Adjusting headlights

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qwerty165
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Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

I have been told you can set the headlights by parking the car a set distance from a wall and getting the light to be at a certain height on the wall. But I have been unable to find any refrences to the required measurments that the car needs to be from the wall or how high up the wall the light needs to come. So I was just wondering if anyone on here knows the measurments that I require.

bmcecosse
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by bmcecosse »

Trial and error after a night time run -shine them on the wall etc as a basic way of setting them both equal height - just slightly less than the height of the centre of the headlight from the ground....
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John Naylor
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by John Naylor »

Or take the rims off, ensure the adjusters are free and visit your friendly MOT man. He will help you set them to perfection (for a packet of biscuits if he is like mine).

Bertie.
mogbob
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by mogbob »

Park the car close to the garage door / vertical wall and mark the centre point with a masking tape cross for both headlights.
Reverse 30 feet / 10 metres in a straight line.Full beam should have the pool of light dead centre on the cross and dipped should be down ( between 4" / 10 " ) and shinning to the left.( Source Car Fix It ,Fix it yourself section Pages180,181 ).
Bob
qwerty165
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

Thank you for your help. I will see where I get tomorrow.

qwerty165
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

I have not got an area long enough indoors to do it and being as I want an early start tomorrow to get to Scampston Hall I think it will have to wait till after I get back from the rally As it will not be getting dark enough to see it properly until quite late.

bmcecosse
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by bmcecosse »

Park against a wall in a supermarket ?? get the rims off and make sure the adjusters are all moving - a wee squirt of oil helps.. then if it's desperate on the trip, you can nip out and make improvements as you go along. Doesn't need to be 'dark' - just not bright sunlight. You could make a simple sighting board - stick with an A4 card near the top and a X on the card at the same height as the centre of the headlight. Then just tape measure the distance from the lights dead ahead from each on level ground - and compare the spot. Simples! :D
Last edited by bmcecosse on Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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qwerty165
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

I still have bright sunlight here and when I tried I could not see the light on anyhting that was more than a few feet away from the car.

bmcecosse
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by bmcecosse »

Must be dim lights ! Run the engine at a fast idle to provide good volts. Dull and miserable up here..... :cry:
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qwerty165
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

I thought it could also be dim lights, but not evan a fast idle made any difference, so it must be the sunlight.

qwerty165
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Re: Adjusting headlights

Post by qwerty165 »

Headlights now adjusted, so now it just trying them on the road to see if any tweeks are required.

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