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How To Aim Headlight Beams!!

13K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  wink2206 
#1 ·
Yeah, what I said above, anyone know how? got one on my knee, the other in a tree.
 
#2 ·
2007 Pontiac Solstice | Solstice (VIN M) Service Manual |

Headlamp Aiming (Solstice)
The vehicle has a visual optical headlamp aiming system. The aim has been preset at the factory and should need no further adjustment

However, If the vehicle is damaged in an accident, the headlamp aim may be affected and adjustment may be necessary.

The vehicle should be properly prepared as follows:

• Inspect the alignment and adjustment of the hood.

• The vehicle should be placed so the headlamps are 25 ft (7.6 m) from a light colored wall or other flat surface.

• The vehicle must have all four tires on a perfectly level surface which is level all the way to the wall or other flat surface.

• The vehicle should be placed so it is perpendicular to the wall or other flat surface.

• The vehicle should not have any snow, ice or mud on it.

• The vehicle should be fully assembled and all other work stopped while headlamp aiming is being done.

• The vehicle should be normally loaded with a full tank of fuel and one person or 160 lbs (75 kg) on the driver seat.

• Tires should be properly inflated.

• The hood should be checked for proper adjustment. Refer to Hood Adjustment .

• The hood should be in the closed position.

Headlamp aiming is done with the vehicle low-beam headlamps. The high-beam headlamps will be correctly aimed if the low-beam headlamps are aimed properly.



1) The vertical headlamp aiming screw (1) is located behind the front marker lamp. Refer to Front Side Marker Lamp Replacement for lamp removal and adjuster screw access.

2) The adjustment screw can be turned with a standard No. 2 Phillips driver.

3) To adjust the vertical aim on the headlamps, close the hood, and do the following:



4) Find the aim dots (1) on the lens of the lamp assembly.

5) Measure the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the lamp with the hood in the closed position. Record the distance.



6) At the wall or other flat surface, measure from the ground upward the recorded distance and draw or tape a horizontal line the width of the vehicle.



Notice: Do not cover a headlamp to improve beam cut-off when aiming. Covering a headlamp may cause excessive heat build-up which may cause damage to the headlamp.

7) Turn on the low-beam headlamps and place a piece of cardboard or equivalent in front of the headlamp not being aimed. This should allow only the beam of light from the headlamp being aimed to be seen on the flat surface.

8) Turn the vertical aiming screw until the Right Gradient Line (Cutoff Line) (2) is set at the H-H (Horizontal Axis) (1) within +/- 2.0 inches measured at 25 feet.

9) Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the opposite headlamp.
 
#4 ·
I did it last night...I kind of followed the manual I have.

1. Measured from the ground to the dot on my head light.
2. Measured my garage wall using the same height. Made a horizontal line with masking tape at that height on my garage wall. (I don't remember the height, I think 26 1/2")
3. Had a full tank of gas.
4. Backed the car up 20 feet (manual says 25 feet), must be on level ground.
5. Covered the head light I was not aiming with a big piece of cardboard (I just layed the cardboard agained the front of the car to cover the head light).
6. Instead of removing the side light to access the head light adjustment, I just kept opening the hood and made an adjustment and then closed my hood to check the alignment.
7. Adjusted one light til the top of the light hit the top of my line on the garage wall.
8. Covered up the newly adjusted light and did the same for the other light.

Only steps I did not follow from the manual was being 25 feet away from the wall and sitting in the driver seat after the adjustments.
 
#5 ·
I have to laugh - some years back, I was at GM and assigned to the Pontiac Sunfire & Chevy Cavalier convertibles, which were built at an American Sunroof Corp facility in Ohio.

Whenever my very oversized / overweight boss drove vehicles off the line, he always complained that the headlamps were aimed incorrectly . . .

Lynne
 
#7 ·
Small Dealer has not been around for quite sometime now.
 
#9 ·
Bringing this thread back to life brought back memories.

I worked my way through part of university as a partsman in a British automotive shop and one of the things we sold (1970s) was Cibie lighting, a French make you've probably heard of - they were about the first to offer non sealed beam bulb type high output tungsten and quartz halogen lights, miles ahead of what was available back then.

Part of my duties was to use the special Cibie Regloscope - no tape measures and garage walls in those days, they supplied a specialized machine for proper alignment.



They did an excellent job - don't know why this sort of thing seems to have fallen by the wayside.
 
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