Head light adjustment?

[Hedgehog]

First off I know how to physically adjust a headlight. My question is how/where do you adjust them for proper alignment I. E. not pointing into the ground, but not blinding fellow drivers.

 

[elwood blues]

Not to be a smart@ss, but do you have something to aim your headlights against? Inside of a garage, outside against a garage door, etc?

I ask, because I'm trying to dig it up online, I remember how, I just don't remember the distances, and they're different for inside and outside.

*edit

Here's what I found for outside against a garage door:

-Find a level surface and a vertical wall or garage door. Park the vehicle close to the wall and, using the masking tape, mark the low-beams' horizontal centerlines.
-Mark the vertical centerlines of each beam and the center of the vehicle with masking tape. Marking the vehicle centerline is helpful to determine side to-side alignment, or lack thereof.
-Move the vehicle 25 feet straight backwards. Turn the horizontal-vertical adjusting screws to position the low beam hot spots two inches below and to the right of the taped centerlines.

 

[IOPort51]

I also don't want to sound like a smart @55 but it will be a pretty good trick to find the point 2 1/2 " from center on a headlight beam. I guess if the person were that OCD a laser pointer could be used somehow.

 

[Petescj]

I live to sound like a Smart a55.

 

[Hedgehog]

I am 55 and I'm lucky to hear any sound at all, so non of you sound like a smart A55 to me, well Petercj comes close.

Would the measuring be done on high or low beam. Up close it might not make a differance, but back a little ways ....

 

[mtnwhlr]

I am 55 and I'm lucky to hear any sound at all, so non of you sound like a smart A55 to me, well Petercj comes close.

Would the measuring be done on high or low beam. Up close it might not make a differance, but back a little ways ....

You adjust them with the low beams.

 

[elwood blues]

 

[Sam5038]

Head lights need to be adjusted exactly straight ahead and 2 degrees down. A head light Aimer is better to use. If you don't have one just guess.

 

[IOPort51]

Do you agree that the headlights are adjusted on low beam or that Pete is a smart @55?

It is kind of amazing that there is so little (read none) information on this subject.

I once asked a guy in an inspection station what the adjustment was and he said "Hell if I know, I just use this machine".

 

[elwood blues]

Do you agree that the headlights are adjusted on low beam or that Pete is a smart @55?

Yes


Before I joined the Navy I worked at a garage, and we had this fancy expensive "laser" headlight adjustment machine. It rode on a track and used a laser to find the centerline of the vehicle, and it has a display unit that measured and displayed the output of the headlight (one at a time), and where the beam pattern went. But there were no actual instructions as to where the headlights should be aimed. I remember using it, and actually adjusting peoples headlights with it, but it was generally just making them appear in the center of the machines display, weather or not that was the "right" place for them to be aimed or not, I have no idea.

I've done the garage door thing on both my CJ and my old XJ, it typically works out pretty well. It's probably hilarious to watch if your my neighbors, me out there in the dark, with my vehicle running and the headlights on, aimed at my garage door... Me, with a flashlight in one hand, and several screwdrivers in the other, walking back and forth from my garage door to my vehicle, screwing with the headlights. Covering one of them up with a rag, so the beam pattern doesn't interfere with the other side, back and forth, screwing around like some half-wit for a half an hour or more with my headlights...

Holy it just donned on me that I'm certifiably addicting to tinkering on Jeeps

 

[Posi]

Headlights for lifted jeeps - Page 2

Hope this helps

 

[Hedgehog]

Went to the link ...... oh my god I'm glad to be on an adult board. With all the hostility I simply couldn't read much of it.......

 

[mtnwhlr]

What I would do is point your Jeep at a garage or something else and park a truck or car next to it that you know the headlights are right and adjust them to match.

 

[Petescj]

Went to the link ...... oh my god I'm glad to be on an adult board. With all the hostility I simply couldn't read much of it.......

Theres about as much in that thread as we've had around here in years.

 

[Petescj]

Headlights for lifted jeeps - Page 2

Hope this helps

Thanks for reminding me what some other sites are like.

 

[Posi]

I have no idea what that forum is about just did a quick google search to help out. I linked it to post 21 it was the only one I read.

Edit: your a mod Pete just delete it, wasn't useful to the OP.

 

[Hedgehog]

Posi - Easy now, I appreciate the effort, it was the contrast to the attitude found on this board that I was commenting on. The one post was fine, it was the accompanying posts that left me a little cold. Leave the link it's just fine with me.

My driveway has a fairly steep grade so I'll need to find an empty parking lot somewhere and use the back lot. I can see it now .... "Hey there. Exactly what are you doing?" "Hello officer, I'm adjusting my headlights and it's taking a long time to get it right." "Yeah sure, sit right there in the car and let me see your license and registration."

I've done the light on the garage door thing many times, but that was with my motorcycles. Not as easy as you might think either. The FLH had spot lights and the headlight without a center stand. Look, adjust, stand it up, look, adjust, ..........

 

[mstar]

Hedgehog, I'm with you on the garage door deal.Gett'em close than find a dark street with no traffic and no LEO's LOL a new subdivision or some such place.I always have to go do mine on the street for the fine-tuning.

mike s.

 

[Petescj]

I have no idea what that forum is about just did a quick google search to help out. I linked it to post 21 it was the only one I read.

Edit: your a mod Pete just delete it, wasn't useful to the OP.

The post you directed him to was fine. I was just amused by the rest of the nonsense. I used to be on Jeeps Unlimited years ago. Thankfully CJ gave us this place now.

 

[Fastatv]

The post you directed him to was fine. I was just amused by the rest of the nonsense. I used to be on Jeeps Unlimited years ago. Thankfully CJ gave us this place now.

This has been a great thread.....I laughed at about every post, some good humor going on there....Thanks! :wasted: Rick