My Luck -- Sob Story

[Q-less]

I was on my way to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival last week and decided to drive during the night to avoid all the truckers. Ever since last year when I replaced my brakes my diagnostic message has been displaying "BRAKE PADS WORN." I have just never took the time to replace it or put a loop in the wires to trick the sensor. Well I had had enough, I figured after a year I should just get it over with and do it so I could enjoy an error free disply. What better time to do it than at 3 o'clock in the morning. I pull over at a rest area and crawl up under the car and immediately find the connector, throw a loop on it, and tape it up real good with electrical tape. Voila, I start the car and for the first time in a year I see OK on the display. If I had known it would have been that easy I would have done it sooner. It about drove me crazy looking at that almost all the way there, it was all I had to look at with it being dark outside. For any of you that have the same problem, just take a long drive in the dark and after about 4 hours you will find yourself up under the car. Anyway here is the purpose of the post....After my first day in DC I start the car and the damn diagnostic display is telling me I have a headlight burned out. So here I am in DC running around with one headlight and everyone is looking at me and my license plate from Tennessee and putting the two together wondering what the hell I'm doing in in DC and the whole time I'm burning mad that I only got to enjoy one day error free!! There was no way I was going to drive all the way back looking like a one-eyed polcat looking at an error on the display instead of miles driven. On the way back, I pull over at an exit and ask for directions to the nearest WallyWorld. I buy a set of lights and replace both of them so the colors would match and turn the headlights on and they are pointing in all directions. I tried to adjust them but I am only able to vertically adjust and the horizontal adjust will just turn like a stripped bolt and do nothing. Now for the questions guys, can the internal guts controlling the aim adjustment of the headlights be repaired? Has anyone had similar problems and fixed it? Anyhow at least my car tells me everything is OK after I crank her up and I can see the trees real well at night now.

[Q-less]

I must be a friggin' idiot....sorry for multiple posts.

[Jeff Williams]

I have one light, that is like that. If you take the light out, and take apart the adjuster, you can use a small screwdrive, to adjust the light. It will take you about 45 minutes to get the light exactly right, but you shouls not have to do it again. You will have to re-install the light several times, to get both positioned.

Be sure you didn't pop the light mounts out of alignment. Just replacing the bulbs should not change the sightline of your headlights.

If you pushed too hard, to insert the bulbs, you could have "popped" the center part out of it's mounting bracket. Does the bulb feel loose? If so, you will have to pull on the back of the connector, until it pops back into place.

It is a pain, but well worth it, if you drive at night.

[maxnix]

These stories of stripped adjustors makes me wonder WTF is happening? Bubble levels are a blessing if you are on level ground. Jeff is correct, bulb replacement should not change alignment as it is not necessary to change adjusting screws to change the bulb, even if the headlight unit is removed to do so.

[Q-less]

A week before I left I took off the covers to align the lights since I knew I would be traveling at night and most of my driving is at night. I am a procastinator and my headlights have pointed down since I bought the car a year ago. They never provided enough light to let me see safely at high speeds since they pointed slightly downwards. You could not notice that the passenger light pointed to the right until after I raised it vertically. There is play in the light bulb seats and I would suspect this is normal as I would guess this is a shock absorbent system. Aside from that play, if I were to push slighty inward the lights will horizontally move on its fixed axis only it won't stay it will go back and position itself pointing to the right. Something has come loose and I used the similie of a stripped bolt because when you turn the screw nothing happens.

[elwesso]

I have one light that is like that as well..... fortunately mine was set fine so it doesnt matter

[maxnix]

There is play in the light bulb seats and I would suspect this is normal as I would guess this is a shock absorbent system.

This is not normal and may be your aiming problem. The bulbs are anchored securely in place by slots and retaining springs.

[Q-less]

The bulbs do seat securely in the sockets; its the rubber grommets that encircle the sockets that I was referring to a shock absorbent system.

[maxnix]

The caps are rather a seal against the environment, especially dirt.

[Jeff Williams]

The bulbs do seat securely in the sockets; its the rubber grommets that encircle the sockets that I was referring to a shock absorbent system.

There is a little bit of flex, there, but not much. If there is a lot, then your light assembly might have pooped out of its mounting. Is it difficult to insert the bulb? When mine popped in, I could not get the bulb seated, and the wires re-attached. I firmly pulled on the light assembly, and it pooped back into position. Then the aim was right on.

Have you tried disassembling the adjuster? It is just a gear assembly, like a small rear end. The part that your turn sometimes comes loose from the gear, and then you can not adjust the lights.