2004 XJ8: How2Adjust Low Beam Headlamp
#1
2004 XJ8: How2Adjust Low Beam Headlamp
Hi guys... I've noticed my low beam headlamps aim very low ahead of the car. This forces me to use the HIGH beams on rural roads, which pains others coming towards me. When I dim the lights, I can only see the road well for about 50 feet ahead of me... not good!
Is there a simple adjustment screw/etc.? And where is it (if so).
I recall from my youth one would park in front of a wall (garage door) back about 15 feet and adjust the beam focus to a recommended settings (X & Y).
Please respond if you've adjusted yours.
Cheers,
Kyd
Is there a simple adjustment screw/etc.? And where is it (if so).
I recall from my youth one would park in front of a wall (garage door) back about 15 feet and adjust the beam focus to a recommended settings (X & Y).
Please respond if you've adjusted yours.
Cheers,
Kyd
#2
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Kyd (12-11-2012)
#3
First, do you have HIDs?
1. They might be stuck in the "Day-Light" mode.
2. Check on your NAV screen, settings for the lights, see if Day-Light mode is on or off.
3. If on, the motor for the low beam adjust might be out.
4. If the motor is OK---
5. The adjustment screws for the low and high beams are on top of the light assy. One will adjust "up-down", the other -"left-right".
I did my adjustments last month, noticed my low beam was too high.
1. They might be stuck in the "Day-Light" mode.
2. Check on your NAV screen, settings for the lights, see if Day-Light mode is on or off.
3. If on, the motor for the low beam adjust might be out.
4. If the motor is OK---
5. The adjustment screws for the low and high beams are on top of the light assy. One will adjust "up-down", the other -"left-right".
I did my adjustments last month, noticed my low beam was too high.
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Kyd (12-11-2012)
#4
#5
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Fairlane500 (12-12-2012)
#6
Yes, that would be nice... I'm quite inexperienced on this site... and always stumble when it come to posting a NEW question... I wish our 'dashboard' had a 'new thread' or 'new post' button...
Chees,
Kyd
#7
Thanks for the pictures... ;=)
Thanks my friend... When my wife gets home, I'll check this out (motor)... we DO NOT have HID's... Is their a standard diagram
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#8
We don't have the HID's... when wife gets home I'll check your ideas out... Thanks...
BTW, is there any info on where is the optimal spot for adjusting the low beams? As I originally stated, I remember we used to park a certain distance from a well and measure up on the wall the optimal target...
Chees,
Kyd
BTW, is there any info on where is the optimal spot for adjusting the low beams? As I originally stated, I remember we used to park a certain distance from a well and measure up on the wall the optimal target...
Chees,
Kyd
#9
The JTIS procedure for headlamp adjustment is:
Prepare the vehicle for headlamp adjustment:
1. Place the vehicle on a level surface.
2. Before adjusting the headlamps, check them for faulty lenses, reflectors and blackened bulbs, and install new components as necessary.
3. Check the tire pressures and correct as necessary. The vehicle must be at normal unladen weight.
4. Normalize the suspension.
5. Adjust the headlamp using the adjustment bolts.
That's it. Absolutely no detail on measurements for the low beam setting!
I remember the same procedure as you on parking a set distance from a wall and measuring low beam height up the wall. Here's a link to an article on this:
How to Adjust Your Headlights - Aim Your Headlights - Popular Mechanics
Graham
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Kyd (12-13-2012)
#11
I see only two adjusting screws in the picture so I assume you adjust both hi and lo beam at the same time, ie when you raise the lo beam you also raise the hi beam. Am I understanding this right ? Second question if there is a leveling motor on HID lights what exactly is it leveling? If you can raise the beam mechanically then are you 'levelling' them relative to the load in the car?
Stu
Stu
#12
"psg" you are correct, the red arrow points to the "UP-DOWN" adjustment screw.
When you adjust the headlight, you are adjusting the primary "Beam Angle" to keep from blinding on-coming drivers. The "HID" leveler operates from input received from a sensor to keep the "Beam Angle" at the same height.
When you adjust the headlight, you are adjusting the primary "Beam Angle" to keep from blinding on-coming drivers. The "HID" leveler operates from input received from a sensor to keep the "Beam Angle" at the same height.
Last edited by reyesl; 01-23-2013 at 05:09 AM.
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psg (01-23-2013)
#13
Horizontal headlight adjustment - X350 Halogen lamps
I can adjust my headlamps vertically, but my driver's side low beam is aimed too far to the left (toward opposite lane of traffic). Where is the horizontal adjustment?
The stupid dealer charged me $150 and it made absolutely no difference (assuming they did anything at all). Tough to find anyone else that knows something about this.
This seems to be in the right location but it's just a smooth hole?
The stupid dealer charged me $150 and it made absolutely no difference (assuming they did anything at all). Tough to find anyone else that knows something about this.
This seems to be in the right location but it's just a smooth hole?
Last edited by hoary2001; 07-02-2016 at 01:28 AM.
#14
Standard non-HID do not auto-adjust. You do not adjust high/low beams independent of each other. If you are experiencing issues with beam, either the lamp is inserted incorrectly, (not properly indexed) or the housing is damaged. Tab fits upwards into indexing slot. If this is not indexed correctly, the beam will seem off or aimed incorrectly.
A couple of things you can do yourself, one, is to remove the cover and insure the H7 tab is properly indexed. Then, take a roll of masking tape, a 25' tape measure and find the backside of a local WalMart so you can use the building and one of the concrete expansion joint at a 90 angle to the wall as a guide. Pull the car up very close to the wall, and place a vertical and horizontal + in the middle of the beam on the wall in front of the headlamps. Using the 25' tape, mark a spot 25' back, and back the car up until the car is that distance from the wall. You adjust the 6mm hex (closest to the fender) to raise or lower the beam until the center of the horizontal plane is just under the horizontal masking tape on the wall. The way the refractor in the lens works, a flare happens upwards and should be centered close to the vertical masking tape line.
A couple of things you can do yourself, one, is to remove the cover and insure the H7 tab is properly indexed. Then, take a roll of masking tape, a 25' tape measure and find the backside of a local WalMart so you can use the building and one of the concrete expansion joint at a 90 angle to the wall as a guide. Pull the car up very close to the wall, and place a vertical and horizontal + in the middle of the beam on the wall in front of the headlamps. Using the 25' tape, mark a spot 25' back, and back the car up until the car is that distance from the wall. You adjust the 6mm hex (closest to the fender) to raise or lower the beam until the center of the horizontal plane is just under the horizontal masking tape on the wall. The way the refractor in the lens works, a flare happens upwards and should be centered close to the vertical masking tape line.
Last edited by Box; 07-02-2016 at 06:29 AM.
#15
Standard non-HID do not auto-adjust. You do not adjust high/low beams independent of each other. If you are experiencing issues with beam, either the lamp is inserted incorrectly, (not properly indexed) or the housing is damaged. Tab fits upwards into indexing slot. If this is not indexed correctly, the beam will seem off or aimed incorrectly.
A couple of things you can do yourself, one, is to remove the cover and insure the H7 tab is properly indexed. Then, take a roll of masking tape, a 25' tape measure and find the backside of a local WalMart so you can use the building and one of the concrete expansion joint at a 90 angle to the wall as a guide. Pull the car up very close to the wall, and place a vertical and horizontal + in the middle of the beam on the wall in front of the headlamps. Using the 25' tape, mark a spot 25' back, and back the car up until the car is that distance from the wall. You adjust the 6mm hex (closest to the fender) to raise or lower the beam until the center of the horizontal plane is just under the horizontal masking tape on the wall. The way the refractor in the lens works, a flare happens upwards and should be centered close to the vertical masking tape line.
A couple of things you can do yourself, one, is to remove the cover and insure the H7 tab is properly indexed. Then, take a roll of masking tape, a 25' tape measure and find the backside of a local WalMart so you can use the building and one of the concrete expansion joint at a 90 angle to the wall as a guide. Pull the car up very close to the wall, and place a vertical and horizontal + in the middle of the beam on the wall in front of the headlamps. Using the 25' tape, mark a spot 25' back, and back the car up until the car is that distance from the wall. You adjust the 6mm hex (closest to the fender) to raise or lower the beam until the center of the horizontal plane is just under the horizontal masking tape on the wall. The way the refractor in the lens works, a flare happens upwards and should be centered close to the vertical masking tape line.
UPDATE: I took the bulb back out to verify the tab was at the 12 o'clock position, and noticed that the small "secondary" reflector that the bulb sits directly behind looked slightly tweaked out of alignment compared to the passenger side. Gently tweaked it back till it looked as perpendicular as possible with the main reflector. I'll take a look tonight and see if it did anything. I have an appt. with a mechanic friend to check the alignment as you specified above. Thanks.
Last edited by hoary2001; 07-02-2016 at 04:55 PM.
#16
So just that I understand, there is no adjustment for horizontal movement of the assembly? I believe the bulbs are indexed correctly. I replaced the original bulbs to try and resolve the problem but it made not a bit of difference (pattern is the same only brighter now). The lamp is not damaged nor is the housing. The problem is only the driver side low beam. This is a low mileage car that rarely gets driven at night, hence my just noticing.
UPDATE: I took the bulb back out to verify the tab was at the 12 o'clock position, and noticed that the small "secondary" reflector that the bulb sits directly behind looked slightly tweaked out of alignment compared to the passenger side. Gently tweaked it back till it looked as perpendicular as possible with the main reflector. I'll take a look tonight and see if it did anything. I have an appt. with a mechanic friend to check the alignment as you specified above. Thanks.
UPDATE: I took the bulb back out to verify the tab was at the 12 o'clock position, and noticed that the small "secondary" reflector that the bulb sits directly behind looked slightly tweaked out of alignment compared to the passenger side. Gently tweaked it back till it looked as perpendicular as possible with the main reflector. I'll take a look tonight and see if it did anything. I have an appt. with a mechanic friend to check the alignment as you specified above. Thanks.
At 25' distance back from the wall, the pattern should look roughly like this;
Last edited by Box; 07-02-2016 at 08:23 PM.
#17
UPDATE: I took the bulb back out to verify the tab was at the 12 o'clock position, and noticed that the small "secondary" reflector that the bulb sits directly behind looked slightly tweaked out of alignment compared to the passenger side. Gently tweaked it back till it looked as perpendicular as possible with the main reflector. I'll take a look tonight and see if it did anything. I have an appt. with a mechanic friend to check the alignment as you specified above. Thanks.
I digress. After owning it a few months I realized the reflectors that the bulbs sit behind were out of alignment. One was pointing way too far up, the other down. It was clearly visible when you crouched down and looked at the car head on. I dunno what would cause that. If someone was just careless in replacing bulbs and bent them, or the heat from the bulb caused them to warp..? So I took both bulbs out, reached my finger in the housings, and manually adjusted them to where I thought they should be. They were very easy to adjust that way. They've been good ever since.
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