last night with great ease thanks to the write up... much props Mongo Ranger! 

[NatsCanAv]

I think it should be a rule that whoever designs it, should also have to assemble and dissassemble it before the design is approved. Like the S60 with it's wheel bolts instead of studs/lugs. You have to hold the wheel in place while trying to start the bolt. The engineers should all have to be mechanics first.

OMG .. You got that right .. building the new 900 pu's is a nightmare compared to the 800 model.. No Auto engenieer should be let near a cad programme until he has served a 5 year apprenticship  "on the line" This would bennifit everyone from the customer right up to the guy who has to try and put this stuff together on the assembly line .. Dealers will love this repair and GM's warrenty costs will sky rocket at the rate GM products seem to eat bulbs ... Just look at 800 series trucks comming down the road with only one drl ... You won't have to look far!!!!

Nats

nats

[stu1965]

anyone figure out the full time drls yet? I would love to have mine on at night.

and thx to mongo. even the chevy dealer dudes were happy to see those instructions.

Best,
Stu

[stu1965]

these are the ones I used in my truck. they are amber.

[billhill]

Do the silverstars last longer, or are they just brighter?

[stu1965]

honestly bill, i dont know. I have my truck a few weeks, installed them on a receomndation from Jsal (our long island avy club coordinater). They're advertised as 'higher end' product, but for all i know thats just marketing fodder bs.

quick edit - the silverstars look really cool when they are NOT lit. gives off this blueish silverish hue. i just noticed it today, so im double stoked.

[Barness]

Thank you so much Mongo these are the best instructions I could have hoped for. Again thanks, Barness

[PUNISHER]

   i might needs these instructions tomorrow if i get to meet iculookn'.

[Tazner]

Thanks Mongo... your instructions saved me God knows how much time and headache!! 

[sunburstltz]

Thanks for the instructions on taking out the headlights, without it I would of took all night hooking up my HIDS. 

[PhoenixTX]

Just to double check...the 3157K is the Amber bulb to use to replace the DRL or is the original DRL number?  Please verify, I am planning this change on Friday for my 07.

Thanks,
Duane.

[WaterRat75]

DRHopple I just did mine last weekend.  I bought the Silverstar 3157A (A is for amber).  The instructions here kicked butt and took me less than an hour to do both sides.  VERY sweet!

[Demon]

with this out is the horn easy to get to I cant seem to reach the thing from above or below I can just touch them with the tip of my finger.

[skipsville]

Mongo Ranger,

Let me add my thanks to those of everyone else here for the great write up and pics.

[XRover]

This should be sticky posted>>

[goatboy]

what a way to spend hangover day replacing drl's
man the instructions were dead on :cool:thanks
what i want to know is who's friggin idea was it to make the lights so easy to do? my 02 i was done in 2 min, this took an hour through hungover eyes   oh well i got it done but no pics cause it was after dark when i got done, maybe later, thanks again for the help
goatboy

[Shels Land]

Thanks a ton for the instructions! Helped my hubby out a lot   

He said don't try any short cuts, follow them all the way, except to pull the front radiator/bumper cover out slightly after taking out the bolts (in step 6 photo, when it says to pull gently here...you can pull out the whole bumper cover a couple of inches and he said that made it easier for him). It worked even better the second time he had to do it...bulb filliment was broken, so didn't realize until he put it in and tried it...oops!

Took some pictures, will post later.

Thanks again!

[Shels Land]

Here they are installed. Thanks again!

[XRover]

OMG, What a Pain in the @$$.

I removed mine today to install HID's and Amber DRL's. I have already decided that if a bulb burns out, I am going to sell the truck.. 

[Sarge E5, USMC]

Mini-Yak wants to do this on his new one, and I told him I'd help him!

WHAT did I get myself into?!?!?!?!




heheheheh

[Sarge E5, USMC]

Does the 07 take the 3157/4157NALL bulb like the rest of them do?

hellOOOOoOOOoooooo........

[2007LS]

After 8 months I put mine in this afternoon while it was 66 degrees and sunny.

Next mod is a replacement grill - it's ordered and on the way...

Thanx for the detailed instructions  - I had attempted this mod twice before the instructions were posted but was not able to get the assembly out far enough. Today was a breeze with the instructions in hand - BIG THANX to Mongo Ranger for posting this mod, I owe you a couple brewski's  and some boiled shrimp if you ever make it down to Pensacola, FL.

One minor change when I did it -

Step 3:
Also note that this image shows the location of the 3rd headlight bolt as well as a bumper mounting bracket.
Step 4:
Remove the 3 10mm bolts holding the headlight in.  2 are on top and the third is behind the bumper as shown in the last image. 

The 3rd bolt can just be loosened as the bracket that bolt holds holds has an open notch on the back side of the bracket  allowing it to slide forward without taking the bolt all the way out.  Saves a little time.

Keep an eye out for my ambers, I get around the country !!!

[Denman]

Thanks for the instructions it worked out, although I did not have to remove the headlamp nor take out the lower fender bolts, just had room enough to unscrew the lamp holder pull the bulb and put the new bulb in . Of course I did this for a living and sometimes you can feel your way around, suggestions are to adhere to the instructions given to do this, thanks again for the excellent guide!!!

[Flint4x4]

.. building the new 900 pu's is a nightmare compared to the 800 model.. No Auto engineer should be let near a cad programme until he has served a 5 year apprenticship  "on the assembly line"

after one week of GMT900 everyone is complaining and we're only at 60% production. It's going to take more man hours to build which adds up to way more hours to service.

I have small enough hands toughened by years on the line, I think I can get my hands in there without removing the headlights. I get scrapes and cuts on my hands daily anyway.

[Freebie]

Weather finally co-operated with me long enough to be able to get these babies installed... great directions, terrible design!  Only broke one clip 

[Dune]

Weather finally co-operated with me long enough to be able to get these babies installed... great directions, terrible design!  Only broke one clip 

looking good!

[Ambalanche]

WOW!!  Do you have to go through all that to replace the low beams also? I was thinking of adding low beam silverstars, but I've heard they don't last that long so if it's that much of a pain I might not. Only had it for two days so I haven't had time to look. 

[steve841]

YES...The only thing is ...  I dont think they make the H11 bulb in Silverstar series....

[gdoebs]

Thanks for the directions. I installed my Silverstar DRL bulbs today - my second mod so far... Here's the picts.

[Ambalanche]

YES...The only thing is ...  I dont think they make the H11 bulb in Silverstar series....

So the bulb is different also for the '07's than the previous generation? I never changed out the low beams on any of my previous AV's so I figured it'd be the same. Hmmph. 

[steve841]

So the bulb is different also for the '07's than the previous generation? I never changed out the low beams on any of my previous AV's so I figured it'd be the same. Hmmph. 

The lowbeam is an H11 and I think Hella offers an extra bright version ...  which is what I used.  I am hoping that the Silverstars become available as I believe they are superior to the Hellas ....

[Ambalanche]

I had read in past years that many members here installed silverstars and they burned out quickly. I was going to try and install some, but if it's that much of a pain in the A$$ to install, I may not. I mean I figured ok, fifty bucks or so if they burned out, then I'd just put the regular one's back in, but who want's to take apart the front of the truck just to change a bulb?  

[steve841]

Its a pain compared to the old trucks ... but not a deal breaker.

The silverstars last.  I had them in my last truck for well over 2 years without any issue.

[Ambalanche]

Do you like the Hella's Steve? I'm wanting a whiter light. Also, are there any aiming issues with having to remove stuff and put it back on like that? 

[steve841]

The Hellas are better than the stockers and NOT as good as the Silver Stars...  So until the Silvers are available ... thats about as good as it gets.

I cut a few corners doing the lights.  I never actually took out the assembly.  I removed all the screws outlined in the guide. Then I just moved the light housing enough to get my hand in there to replace the bulbs....

Nothing really came apart. And went together smoother than I expected.

[Ambalanche]

So I guess you still have to be careful not to touch the bulbs huh? How much are the Hellas? Do they give a white light? 

[steve841]

Yep... no touching....

I paid about $50.00

[Ambalanche]

Bout what I figured. So it the light noticably whiter than stock?

[steve841]

They are whiter than stock...  I would say noticably .....  but like I said ...  not as good as the silverstars...

[CavalancheNY]

Doesn't PIAA make the highbeam (9005LL) and lowbeam (H11) in the extreme white plus 4000K?  Was looking at them.  Anyone know the lamp code for the stock fog lights?  might as well upgrade them while I got everything open.  Also still looking for BRIGHT led's to replace my DRL's to amber and LED.

[Armageddon]

GM needs to kill themselves for makin that front end like that. Any little accident would be hell on the entire front end, and that's just plain complicated.

[danlwil]

The Hellas are better than the stockers and NOT as good as the Silver Stars...  So until the Silvers are available ... thats about as good as it gets.

I cut a few corners doing the lights.  I never actually took out the assembly.  I removed all the screws outlined in the guide. Then I just moved the light housing enough to get my hand in there to replace the bulbs....

Nothing really came apart. And went together smoother than I expected.

that's encouaging

I'm wanting to change things out... but not screw things up....  if it's too difficult little accidents happen and things don't work out right

[Ambalanche]

that's encouaging

I'm wanting to change things out... but not screw things up....  if it's too difficult little accidents happen and things don't work out right

What he said! 

[steve841]

Guys,

It's not that bad....   just time consuming (about 1 hour)

[CavalancheNY]

When compared with the ease of changing bulbs on a '02-'06 AV it is BAD.  Good design '02-'06 for the headlights and changing them, '07 BAD design for the headlights and changing them.

Guys,

It's not that bad....   just time consuming (about 1 hour)

[Timgco]

So, do we use Hella, PIAA, or silverstars?  I understand the outstanding write up (thank you BTW) but am confused as to what bulbs/ brands to get now. 

I have used Silvertars on my past 5 HUMMERS and love them! 

I want an extreme white light and than the ambers for the DRL's. 

So what brand/ part numbers do I use for:


PART             BRAND              PART#
-----------------------------------------------------
HI
-----------------------------------------------------
LOW
-----------------------------------------------------
Turn
-----------------------------------------------------
DRL's
-----------------------------------------------------
Fogs
-----------------------------------------------------

[CavalancheNY]

Here's the info I've been able to come up with, please check me on these.... funny that the '07 owners manual doesn't seem to have the answers:

High - 9005LL
Low - H11
DRL - 3157K
Turn Sig - 3457NAK
Fog - H3

Been looking at:
PIAA Xtreme White Plus 4000K (x2 19615, x1 19015) for the High
PIAA Xtreme Whote Plus 4000K (x2 15211, x1 15111) for the low
Hella Extreme Yellow might be a good place for DRL's and/or Fog's, I have yet to find a LED to take the place with the light quailty of the original white DRL.

[Timgco]

Here's the info I've been able to come up with, please check me on these.... funny that the '07 owners manual doesn't seem to have the answers:

High - 9005LL
Low - H11
DRL - 3157K
Turn Sig - 3457NAK
Fog - H3

Been looking at:
PIAA Xtreme White Plus 4000K (x2 19615, x1 19015) for the High
PIAA Xtreme Whote Plus 4000K (x2 15211, x1 15111) for the low
Hella Extreme Yellow might be a good place for DRL's and/or Fog's, I have yet to find a LED to take the place with the light quailty of the original white DRL.

Thanks for the reply.  I'm going to call the PIAA rep on Tuesday. 

[pj41]

If you're just doing ambers, I found a few shorcuts.

In Step 2, I only removed the 2 screws and the pins between them, not the other pushpins. After doing the driver's side I noticed the other pins didn't have to come out. The headlight bolt in the wheelwell only needs to be loosened, not removed. I also didn't pull the headlight assembly all the way out, just enough to reach down and switch out the bulbs.

[jeev]

wow this is unbearable!!! why is it sooooo tough?!?!? this is gonna be a bitch to do.. especially adding xenons and i have to figure out these auto lights so it doesn't burn it..

[jeev]

my friend installed the xenons without opening anything other than the passenger side air filter, removing it... driver side, didn't even need to open anything =)

[msdinsp]

I notice from your avatar that your truck is not an '07, is your friends?

[jeev]

that's my '03, it's gone.. '07 pics @ http://data.whitedwarfinc.com/avalanche

and btw, my friend installed the xenons without taking out the housing, that was the first time the pics i took.. we cracked the bulb, second time i got replacements, he stuck his hand in perfectly and other side.. air filter =) more pix coming soon

[RobertTX]

Question - would it be worth it to also put silver stars in the turn signal lights as long as I'm replacing the DRLs???

If so is it the same part number as the DRLs??

Thanks in advance.

[jeev]

i never touched the DRL's.. the headlights are not the same as the 2003 though, all i did was put the H11 HID conversion kit =)

[Homer]

I pulled the lights if you follow step by step and have patience it is not that bad

be carefull with fogs there is no exact fit for them from what i have seen you will be modding the housing for any other bulb

[TimLT2]

One other note.  If you have 20" wheels or larger you will not have the amount of clearance that the pictures shows in the fender well.  No real big deal though.

[dorokusai]

Here's the info I've been able to come up with, please check me on these.... funny that the '07 owners manual doesn't seem to have the answers:

High - 9005LL
Low - H11
DRL - 3157K
Turn Sig - 3457NAK
Fog - H3

Been looking at:
PIAA Xtreme White Plus 4000K (x2 19615, x1 19015) for the High
PIAA Xtreme Whote Plus 4000K (x2 15211, x1 15111) for the low
Hella Extreme Yellow might be a good place for DRL's and/or Fog's, I have yet to find a LED to take the place with the light quailty of the original white DRL.

I'm not sure about the H3 for the foglight bulb.....where did you find that information? Just wondering.

[Phil_508]

I did the silverstars yesterday, 20 mins a side. I also only removed 2 pins and the 7 mm screw from the wheel well, just popped the liner open enough to get the bottom headlight bracket bolt off. Also did not have to remove the headlight assembly, just pulled it out enough to get my hand in through the grill and behind to take out socket. Then I moved the socket up enough to replace bulb and put back together.

Couldn't do it with out these instructions.

Thanks

[dorokusai]

Phil - Do you have a model number for the Silverstar Ambers?

[Phil_508]

Sivlerstar# 3157A/4137A ST

[chAVey]

Just wanted to say Thanks for the thread too.  I spent about 30 mins under the hood looking for a way to get the lights out, looked in the owners manual for 15 mins where it says headlights are a dealer service item!, came up here and found this thread in 5 mins.  Took me only another 30 mins to go back down and change out the Ambers!  Thank You to Everyone in CAFCNA!

Now, some notes for 2008's:
1. That bumper bracket is different.  Its more of a solid triangle piece instead of that "L" shaped bracket back on page 1.
2. I never could actually get the entire headlight assy out from behind the bumpers.  Seems to be some foam pieces glued to the assy so that I couldn't pull it out.  I did get it loosened enough to get the DRLs in there, but I'm not sure that you could put in HIDs without damaging the bulbs.

[EPD]

Mongo Ranger;
Thanks for your detail instruction on the head light removal, this should make my job changing my bulbs much easier, but it still going to be a big job.  I can't imagin GM making this such a difficult job, but on the other hand they want you to go to a dealer for this task so they can charge you a $150. 00
Thanks again
EPD

[Avalanche Wolf]

The first time around is the worst but not too bad after that. took me about 30 mins to pull both and another 20 to put them back in

[Boston Avalanche]

 :thumbsup:

Thanks for the great write up and pics!!!!!!

You are a life and $$ saver!!!

[k15goose]

to everyone who replaced their headlight bulbs:

have any burned out?  how do you like them?  and can you compare them to any others?

[Supermobile]

Has anyone actually gotton a quote from a dealer? How much to change a bulb?

Thanks,

Larry

[Hadys]

Changed out my '08's DRL's this weekend.

Printed out the instructions and had them on my engine.   A couple of politicians came by passing out flyers, they said "Uh-oh he has the instructions out" and put the flyers on the ground under my tools.   They made nice coasters for my beers.  

Thanks for the awesome guide!

[Fratt]

Mongo Ranger,

Let me add my thanks for the great write up and pics.

It was Easy to do and just take your time. It will be ok.
But its STUPID!! Why so hard to change a bulb?

Got my 07 of Thursday and now Ambers on Sunday...

My 03 is cruising town still with the ambers I put in and my 05 will be out soon I'm sure with the Ambers, the Dealer leaves them in and I left Tagging Cards in the truck. The dealer knows to leave them for the next owner..

Thanks Again!!!

[elementr1]

This saved me from killing the front end of my truck! Thanks for the pics and great instructions! What the hell were the techs @ GM  thinking???

[hoffkm]

Just put Silverstar ambers on my 07.   Thank you Mongo Ranger for the very detailed instructions.   I don't have near enough patience to figure this out on my own.   I would have ended up cutting or hammering something!

If the Avalance was assembled in the states this wouldn't be nearly this difficult.   The American workers on the assembly line would have forced a change since this design cannot be easy for the line to assemble either.

I wonder how many other 5 minute changes I will encounter over the life of this vehicle that will take an hour to complete (how many engineers does it take to change a light bulb??).

[chAVey]

Thanks again for the instructions.

Let me say again, this will NOT work on the 2008s.  I tried to get the passenger side headlight out again this weekend.  Got the clips over the bumper, but couldn't get it out completely.  There is a plastic/foam piece that prevents it from coming over the bumper.  I even got under and unbolted the bumper on the passenger side and it still wouldn't come off.  You would definitely have to take the entire bumper off to get the headlights completely out.

(BTW, the reason I needed to get it out was to replace the passenger side horn with one of those Wolo "Bad Boy" air horns.  Sounds exactly like a train horn, although admittedly not as loud.  Still sounds decent though.  Talk about a PITA replacing it without removing the light!  Removed the airbox and went in from behind.)

[k15goose]

hmm, link to this horn?  im looking for a louder one also without having to put a compressor in just yet.  did you get it installed?  impressed?

[chAVey]

Heres the really long linky thingy.  Check around, I think you can get it at Harbor Freight on sale for about $35 too.

Actually, am very impressed.  I replaced the passenger side horn only.  Driver's side is also controlled by the remote so I didn't want an air horn when I was unlocking/locking the AV.  Sounds just like a train horn, but admittedly not as loud.  I'ld say probably 100-120 decibels vs. a real train horn at >150.  Still more than enough to make a teenager on a skateboard in the cross walk jump a little bit (not that I would do that . . . He He He.  ) 

No pics of the install - couldn't see anything if you wanted too.  The horn is hidden behind the light, under the air box, and in front of the radiator frame.  Real PITA to get to.  Hook up was really easy - 2 wires straight from the old horn (with new connectors) to the Wolo - no need for the relay.  Getting the old one out and the new one mounted took all the time (>2 hrs).  Just no real easy way to get to it on the 08.  I'm sure it would be much easier if you could get the headlight out on the 07.

[bandt0913]

I am not looking forward to putting ambers in tomorrow!  Seems to be such a PITA for something so simple

[Bee Sting]

I am not looking forward to putting ambers in tomorrow!  Seems to be such a PITA for something so simple

You wuss, want me to do it for ya ? 































  ya

[bandt0913]

You wuss, want me to do it for ya ? 
  ya

please? 

[bandt0913]

one hour and 3 minutes from start to finish to change 2 friggin light bulbs 

if it weren't for you guys who can make directions, I'd been up the creek without a paddle! 

[Bee Sting]

one hour and 3 minutes from start to finish to change 2 friggin light bulbs 

if it weren't for you guys who can make directions, I'd been up the creek without a paddle! 

 


LOL, 5 minutes here , told ya i'd help you 

[Bee Sting]

Hey sweetie , if you started crawling under the Av from the front and not the back you could have knocked off 20 minutes or so 

[First2Hunt 04]

When compared with the ease of changing bulbs on a '02-'06 AV it is BAD.  Good design '02-'06 for the headlights and changing them, '07 BAD design for the headlights and changing them.

It only takes me about five minutes to change my ambers or three minutes to change the low or hi beam light bulbs on my 04.  Leave it to The General to take an easy change out on 04 to 06's, and screw the pooch on the 07's and 08's, they call that progress, oh well that's life.   

[bandt0913]

Hey sweetie , if you started crawling under the Av from the front and not the back you could have knocked off 20 minutes or so 

OHHHHH that's where I went wrong! 

Having big hands doesn't help the matter either... 

[Bee Sting]

OHHHHH that's where I went wrong! 

Having big hands doesn't help the matter either... 

show off 

[malligood50]

Put in ambers tonite, thanks for the great instructions Mongo Ranger but in my humble opinion it was still a big PITA to change 2 bulbs.  Had to do it though

[ajk2000]

I never got mine out.. had to loosen and do a reach around...   way way to hard to get out...   

[rodderik]

Many thanks to MONGO RANGER for this very helpfull info! Those Silver Star headlight bulbs run hot and will not last as long as your OEM bulbs so you will get a lot of practice pulling the front of your Avi !

[Tweek]

Check out my Ambers....

[blwright]

Kudos for the informative write-up.  Installed my HID's and ambers yesterday in my 08.  They definitely don't give you much room to work with.  I was able to do the install without completely removing the assemblies. 

[tobysAVI]

I can't seem to get the pictures with the procedure, anyone else having this problem?

[Mongo Ranger]

Sorry, I thought I had edited the post and fixed it already.  I had to move the images because there are several other people/sites that have copied my post and were hot linking to the images which is basically theft.  To me it is sad when people steal someone else’s work and even worse when they claim it as their own.

If something changes again I will try to keep this thread updated.  If for some reason it is not working you can always click on my signature and go to my site where it is posted in the avalanche section too.

[tobysAVI]

 
Thanks!!! Just starting the mods now. We went from the minivan to the AV about 3 weeks ago and have been consumed with this beautiful machine. I think the wife is starting to get a little jealous 
Thinkin about getting those European looking HL.

[avcruz z71]

Thanks for all the information Mongo Ranger, with your write up I was able to install my ambers today.

[GulfstreamV]

Mongo Ranger You da Man!  Thanks very much for the installation instructions.  I just installed them on my 2008 in about 2hrs.  Actually took about 1 hour but  neighbors kept coming over to drool over my new ride and I had to run the full dog-and-pony show twice for all of them.  I may have sold a few more AV's in the hood!  (But I told them they're not allowed to get Deep Ruby Metallic  )

I did find a couple of shortcuts after reading comments by others on this thread and added my photos to help explain how they (and I) did it. 

(I'll reference Mongo Rangers post for the changes I did which may help 2008 owners.)  Mongo Ranger did all the tough work on this, I'm only illustrating the changes I did after reading this post.  Take them or leave them.  Again - Mongo Ranger gets the big credit (yes, I'm emphasizing this since others have stolen his work and that's really  )

Unfortunately I just tried to build this as one reply and got the Heisman for to large a file.  Looks like this will be several in a row.

Photo 1 - Used painters masking tape to protect the plastic from scratches.   I also added cardboard between the light and bumper to act like a shoehorn to help the light "ride" out of it's position.

Photo 2 - (option to Step 2) - I only removed two 7mm screws and the 2 pop pins between them.

[GulfstreamV]

Photo 3 - (option to Step 3 and 4) - I removed the 10mm headlight bolt #3, but realized after removing it this is a channel type attachment and you don't need to remove the bolt entirely.  I loosened it on the passenger side which saved a minute or two, but also saved fumbling around trying to find the hole in the dark in a contortionist position with a socket wrench.  (Yes, sounds like a personal problem)

Photo 4 - (after Step 5, and part of Step 6 BEFORE removing the headlight assembly entirely) - Pulled the grill back with my hand and reached from here to unscrew the DRL (which is about 1/3 turn for the assembly).

[GulfstreamV]

Pulled out the old bulb noting which way it was previously installed.  I guess these lights do not work if you install them "upside down" and it took me several tries back and forth starting the engine, placing it in drive (parking brake on) and looking to see if the DRL's were on.  Unfortunately it was cloudy today and the sun wasn't strong enough a few times so the headlight would only come on.  Had to wait for direct sunlight for the sensor to kick on the DRL's  .

Once I ensured the lights worked I reinstalled everything, pulled the AV into the back yard, and here it is!

[Tango Chaser]

 

[Mongo Ranger]

Sweet!!

[GulfstreamV]

Thanks Mongo Ranger.  Wish I had the expertise to write my comments with the photos like you did.  Still learning how to navigate this website.

[chevydan]

Great Job!  Looks as if you took your time like suggested and it went real smooth.   

[GulfstreamV]

Take it slow and don't forget to tape or cover the plastic bumper so you don't scratch anything.

[terminex]

I found a really easy way to replace the DRL's on an 08.  remove the two bolts at the top of the headlight, and the bolts on the top front of the grill.  pull the top of the grill (gently) away from the truck.  reach in, and pop the clip for each headlight.  that gives enough room to remove & replace the DRL bulbs.  (putting your arm down the top of the grill opening.

Replaced my DRL's in just a couple minutes this way.

[chevydan]

I found a really easy way to replace the DRL's on an 08.  remove the two bolts at the top of the headlight, and the bolts on the top front of the grill.  pull the top of the grill (gently) away from the truck.  reach in, and pop the clip for each headlight.  that gives enough room to remove & replace the DRL bulbs.  (putting your arm down the top of the grill opening.

Replaced my DRL's in just a couple minutes this way.

Obviously you must have Stretch Armstrong arms.  When I did my ambers I tried that and got my arm in as far as my wrist. 

[ohiostar]

Thanks for the writeup.  Great job!

[terminex]

Obviously you must have Stretch Armstrong arms.  When I did my ambers I tried that and got my arm in as far as my wrist. 

I am 6'5" so I do have fairly long arms.

[jdebona]

I am 6'5" so I do have fairly long arms.

I have to admit, I seriously doubted your method at first.  I have a 2008, and it seems pretty obvious that you can't get the headlight assemblies completely out of an '08 without taking the bumper cover off (easily, anyway) because of the lip on the lights.  What I ended up doing was just removing the 2 bolts at the top of each assembly and also removing ALL the bolts across the top of the grille, not just the bolts closest to the light I was working on.  Use your right arm for the passenger side, and your left arm for the driver side.  Gently slide the headlights toward the front of the truck as far as you can to unsnap them from their holders.  Reach between the grille and the radiator toward the middle of the truck and all the way down until the grille nearly hits your armpit while making an L-shape with your arm.  You should be able to move toward each headlight assembly and reach the tabs on the DRL bulb holders with your fingertips this way.  Give it a twist, and pull it out.  While pushing the bulb holder up with your fingertips, you should be able to reach it over top of the headlight with your opposite hand.  After replacing the bulb, just put everything back in reverse.

I'm only 5'7", and it wasn't very easy, but given the options it seemed like the only way I was going to successfully do it on an '08.

[rdela23]

Mango Ranger your write up was very very helpful.  I was able to install my projector headlights and ambers with your instructions.  All in all it took me 3 hrs.  I had to rig a harness to power my halo.  I am waiting on my grill and longer bolts for my chrome bowtie.  I will probably take of my bug guard to give it a cleaner look.  I tried to paint my old gold bowtie, but that is a work in progress.  I will try to insert some pics if I know how, I am still pretty new to this forum.  Thanks again....Yea i don't know how to upload images

[roel1223]

Terminex,
   Everything went the way you explained in your short email.  Took no time at all to change over the DRL's to amber.  I'm lovin' 'em. Thanks for the help.

[Aussie Red]

After pressure  I had them put into the Pearl. I had to pay to have it done. Not a good thing at all. They had better not burn out any too soon or they will stay that way

[avusblue]

Last night I had to do this in order to change a burned-out sidemarker light.  As I was doing it, following the above instructions, I was thinking that Al Qaida must have changed their mission.  They have obviously infiltrated the regime of engineers sitting in their GM cubicles in Detroit.  Their objective is to reduce America's productivity by millions of cumulative hours of time wasted by this ridculous manner of changing burned out light bulbs.  There is no other logical explanation for the design of these front light modules!  Bin Laden must be laughing his bony butt off!

The saddest thing is that I could not locate a 2825LL bulb anywhere.  The "LL" stands for "Long Life".  I had to settle for a regular 2825, which probably means I'm set up to replace another burnout sometime sooner than I would otherwise have to.

Anyways, thanks for the instructions.  Cheers,

Dave

[Jeffowl]

thanks to all the information here, I did get my ambers in today, but I gotta ask...  Is there some secret to getting the push pins out?  I kinda brute forced them out and they seemed to go back in okay.  I just have to think that there must be an easier way.

[CntrySngr72]

got my Ambers done. HATED it!  Hope they last a long, long time. One of the bumper bracket bolts was stripped!

[07AvySS]

Anyone try these?

LED 3157 ALX3

Says "DO NOT USE IN GM DRLs"
"Some GM vehicles apply a pulsed voltage to the Daytime Running Lights (DRL), this pulsed voltage causes LED bulbs to fail quickly, just as the stock filament bulbs also fail quickly in these DRL installations. Use in these applications voids the warranty."

Do the Avy's DRLs do this?

or these?

Tower LED 3157 AST

If so, are they as bright, or brighter than conventional Amber bulbs?

I am replacing all bulbs with LEDs, so I was going to go with Amber DRLs also.

[GulfstreamV]

I found a really easy way to replace the DRL's on an 08.  remove the two bolts at the top of the headlight, and the bolts on the top front of the grill.  pull the top of the grill (gently) away from the truck.  reach in, and pop the clip for each headlight.  that gives enough room to remove & replace the DRL bulbs.  (putting your arm down the top of the grill opening.

Replaced my DRL's in just a couple minutes this way.

Thanks for the shortcut!  We worked on mcmill3's ambers today with this method and did it in about 20 minutes. 

[mitranom]

Today I installed my amber drls and first off I figure if you take all 6 bolts of the top off and then placing your hand down in front of the rad you can pop off the lower grille and it will give you access to both headlights. It worked for me and it only took me 30 minutes in total, it could of been less but I was being extra careful in the cold weather trying to pop off the front grille. Hope this helps!

[Aussie Red]

Yhat is how we put mine in. Popped the grill. Hubby thought it was ridiculous to have to go through all this for bulb replacement  and complained to Chevy about design 

[Jesus Freak]

Did the DRL change out to my now totalled "03". I just bought the bulbs to do this to my "07".

[old skool]

I found a really easy way to replace the DRL's on an 08.  remove the two bolts at the top of the headlight, and the bolts on the top front of the grill.  pull the top of the grill (gently) away from the truck.  reach in, and pop the clip for each headlight.  that gives enough room to remove & replace the DRL bulbs.  (putting your arm down the top of the grill opening.

Replaced my DRL's in just a couple minutes this way.

This is the method I used also. Hardest part was, holding the bulb with a paper towel and trying to pop the bulb back in. Part store said not to handle the amber bulbs with bare hands.

[Pill Roller]

Maybe this will be on the list of things to fix between the 07 and 08 models, just like there was a lot that changed between the 02's and 03's.

Great writeup though, truck looks sharp!

David

I agree.  Whoever designed this should be horse whipped. 
Why make a simple task so difficult to carry out? 
 

But as far as the cladding goes, I was never interested in the Avalanche until they took the cladding off.   

[mrfrancis3000]

Wow, looks like I will have my work cut for me.

[GulfstreamV]

Wow, looks like I will have my work cut for me.

nah, not too bad.  I've done them on four '08s already and have it down to less than 15 minutes.  Just use the method terminex described on page 6 and you'll be good.  Use disposable rubber gloves so you don't get any oils from your fingers on them and it's quickly done.

Good luck 

[mrfrancis3000]

I just bought some projecter headlights, so I have to take the whole thing out. 


While I'm at it I will throw in some ambers as soon as I figure what bulbs to get and where from. 

[mrfrancis3000]

Wow, it only took me a total of 15 mins to take out and put a light back in on my 08. I just took out the all the screws mentioned, covered the bumper below the light with some shop towels and pried the light. After it took me 2 hours to figure out I had no idea how to install the projector lights, I just popped the old one back in.



 

[escheat1]

Bless you Mongo!

I wish I could print the instructions with pictures though.

Thanks for the help!

[escheat1]

The owners manual says to see your dealer. 

I bet that the engineer that came up with this design also saw his dealer before he made this design, I just don’t think it was his local Chevy dealer.

I just did this to my '09 I used the towel trick to make sure I didn't scratch anything.  Took my time and it was nearly and 1-1/2 hours.

I laughed hysterically at the owners manual.  Doesn't even tell you the replacement bulb numbers in there either.

I want to know if you take it into the dealer, does a tech do it at $98/hr or a body shop tech at $45 to $50/hr?

[Mongo Ranger]

Bless you Mongo!

I wish I could print the instructions with pictures though.

Thanks for the help!

All you had to do was ask, I have them in a couple of different formats that I am sure you could have printed off.   

[terminex]

This is the method I used also. Hardest part was, holding the bulb with a paper towel and trying to pop the bulb back in. Part store said not to handle the amber bulbs with bare hands.

True. sorry, I should have mentioned that i almost always wear disposable gloves when working on my car, truck, motorcycle, or bikes.

FYI - I had to replace one of my chrome amber bulbs recently, and used my same method, and this time it took me less than 5 minutes from opening the hood to closing it back down.

[jtdchevy]

Kudos to everyone who did a write up on ambers      Did mine today it wasn't to hard thanks to the info from you guys. 

[Rsq_Av]

I know there is already 7 pages of people complaining about the new design of the headlights, but I thought I'd put in my $.02 also. After reading the board, I had the heads up that it was going to be a PITA. But I know it's something I had to do, so this afternoon, I started the amber DRL replacement on my new 2009. I started on the drivers side (which was good...if I would have started on the passenger side, I think I'd have one amber DRL and I would have left the drivers side for another day  ).

I have somewhat smaller arms, so I took the 2 bolts out in the engine compartment for the drivers side headlight assy. I was able to pull the assy out enough to get my arm in behind it, and snake it behind the WW fluid tank. I reached the bulb and was able to spin it 1/4 turn to get the bulb out. I replaced the bulb, then put it back in (this is very difficult, as you can't get your entire hand on the light socket to turn it, so you are only using your fingertips). The drivers side took a total of about 10-15 minutes.

I moved on the to passenger side, using the same technique. This time, I also took off the top push-pin holding the rubber flap behind the grill, so I could reach around that side. This bulb is pretty tight on the way out, since there is a support directly behind the bulb. Again, you can only get fingertips on the socket, so it is difficult, and this one is in an even tighter location. After changing the bulb, I obviously put it back in and locked it in place. The passenger side took about 45 minutes to complete, and I got many scratches and scuffs on my arms from the light location. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday afternoon (and not exactly what I was expecting either), but its done and the ambers are in!

[Edmonton Avy]

I put my ambers in the other day using the info here.

Thanks for the shortcut only took me 20 min

[highflyinbean]

Finally got mine in today... wish I saw this thread earlier, would have saved some hassle.

[Bee Sting]

Have you ever looked at your unread topics and wonder why you were ever in that thread? Well this is one of them ......I don't even have an "07" 

   sorry