Headlight Aiming

rjt36 · 11-13-2009, 02:13 PM

How do you it? Now that I'm lifted and its dark when I get out of work, I'm pissing a bunch of people off at stop lights and on the road. Is it easy? I took a look at them last weekend and couldn't find where to adjust them from. Do you have to remove the grill to get at it?

zeus61 · 11-13-2009, 02:18 PM

no there is a sm slot to the right of the upper head lt where u can stick a sm torx screw driver and u turn to the left or right to bring the beam up or down.
u do not have to remove the grill.

rjt36 · 11-13-2009, 02:20 PM

Awesome. Thanks.

**ronjenx** · 11-13-2009, 03:00 PM

Below is a picture of the screw driver you need to adjust the headlights without removing the grill.
As you face the grill, the light on your left has a screw at the 10 o'clock position; the light on your right has a screw at the 2 o'clock position. The US JK have vertical adjustment only.

I adjusted mine to be a compromise between the low beams pointing too low, and the high beams pointing too high. You can tell when it's the safest you can get if you test drive it after each adjustment. The JK headlight pattern is just not that good.
When I got the chance, I checked the adjustment against a wall, per the FSM instructions. They were at the upper limit of the factory specs.

Briefly, the specs are:

Park on a level surface, 25' from a vertical wall so the headlights will shine squarely on the wall.
Measure the height from the ground to the center of your headlight.
Make a horizontal line on the wall at the same height.
The top of the brightest part of the light pattern should be at the line, or no more than 2" below the line.
This will get you in the ball park. You may have to tweak it a little for the safest alignment.
I found it helpful to cover one head light while adjusting the other.

**N2rock** · 11-13-2009, 03:58 PM

Ronjenx instructions are pretty accurate.

My only comment would be: The top of the brightest part of the light pattern should be at the line, or no more than 2" below the line. In my experience, you want it to be 2" below. If you set it right at the line, you'll still be too high and pissing people off since you are lifted. Plus it gives you really crappy coverage of the road directly in front of you. Aimed down just a little gives everyones' eyes a break and lets you light up the road in front of you.

alaskanthunder · 11-13-2009, 04:02 PM

Turning left turns it downwards. Correct?

**ronjenx** · 11-13-2009, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaskanthunder

Turning left turns it downwards. Correct?

Can't remember. Shine it on something and watch as you turn the screw.

As to N2rock's comment:
Yeah. Some deviation required. I had to have mine (at stock height) at the top of the limit to have the lows shine far enough ahead. People have not been flashing me.
The highs are on the border of being too high, but useable.
Like I said, the JK head lights is not ideal.

**waterboarder** · 11-13-2009, 05:06 PM

The best move you can make here is to replace the headlamps with something MUCH better than stock, and then adjust them.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/daniel-stern-lighting-my-jk-858502/

rjt36 · 11-13-2009, 05:36 PM

All I want to do is aim them. I'm not looking to throw money away at head lights. I live in suburban New Jersey where just about every street is well lit. If it's too dark, high beams or my aux lights on the windshield brackets get the job done.

alaskanthunder · 11-13-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjt36

All I want to do is aim them. I'm not looking to throw money away at head lights. I live in suburban New Jersey where just about every street is well lit. If it's too dark, high beams or my aux lights on the windshield brackets get the job done.

It's ok, T-dog loves to post around DS Lighting in any light thread. I KNOW the DS Cibies are great, but we all don't have money to put into a headlight system that the JK should've come with stock.

**waterboarder** · 11-13-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alaskanthunder

It's ok, T-dog loves to post around DS Lighting in any light thread. I KNOW the DS Cibies are great, but we all don't have money to put into a headlight system that the JK should've come with stock.

Now now....you HAVE the money - you just choose to spend it on something else (:

And you're right - it SHOULD be stock. The stock lighting is just a waste of electricity.

Going with the Cibies was purely a move on faith for me. I really didn't believe that new headlamps could make such a difference, but people swore up and down they did - so I spent the money, half expecting it to be a complete waste - but I could not have been more wrong - and that's something you will not hear me say very often (:

But keeping with the topic...I followed the 25' procedure being discussed here and it seemed too low for me. In the end, after much fooling around with it, I just eyeballed it. I found a dark place, dark road (which was hard to do!) and just adjusted them until it "looked right" to me. No one has been flashing me, so I guess I did OK. I might even move them up a little more to see if I get flashed (:

Quote:

Can't remember. Shine it on something and watch as you turn the screw.

You can see the lamp itself move when you turn the t-driver. If I am remembering correctly, clockwise is "up".

alaskanthunder · 11-13-2009, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waterboarder

Now now....you HAVE the money - you just choose to spend it on something else (:

Your logic is undeniable.