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headlight adjustment!

43K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  aoeu88 
#1 ·
does anyone know how the hell to adjust the damn headlights on our cars, they are such a pain to put in and i dont have the slightest on how to adjust the stupid things! (as in they are to high and dont put enough light on the road)
 
#2 ·
Re: headlight adjustment!!!!!!!!

If you have the owner's manual, it's in there.

Otherwise, if you look behind each headlight up towards the frame rail there's little metal discs that have philips head screws in them, these actually do the adjusting, but use the philips on the head, cuz you'll loosen the discs. I just wanted to give you an idea where the discs are located on the headlight. To adjust these discs, you'll see on the front frame rail/radiator support, there is a hole next to where the prop rod mounts and two holes where the prop rod rests when the hood is down. All you have to do is stick a medium size philipd down there and turn it, as you turn it, if u look at the little metal discs, they should spin.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Re: headlight adjustment!!!!!!!!

There's little caps that look like you can unscrew them on the back of the headlight, but they just keep turning, that's what you'll use. Found it out the hard way, I f'd up the direction of my drivers side headlight thinking that was a screw I had to remove to open the headlights, lol.

I just pulled up to my garage with the door shut, picked out a center line on the door and lined my headlight up with that, seems fine now.
 
#9 ·
Re: headlight adjustment!!!!!!!!

still looking for the thread that shows some pictures. I tried this last night, admittedly in a hasty fasion. there isn't a screw in the framerail hole near where the hood prop is bolted, there is just something that looks like the teeth of a gear, but it's a very thin flat gear, i'm having trouble getting the philips head to get any purchase on those teeth, am i looking at the right area? should i just keep trying different screwdrivers untill i can find one that works? and what about the screw that faces the engine of the car? does that need to be loosened? or does that just hold the "disc" rotating assembly to the side of the car.
 
#12 ·
Re: headlight adjustment!!!!!!!!

still looking for the thread that shows some pictures. I tried this last night, admittedly in a hasty fasion. there isn't a screw in the framerail hole near where the hood prop is bolted, there is just something that looks like the teeth of a gear, but it's a very thin flat gear, i'm having trouble getting the philips head to get any purchase on those teeth, am i looking at the right area? should i just keep trying different screwdrivers untill i can find one that works? and what about the screw that faces the engine of the car? does that need to be loosened? or does that just hold the "disc" rotating assembly to the side of the car.
I didn't have to touch the screws that faced the motor, they turn when you turn the little gears accessed from the top. Mine turned fine with just a #2 phillips.
 
#11 ·
Re: headlight adjustment!!!!!!!!

If I can recall, the're 2 screws(at least the look like screws) on the back of the headlight. You can fit a normal Philips head screwdriver in them and turn, those are you headlight adjustments. I raised my lights up just a hair, and now I don't have to use high beams that much anymore. And no other people don't high beam me while driving at night and the cops don't seem to care either. Figured I would try that first rather than buying super white bulbs or converting to HID bulbs.
 
#13 · (Edited)
You need a shorty phillips to get in behind the battery without taking the headlight out. Feel along the top of the back of the headlight housing for the unmistakable cross airs of a phillips screw. The one closer to the high beam side is for up/down, the one over the low beam is for left/right. This will adjust both high and low beam projection.


 
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