996 Headlight assy won't disengage

I would like to know if there is a way to remove the 996 headlight assembly without using the hex tool (owners manual p. 224). When trying to use it, I can only go 90 degrees before it is really hard to keep turning it. If I brute force it, I feel something will break. I think the cam actuator is in the wrong position, but it is holding the headlight assembly in. Rotating the key in the opposite direction only produces a loud "popping" noise. The tool removes the opposite headlight assembly as it is supposed to. Any help is appreciated.

Pull the wheel liner out and push the headlight from behind while moving the cam.....maybe?

not sure I follow that

If u remove the fender liner u can access the back of the headlight amd try to push it out.

Thanks, I'll give it a try

When I have this problem I try to get my fingers under the front lip and tug upward and forward. There isn't much of a lip but it usually doesn't take much. Also, front inner edge (where the trunk lid sits) is also a good place to tug on. Just kind of wiggle the light around as you are turning the hex key.

It's also possible someone prior to your ownership has zip tied the connector at the back of the headlight . Again access via the wheel liner .

I was able to remove the RHS headlight assy using KeyWest996's suggestion. I thought it had to do with the cam, but looking at the cam, it's placement when reinstalling the assy, and the assy catch, along with inspecting the LHS assy, I am not sure what is happening. I cannot get the owner's manual method to work at all on the RHS. Is this a common RHS problem? No issues with LHS.

The light assemblies have four pegs on the bottom (pointing outwards) that align with two tracks in the mounting tray. Typically when I have a problem with installing or de-installing the lights, I've managed to get one of the pegs out of the track (in the mounting tray) it belongs in. You'd think it would not be possible to cram a light into place with a peg out of the track but I've managed to do it more than once over the years. And when I've done this AND locked it into place, it is always a pain to pop the light back out. Can't say whether or not it is common, but it's happened to me and to both left and right. I can say I don't have a problem when I pay close attention to getting the four pegs into the tracks.

I would have thought it has to do with the placement of the cam, which direction (up, down, facing forward) it is facing when the light assy is re-installed.

All I'm suggesting is that I've found that when I've had a problem it has been associated with not getting the pegs in the tracks. Have you taken a good look at everything? Is there any damage? Are the pegs intact/damaged? How about the tracks? Does the cam rotate properly? Is the cam held in place properly? Can you slide the light in and out easily (without locking it?) If the problem is just with the locking and unlocking, I'd take another good look at the locking components for damage. Particularly the cam and where the cam connects to the bottom of the light. Compare it to the "good light"

I know this is an old post, but I can't across it in my struggle to free the headlight, so someone else probably will too. TL,DR: the front inside corner of the light catches on the bumper. My left hand side was stuck. I could turn the tool and hear the latch pop free, but couldn't get the light to move more than a few mm. I eventually removed the wheel well liner and still couldn't push the light out from behind. After shining a flashlight around for a while and comparing how the light pivoted a bit, and comparing to the light that I could get out, I realized that the inside corner of the light (a little back from the front edge) has a lip that catches on the bumper. Once I found that, it still took a fair bit of effort to pry the lip out of the way of the bumper. I used a plastic trim removal tool to pry. Once I freed it, there was a little pop and the front edge raised up a little.

Yeah, I�ve found with the 996, and also the 986, one needs to wiggle and fiddle around with these headlight assemblies to get them in and out properly. It�s not a slam dunk at all, but with patience and perseverance, they will go in and out eventually.