Over time I thought the headlights beams, upper and lower, were lower than they should be. Today, I am sure of it. I do not have HID lights. I read in various posts that there are parts that break (but that the head lights point up?).

So, is this drooping a common problem? Assuming that nothing is broken and I can make the adjustments myself, does anyone have specs about setting them to USA standards? I like to see in the dark, but do not want to blind drivers in the opposite direction. Any other useful info would be appreciated.

TIA

Stephen

 

Just FYI mine broke and my headlight pointed down...

 

I made a post about this recently, but my drivers side headlight points up. I haven't checked yet to see if the adjusters are broken, but it gives me hope to know that the failure mode seems to be to point down, lol.

 

It goes up or down...seems to be random

 

Also if it's broken it'll flop around when you hit a bump in the road. So if you're driving at night and the beam is all over the place then it's definitely broken

 

How many miles do you have on the car,One thing to consider is the roads you drive on(rough,pot holes,ect) that the suspension could be sagging a bit also, you know gravity is is a constant force like friction, it;s a unseen killer like high blood pressure and cholesterol is to us mortals.

 

The roads where I drive, the famous Hamptons on the east end of Long Island, are in relative disrepair. I have hit some potholes. But the headlights do not bounce around. They stay down with not apparent movement.

I need help in locating the adjusting screws(?) for focusing and the items that seem likely to break. The plastic thingies seem to be covered or otherwise hidden from my view. Diagrams? Photos? If something is broken are there any special tricks for removal, etc.

TIA

Stephen

 

This thread shows what I did to repair my headlights.
The pictures show the broken parts. My post is the down a few,
the one with all the pictures;
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...t-issue-72601/
I repaired the broken parts by gluing them. I would not do it that
way again, the plastic is very degraded and brittle. I will buy replacement
parts from eBay next time.

This thread has some videos of a repair job by another guy;
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2-xtype-88091/

Pete.

 

I just tried adjusting the head lights. On the sheetmetal above the radiator there are three holes starting outboard moving toward the center. It seems that the center-most is the pivot point for the headlight assembly; the next outward hole is the vertical adjustment and the outermost hole is the left/right adjustment. If I am wrong please correct me.

I turned the hex head screws (many times) on both with no noticeable change in alignment. I conclude that things are broken. Is there some means of visually inspecting the mechanisms without disassembling the headlights? I guess I have to get new ones from eBay.

Does anyone have pointers on removing the headlight assemblies? I cannot see any fasteners holding the lights in and, in another post, someone said one has to remove the bumper cover to get access to some of the fasteners.

Thanks again

Stephen

 

You can easily determine if the adjusters are broken. Remove the covers
on the back of the headlight assembly. This is how you change the
bulbs.

With the covers off grab the internal structure and try to move it.
It should be solid. Any movement indicates that the adjusters are broken.
Don't force it because the adjusters are easily broken. If there
is a problem it should move quite easily.

Pete.

 

Well, checked as per your instructions and broken thingies! Thanks for the clue.

New question is how to remove the bumper cover? How difficult and any tricks?

Stephen

 

Removing the bumper cover is not all that bad.
Remove the fender liners, both sides.
On the left side only, disconnect the wiring harness.
Take the splitter off the bottom of the bumper cover ( bunch of torx head screws)
One 10mm socket head cap screw just inside the fender fwd of the wheel (one on each side)
Two 10mm socket head cap screws at each headlight.
Fiddle with the bumper cover until you get it off.
Two 10mm socket head cap screws hold in each headlight. I had to use a small screwdriver to unlock the electrical connector on each light.

 

Thanks... doesn't sound bad.

 

I am late, very, in responding. Had some medical difficulties. I fixed the lights, with all the advice and direction by this forum! I did have difficulty aiming the right light. The vertical "aiming" screw faces up and aligns with a hole in the sheet metal under the hood. The gear, plastic (an integral part of the headlight assembly), that translates the vertical turning into the horizontal plane broke. I think because of some too high internal friction. Rather than buying a whole new light assembly, I enlarged the hole in the sheet metal so that I could reach the horizontally positioned aiming screw with a closed end wrench. (Everybody following this explanation?) Not pretty, but effective.

Aiming the lights afterward was a hit or miss affair. At first, they were aimed too low and I had to raise them some. They are probably still a little low, but people do not flash me so that seems good and, today, with all the traffic high beams are almost impossible to use.

Stephen