How does water get in the headlights? I poured out about a half a cup.

 

bad seal
Either from the back side, due to improper fit of the headlight, or a worn seal where the light bulb locks in
OR
from the seal being worm where the front of the lense fits to the back housing...

BUT i could be way off, and youc ould have broken glass lenses because i dont know your year (different headlights from 68-05)

 

Thanks, I need to spend more time with the bulb

 

Was the car in any type of minor accident? My g/f has a 2001 Saturn SC2 with moisture in the headlights. Its been there for years. Upon further examination it appears that the car was in an accident (before we purchased it) because the seams are slightly out of alignment.

Could the headlight be removed, dried and fixed by running a bead of silicone along all of the edges? Has anyone tried this before?

 

Usually the glue that holds the Clear Lense to the housing starts to give it up.
Pull the Headlight assembly out and drill a small (1/8") hole in the bottom corners of the housing.
Water will still get in but not stay in long enough to touch and burn out the bulb. It'll keep from fogging up from the inside too

 

drilling a drain hole WILL work but drying and resealing (high temp silicone) would probably make your gear last longer

 

Thanks Guys This is very helpful.

 

Considering that these Headlights were originally sealed, leads me to believe that that is how they are meant to be.
By drilling holes in the bottom, you will initially solve the problem but will the add problems later, such as more water from condensation from the headlights heating up & cooling back down. There will be bugs that will enter the casing and ultimately close off the holes, trapping inside all that comes in.
The best bet is to take care of the problem as quickly as possible by making sure that the bulbs are securely screwed in & Electrical Silicone will work well on the sealing ring gaskets. The other issues I've seen are the cracks around the housing, where you could apply a silicone sealant that will resist high temperatures.
Remember that this is an issue of Air In verses Air Out. When the bulb heats up the Air in the Headlight casing will expand and increase the pressure in the casing, thus pushing out. When the bulb is turned Off, the Air will cool and create a vacuum to fill the void, thus sucking Air back in. At times the Air sucked in will be high in moisture content & enter into the Headlight, thus condensation and will cloud up your interior of the Head Light.

Summary: Best to keep your Headlights Sealed, as though from the factory.

 

Hit the water hole harder next time and push the water instead of taking it slow and allowing the water to come up over the head lights! LOL!