How do you change both headlights on a 1997 Honda Civic?

Answer 1

On my 2000 civic I found it easiest to remove the bumper. It's not as hard as it may sound, actually there are only 4 bolts (2 10mm, 2 8mm), 2 screws (phillips), and 7 plastic pins holding the bumper on. Two bolts (8mm) are on the lip of the bumper in the wheel well, two (10mm) are on the underside of the bumper, and the screws are also on the underside, very near the front of the car. The plastic pins are on top, holding the grill in place. Remove these by prying the center of each pin with a flathead screwdriver. Once you've removed all the fasteners, pop off the corners of the bumper in the wheel wells, and pull the bumper off. There's a foam piece between the bumper and the body, make sure you put it back on when reassembling the bumper. Once the bumper is off, you can easily remove the headlight assemblies. They are held in place by 4 bolts (10 mm) each: 2 on top, 1 on the outer edge (by the wheel well) and 1 on the inner edge (by the grill). Remove the assemblies, then unplug the 3-prong plugs for the headlamps and remove the corner lamps by twisting them counter-clockwise. Once the assembly is completely removed from the car, pull the rubber seal off. Once that's done, you will see a metal clip. Press on the rounded end of the clip to open it, it's hinged on the side. The bulb will now pop out. Installation is reverse of removal. I know it sounds complicated but it really isn't. I've taken mine off to replace headlight bulbs and install custom headlight assemblies and it only takes about 20 minutes, start to finish.