So the reason the black gear strips on some cars is because the height is controlled by a cable springs. After a while I guess the spring ceases up and thats why the little gear wont turn and strips the big gear.



1. disconnect two screws holding small gear against big gear

2. pull out small plastic gear

3. 1/4inch socket

4. turn till desired height!

 

yes this will still work for the high beam adjustment but without the cable turning you cannot adjust the low beams which means you either have to get a new cable or take the lo beam assembly apart. In my case both cables were rusted solid so i tried to turn them and both cables broke half way so the only way to adjust is to take them apart. Does anyone know if you can order new cables?

 

HID LO BEAM ADJUSTMENT:

IF YOUR LITTLE GEAR OR CABLE WONT TURN, READ THIS. THIS IS A WAY TO STILL ADJUST THE LO BEAM.

I finished adjusting them tonight and found that both cables were rusty and not moving which caused one of my plastic gears to strip. I took off the cable by unscrewing the two little screws which hold its bracket and hand turned each cable to the point the wire cable snapped. When i took the cables apart they were both rusted solid to the casing causing them to seize(PHOTO 1). I then decided to manually adjust the low beams but the only way i could get to them is to take off the front bumper and each headlight(PHOTO 2). when each headlight was out i was then able to take off the other end of the cable by unscrewing the other two little screws and the cable slid out of place. On the end was what looked like a screwdriver tip with a square slot on the other end to run the cable somewhat like how a speedometer cable looks like(PHOTO 3). What i did was i pulled the cable off of the screwdriver end (threw out the cable cause it was snapped anyway) and then hand turned the plastic piece on the end of the screwdriver end to the desired height(PHOTO 4). This is a bit of a time consumer because you need to plug the light back in and hang in place to check the height but it works. When i got the height where i wanted it, i placed the screwdriver end back in its bracket, screwed it back on and then sealed the other end(where the cable once was with a homemade plastic plug and then wrapped with electrical tape. I took the broken cable and other plastic bracket for the high beam off and put them in a bag if i ever wanted to order new ones. I Then plugged everything back together and bolted everything back up and it worked perfectly. The only issue with this is that only the lo beam will move when you use the adjuster dial in the dash. Only because the motor is attached to the lo beam. The high beam will no longer simultaneously move as well because there is no more cable to change the gears on the high beam assembly. Although in my case and in most cases yours(if you are reading this) will have already had a seized or broken cable which would have caused the high beam not to simultaneously work anyway. Feel free to PM me and ask any questions on this procedure or how the adjusting mechanism works.

MY OTHER POST INCLUDES THE PHOTOS DESCRIBED ABOVE

 

HERE ARE THE PHOTOS TO MY LAST POST

Photo 1
http://imageshack.us/f/6/headlight5.jpg/

Photo 2
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/21/headlight2.jpg/

Photo 3
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...eadlight3.jpg/

Photo 4
http://imageshack.us/f/830/headlight4.jpg/

 

check out my post. your cable is probably seized but i figured out a way to still adjust the lo beams without too much of a hassle. check it out and PM me any questions you might have. GL man

 

Check out my post... it explains exactly what your talking about. Just did it tonight and it works perfectly now. My cables were seized to a point i broke them from turning so hard by hand lol. anyway check it out and if you have any questions just PM me.

 

I tried to do this without taking the bumper off tonight. That wasn't going to happen. My cable from the high beams leading to the HID is seized. Looks like I'll be taking the bumper off next time I feel like fixing it. Good thing the car is just a "nice weather car" because my headlights are practically pointing to the ground.

Any idea how much it cost for new adjuster cables that run from the HID to the highs? I'm curious.

 

definitely have to take the front bumper off to get to everything. and as for the new cable im not sure if you can buy one. your best bet would be to stop at a dealer and ask them. if not you can just do what i did and manually adjust the hight beam to a spot you like and just leave it there. then take both cables out completely. the motor will still adjust the low beams where you want them but the highbeams will stay the same. if you get the highbeams where you want them manually then it doesnt really matter. if you have any questions just pm me.

 

Yeah I hear ya. Rust is the devil!!!!!!!

 

why do lights have to be off??? wut happens if i do it with lights on???

 

i think the auto adjustment will try to fix it since the lights wont be leveled anymore. correct me if im wrong.

 

Just did this adjustment, and can't believe how much better it is now.
Was a little difficult to get to, but is possible.

 

Has anyone noticed a "life-span" on the in car control?

I want to raise them a little bit, but don't want to break anything!