gearbox

iTrader: (95)

It seems there is alot of mystery about this subject, and I get asked all the time how it should be done so that other drivers don't flash you all the time. Well this will be the most simple way of doing it, enough to get you safe on the road.

tools needed:

large, thick, dark towel
a friend
small toolkit with basic sockets and screwdrivers
measuring device such as meter stick
a white wall and flat ground

Okay let's get started. Now this diy was written using TYC projector headlights, but the same applies to oem with a few changes. If you are aiming tyc, then you will need to remove the bumper and also the headlight assembly to aim them. There is just not enough room otherwise.

Now lets take a look at the headlights. On the actual plastic lens, you should have a small square or circle engraved into the plastic at the center of the low beam (and hi beam on projector housing). I have this area marked with a large circle.



Now what you want to do is take your measuring device and find out how far it is from the center of the dot to the ground. I provided a sample measurement. Yours will be different! Remember this number.



Make sure it is completely dark outside, then drive to your safe area that has a white wall and plenty of space. You need to park your car on level ground 25 feet away from the wall. measure with your feet or measuring device.

turn on your lights, lol. you should now have a clear view of the beam pattern. If you have projectors, the cutoff line will be very distinct. there will be bright light underneath, and darkness above. if you have halogen reflectors like stock headlight, the cutoff will not be as sharp, but you should still be able to pick a point where there is a defined area between light and dark. there will be some glare above the cutoff due to the nature of the reflector.

now as for aiming the actual light beam, the tyc headlights have two screws on the back. more than likely you will need to remove the headlight itself everytime you make an adjustment. one screw is for left/right, another for up/down. If you have stock headlights, there is a gear for up/down aiming. sedans have a left/right, but you should not need to adjust this anyway. on the stock headlights, this is the gear. Hint: it can be turned very easily with a thin, long screwdriver from above as indicated by the upper arrow. This allows for adjustment without removing the bumper or headlight assembly.



Remember the measurement you made from the center of the headlight to the floor? go to the wall and measure this same distance from the floor up and make a small circle mark. your headlight beam cutoff might be above or below this mark. What you want to do is move the headlight beam so that the cutoff is 2.1 inches below the mark that you made on the wall. this is the correct distance.



Note: you must aim headlights one at a time. before you start, have a friend sit in the driver seat. first cover one headlight with a towel so that the light is blocked. aim the other headlight until the beam is 2.1 inches below the mark. repeat for the second headlight while covering up the first. When you are done, both cutoff lines should be at the same level as seen above. That's it!

If you want to check both cutoff lines separately, you can move the car closer to the wall.

K20me

iTrader: (9)

That's a good diy. Thanks, Steve.

genexrocket

iTrader: (1)

so that's where the adjuster is!! thanks

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

it might be different for 04-05 lights, but I'm sure honda made a spot for you to stick a screwdriver in and turn it from above.

-Vile-

Nope, still gotta take off your bumper to adjust headlights with 04-05 projectors as well.

However, you can remove your battery to get access to the passenger side!


Question:

I know mine might be different from yours, but according to your 3rd picture, where do you adjust the rotation of your projectors?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

^ you need to take apart the headlights, remove the piece that holds the lens, and rotate the lens. ya i know its stupid. i'm gonna have to do mine inside my room cause i have no way of putting it on the car and aiming it. i think it may work, i'm using a level tool because it seems the actual projector unit is leveled already. Its rough i know, but i need a car to drive.

-Vile-

Ouch, thats a ton of work for a little fix... Damn ebay projectors lol.

However, I think I'm gonna pass on doing the job of fixing it because my ebay fog lights are working perfect to cover all the light my headlights now lack.

With fogs on I get more side visibility, the ghosting on my projectors is now concealed, and I can read street signs a bit better when it glares off the floor at about 25 - 30 feet.

I think I may go and do a retro on my OEM headlamps though... Just want to familiarize myself with the process a bit better.

Civicman1988

iTrader: (24)

good thread thanks gearbbox know i can adjust my brights

brucepick

Thanks for the tips, guys.
On my "97 Civic the gear teeth are accessible from above and slightly towards car's center line with headlights installed - stock type. Turn them using medium-small flat blade. Flashlight helps a lot.

After turning maybe 60 - 80 teeth something popped into place and I had to go back about 20 teeth or so. Got it done. No-name aftermarket headlights, stock type.

Seby05

Eh, just got brand new headlights, aftermarket, and tonight I drove with them, and the passenger side is pointing kind of high... I looked for the adjuster, but I don't think i have one, what are my options?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

they all do, the aftermarkets have bolt screws in the back and you need a socket wrench usually. aiming aftermarkets is a huge pain because you cannot aim them unless the lights are off the car. so you need to remove bumper, take a socket wrench with you to your favorite wall location, then keep removing and reinstalling the lights until you get the aim right. just look in the back of the housing for bolts. you will have to play with it and try each bolt in each direction to see how it affects the beam.

Seby05

Dude, I was showing my friend my engine bay after the car got detailed and guess what? On the plastic tab on the headlight I saw the left/right adjust arrows and when I got the flashlight I saw the little gear teeth also. D'oh.... Im an idiot lol

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

oops yeah i forgot you have the oem style reflector, not projector version. it should be just like the stock pic i posted above with the gear. just park 25 ft against a wall, cover one side at a time, and turn the gear with a philips screwdriver in each direction til you see which way the beam is moving. turn the screw slowly so it doesnt strip.

Seby05

I adjusted them some today, not"by the book" tho... But I lowered them quite a bit, and I can see a lot better. Oh, and they hVe the little teeth so I dont have to take them out thank god. For both up and down and side to side. Also installed my foglights

xaxixuxexo

Is there anyway you can get the other pictures up for this? only one of them is showing up the others say theyve been deleted at photobucket

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i can try to take new pics later

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

this site has an aiming section near the bottom

http://www.hidretrofits.com/