Proper Headlight Alignment

cherrington17 · 11-29-2008, 06:19 PM

How to?

somehow mine seem to have gotten screwed up. my car is roostereye'd. drivers side looks a little low, passanger is a little high.

i know there is a white hex adjustment near the headlights, but which direction raises, which lowers? and how do you know where to stop??

jayson_waltz · 11-29-2008, 06:46 PM

put the headlights of your car 6 feet from a wall. make sure its on level ground. measure the distance from the ground to the filament on your high beam bulb and then put a line on the wall that high off the ground. turn on your high beams and adjust them so the middle of the focused light is just a bit above the mark.

For left and right just make a mark on the wall straight out from the bulb and center the focused high beam on it.

woohoo your done!

meadus101 · 11-29-2008, 07:56 PM

Aim the driver's side headlight slighty right... it's done to be considerate to other drivers.

jayson_waltz · 11-29-2008, 09:24 PM

^ if you drive in cities a lot that works. but on rural roads its just makes it harder to see that side ditch to watch for animals, mainly deer around here. i'm actually gonna be getting 2 sets of aftermarket lights, 1 fog set and 1 driving set, and mount them up with one set pointing towards the ditches. when there is nobody else around there is no such thing as too much light just shut them off when someone is coming. thats also y i have my lows and highs on at the same time.

Redog · 11-29-2008, 09:26 PM

Use a Torx socket!!

Don't know what size and I don't have any, my headlight have been f'd for years

jayson_waltz · 11-29-2008, 09:27 PM

i think i used a 1\4 inch socket and it worked perfect.

AlbinoMonkeyRat · 11-29-2008, 10:30 PM

use the levels????

Bad99Olds · 11-29-2008, 10:47 PM

pretty sure i remember seeing something about that in the owners manual. not sure, but i think so.

jayson_waltz · 11-30-2008, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbinoMonkeyRat

use the levels????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bad99Olds

pretty sure i remember seeing something about that in the owners manual. not sure, but i think so.

there are many different ways for different cars. i just posted the universal way that works for all vehicles, motorcycles, snowmobiles.

Cliff8928 · 11-30-2008, 02:15 AM

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

Spilner521 · 11-30-2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meadus101

Aim the driver's side headlight slighty right... it's done to be considerate to other drivers.

If they're aimed correctly, this doesn't need to be done. The cut-off line should be just below eye level of oncoming traffic. I know Alero lights don't have the sharpest cut-off line, but it's there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbinoMonkeyRat

use the levels????

That only works if you know for sure you're on completely level ground. Any little variance and that little bubble moves a lot.

cherrington17 · 11-30-2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbinoMonkeyRat

use the levels????

i don't think my levels work... i've never seen a little bubble in mine... regardless of which way i turn it.

Spilner521 · 11-30-2008, 11:03 AM

Pull all the way up to a wall so you're just about touching, about an inch from your bumper.

Turn the headlights on and make a mark through the middle of the brightest spot of the lights. These spots should be towards the top of the beam.

Back up 10-15 feet and aim them so the cut-off line is just touching the bottom of the mark.

Done.

I've done this a few times. It works.

It's easy to figure out which way you turn the screw. If you want it to go up and the way you're turning the screw is making the beam go down, turn it the other way

Bmorezcmunee · 12-13-2008, 11:14 PM

what if your screw is broken?

cherrington17 · 12-13-2008, 11:28 PM

^ just found that one out a week or so ago. BOTH screws on both sides are busted.

i need to pull them off, sand the rust off the metal pin, and hopefully epoxy the plastic gears back into place.

lame.

irondiezl3 · 01-24-2009, 09:28 PM

yup 1/4 socket worked perfect thanks waltz

lonnie · 01-25-2009, 07:59 AM

Mine are screwed up to, but thats because the bottom brace broke on the driver side so I had to screw it to the frame so the light would stop bouncing around...LOL Now the drive side low beam looks like the high beam.

I'm thinking of just doing the same to the other side...being that I don't ever have to get it inspected again.

cherrington17 · 01-25-2009, 09:08 AM

the metal pegs that hold the "gears" in place rusted like crazy, and the "gears" broke off... so i guess i get to fix those in the spring.

sand and epoxy, maybe?

jackal2000 · 01-25-2009, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayson_waltz

^ if you drive in cities a lot that works. but on rural roads its just makes it harder to see that side ditch to watch for animals, mainly deer around here. i'm actually gonna be getting 2 sets of aftermarket lights, 1 fog set and 1 driving set, and mount them up with one set pointing towards the ditches. when there is nobody else around there is no such thing as too much light just shut them off when someone is coming. thats also y i have my lows and highs on at the same time.

u dont want fog lights, you want kc daylighters.

cherrington17 · 01-25-2009, 11:14 AM

kc daylighters?