Headlight Adjustment
Originally posted by AWDEVO8
I must be nuts, the only adjustments I can seem to make are on the fog lights and the high beams. What am I missing here?
I must be nuts, the only adjustments I can seem to make are on the fog lights and the high beams. What am I missing here?
Since the driver’s side is difficult to remove, I had to force it around with a large flat-head screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to raise it. I manipulated the outside round part, not the teeth. It’s not easy and took over 200 ‘flicks’ since each flick is at best a quarter turn. Removing the high-beam connector eases access. Make the adjustment with the lights off and check your progress every 50 flicks.
After you have the HIDs where you want them, go back and adjust your high beams. I used a Mikita screw gun with a 6” Phillips bit. With the high beams on, you can literally watch the light move up and down. Of course you’ll want to be sure the black plastic gear isn’t moving. (If it didn’t move before, I don’t know why it would start moving now.)
Hope this helps the frustrated people.
I did it with full power on and the electronic adjusters didnt try to adjust mine......Marked highest adjustment setting on wall then adjusted headlight knob to the lowest setting...
Adjusted screw all the way to the mark I left,now I have a good adjustment...The tanabe's I installed totally made the headlights hit the floor...
I did this just like the post mentioned with a small socket and worked perfect.....no extension needed but I did take out the coolant over flow bottle.. took 10 minutes and worked PERFECT !!!!!
Adjusted screw all the way to the mark I left,now I have a good adjustment...The tanabe's I installed totally made the headlights hit the floor...
I did this just like the post mentioned with a small socket and worked perfect.....no extension needed but I did take out the coolant over flow bottle.. took 10 minutes and worked PERFECT !!!!!
Last edited by DocMortal; Apr 10, 2004 at 03:34 PM.
I just tried this today and like someone else said before, I also have a metal pieces over my adjusters. There's nothing that looks like it'll fit a 10mm wrench.
I have bent the metal piece to be able to get to the hole underneath and that looks like it will fit a philiphs screwdriver. Will try it tonight when it gets dark enough.
Anyone have any more pictures?
There's so little space there you can hardly fit a gillete inside, it's crowded with wires...
I have bent the metal piece to be able to get to the hole underneath and that looks like it will fit a philiphs screwdriver. Will try it tonight when it gets dark enough.
Anyone have any more pictures?
There's so little space there you can hardly fit a gillete inside, it's crowded with wires...
Originally Posted by frogstaple
The black plastic gear is the HID adjustment. n00dle is absolutely correct in his how-to if, while twisting the 10mm nut, you’re fortunate enough to also spin the black plastic gear at the same time. The problem I experienced is that my black plastic gear is nearly seized in place. To prove that the black plastic gear is the one and only HID adjustment, I removed the two screws that hold it in place on the passenger side and moved it by hand. With the plastic gear removed it is absolutely clear that it is the HID adjustment and the 10mm nut is the high beam adjustment. It’s a crappy design. The plastic gear should be metal or just a separate adjustment altogether.
Since the driver’s side is difficult to remove, I had to force it around with a large flat-head screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to raise it. I manipulated the outside round part, not the teeth. It’s not easy and took over 200 ‘flicks’ since each flick is at best a quarter turn. Removing the high-beam connector eases access. Make the adjustment with the lights off and check your progress every 50 flicks.
After you have the HIDs where you want them, go back and adjust your high beams. I used a Mikita screw gun with a 6” Phillips bit. With the high beams on, you can literally watch the light move up and down. Of course you’ll want to be sure the black plastic gear isn’t moving. (If it didn’t move before, I don’t know why it would start moving now.)
Hope this helps the frustrated people.
Since the driver’s side is difficult to remove, I had to force it around with a large flat-head screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to raise it. I manipulated the outside round part, not the teeth. It’s not easy and took over 200 ‘flicks’ since each flick is at best a quarter turn. Removing the high-beam connector eases access. Make the adjustment with the lights off and check your progress every 50 flicks.
After you have the HIDs where you want them, go back and adjust your high beams. I used a Mikita screw gun with a 6” Phillips bit. With the high beams on, you can literally watch the light move up and down. Of course you’ll want to be sure the black plastic gear isn’t moving. (If it didn’t move before, I don’t know why it would start moving now.)
Hope this helps the frustrated people.
Did this mod yesterday. Very simple, only took a few minutes. I was able to adjust the headlights with them on, it just took a few turns of the 10mm nut to raise them where I wanted. Can't wait to drive at night.
Thanks to whoever originally posted this mod!
Thanks to whoever originally posted this mod!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!
You people that had no trouble with this are fuskers!
I do the passenger side fine w/ the 10mm. Replace the reservoir & then go to do the "easy" one. Well, that one is stripped as hell and there is no coaxing it (after about an hour trying, and tearing it up even more in the process). With every "flick" it just comes back to the not-flicked position and laughs at me. Tried the 10mm + "flicking" to no avail. It's just not cooporating.
So now I'm thinking, I'll just take the damn thing off. After all it's just 2 little screws holding it on, no big deal. OK, well the 2 little screws are about impossible to get to, so I get the bright idea that I'll remove the intercooler sprayer reservoir to get some more room. There is only one bolt that I can see, so I take that one off. Then the bolt falls through somewhere. That wasn't the only thing holding that reservoir in, so I can't remove it to get to the bolt, so now there is a loose bolt in my engine bay somewhere. I don't feel like jacking the damn thing up in my garage, taking the plastic undercover off, etc. This "15 minute" project has turned into a 2 hour + headache, and all I got from the process is a passenger side headlight way up in the air that I now have to go back and put back the way it was...All I want to do is be able to see at night, so fusk
for trying to save $0.05 using a plastic gear that should be metal.
You people that had no trouble with this are fuskers!
I do the passenger side fine w/ the 10mm. Replace the reservoir & then go to do the "easy" one. Well, that one is stripped as hell and there is no coaxing it (after about an hour trying, and tearing it up even more in the process). With every "flick" it just comes back to the not-flicked position and laughs at me. Tried the 10mm + "flicking" to no avail. It's just not cooporating.
So now I'm thinking, I'll just take the damn thing off. After all it's just 2 little screws holding it on, no big deal. OK, well the 2 little screws are about impossible to get to, so I get the bright idea that I'll remove the intercooler sprayer reservoir to get some more room. There is only one bolt that I can see, so I take that one off. Then the bolt falls through somewhere. That wasn't the only thing holding that reservoir in, so I can't remove it to get to the bolt, so now there is a loose bolt in my engine bay somewhere. I don't feel like jacking the damn thing up in my garage, taking the plastic undercover off, etc. This "15 minute" project has turned into a 2 hour + headache, and all I got from the process is a passenger side headlight way up in the air that I now have to go back and put back the way it was...All I want to do is be able to see at night, so fusk
for trying to save $0.05 using a plastic gear that should be metal.
hmm.. i just attempted this mod and it would click for every turn correct? i had the hids on against a flat wall, and i taped the wall where the top of the light shown was. I turned it c-clock and it would click but nothing happened. It didnt raise =\ any ideas?
Originally Posted by frogstaple
The black plastic gear is the HID adjustment. n00dle is absolutely correct in his how-to if, while twisting the 10mm nut, you’re fortunate enough to also spin the black plastic gear at the same time. The problem I experienced is that my black plastic gear is nearly seized in place. To prove that the black plastic gear is the one and only HID adjustment, I removed the two screws that hold it in place on the passenger side and moved it by hand. With the plastic gear removed it is absolutely clear that it is the HID adjustment and the 10mm nut is the high beam adjustment. It’s a crappy design. The plastic gear should be metal or just a separate adjustment altogether.
Since the driver’s side is difficult to remove, I had to force it around with a large flat-head screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to raise it. I manipulated the outside round part, not the teeth. It’s not easy and took over 200 ‘flicks’ since each flick is at best a quarter turn. Removing the high-beam connector eases access. Make the adjustment with the lights off and check your progress every 50 flicks.
After you have the HIDs where you want them, go back and adjust your high beams. I used a Mikita screw gun with a 6” Phillips bit. With the high beams on, you can literally watch the light move up and down. Of course you’ll want to be sure the black plastic gear isn’t moving. (If it didn’t move before, I don’t know why it would start moving now.)
Hope this helps the frustrated people.
Since the driver’s side is difficult to remove, I had to force it around with a large flat-head screwdriver in a clock-wise motion to raise it. I manipulated the outside round part, not the teeth. It’s not easy and took over 200 ‘flicks’ since each flick is at best a quarter turn. Removing the high-beam connector eases access. Make the adjustment with the lights off and check your progress every 50 flicks.
After you have the HIDs where you want them, go back and adjust your high beams. I used a Mikita screw gun with a 6” Phillips bit. With the high beams on, you can literally watch the light move up and down. Of course you’ll want to be sure the black plastic gear isn’t moving. (If it didn’t move before, I don’t know why it would start moving now.)
Hope this helps the frustrated people.
can you post a pic which black plastic are you referring to?
the orginal post from N00dle is adjusting the high beam headlight,
and counter-clockwise?
i did mine this morning. strip both side plastic gear, really PITA to just adjust my passenger side low beam. so after 2 hrs of hard work, now both driver and passenger beam are at the same lvl. plus i did the one lvl higher adjustment, so i can see further at night time, cant wait till tonite so i can see how much further the beam can shine.
thanks to whoever started this tread to help us out.
thanks to whoever started this tread to help us out.


