Adjusting the BA headlights

[CityEnd]

hey guys,

once upon a time, i remember there was a link on this forum to someone's hp which had a picture showing us how to adjust the headlights for the BA hatch and hardtop, but i can't find it any more, i should have dled it to my comp when i first saw it.. but i didn't and i need it now.

i found the pic that adam had but that was only for the hatch, the hardtop section was not included..

i can only like see abt 5 meters ahead of me, but the footpath is always well lit.. =P and when the car infront of me has license plates on the boot, my headlights can't even reach that high.

[rjktan]

http://www.astinagt.com/forum/viewto...ing+headlights

think that's what u looking for
i just changed my globes and having the same problem bleh i have a screwdriver in hand and will be going to fix it soon :P

[pr1mo]

rjk weel hafta see u at a cruise soon now that uve been hanging round for a few months!

[rjktan]

heh
if u have one after june 23rd i'll come, exams till then heh

[Rupewrecht]

well there's a combined fordLAser/AstinaGT.com cruise to wilsons prom on the 30th

or a teamAZM cruise which i normally drag a few astinas to

[CityEnd]

thanx rjktan,

unfortunately the link doesn't work anymore. have pmed prenod, asking him to upload the link again, so all will be sweet soon.

i have a question for you, what kind of glodes did u install, r they any good, or just normal ones.

[Pernod]

I am actually having a couple of problems with the computer at home (stuffed the bios) so it is in being fixed. I will upload it once I get the computer back.

In the meantime (I did my lights last week so this is from memory)...

Each light has two screws,
for low beam adjustment there one screw on the middle side (radiator side of the car) which is on an angle towards the low beam light - this screw adjusts left right.

The one you want is down the outside of the light near the bottom of the light unit. You can get to this by looking down a small gap between the light and the metal strip (that the light attaches too). Its a bit hard to explain, but look around the outside (wheel side) of the light and you should be able to spot it).

If your lights have suddenly dropped, then they have probable done what mine did. They actually 'droped off the end of the screw' (for want of a better way to explain it), so if the light isn't moving, you may need to wind the screw completly one way (until it 'slips' back onto the screw) and then wind it back to adjust them.

(Sorry, I cant quite remember which way is up, and which is down - I have a feeling that clockwise makes the lights drop, and counterclockwise makes them go up (but dont quote me!) - so I had to completly drop mine to get them to slip back onto the screw, and then adjust them right back up.

I hope this makes some sort of sence to people?

I recommend allowing plenty of time if you have played with the left/right screw while trying to adjust the height as it is a bit of a juggling act between the left right (which also lifts/drops them slightly) and the up down screw to get them all set right again!


I'll post the pic again once I get my computer back (Might be a few days as it may be a motherboard fault)

**Note - Sorry if there is grammor, spelling mistakes etc int he above - I'm flat stick at work at the moment so this has been done in a hurry. Any Q's then just PM me or email me via my website below**

[rjktan]

the BA hatch and hardtop setup of the screws is identical
so the diagram in that post will apply to ur BA hardtop.
Well it did for mine heh

[Pernod]

Right - I have managed to find a backup of the adjustment details and have put them up on my new site...

These instructions for adjusting the lights are the same for both the hatch and the hardtop! (Although the hatch page didn't show the side indicator removal - even though we still have them?)

Click on the thumbnail below for the larger image...




For more detail on the difference between the hatch and the hardtop then check out these...

Hatch and Hardtop


Feel free to drop me a line with any Q's (I also have diagrams for removing the front bar if they are any use to anyone.)

[CityEnd]

yay!! i can see 30m down the rd, there is contruction in my street atm, and the reflective sticker on a witches hat abt 30m down the street lights up with my headlights on.

thanx guys!!

ok now for another question, those images were great for showing us how to adjust it, but how do u adjust them correctly? like how high should u go, how far out.. etc.

the instuctions just say "4. Position the vehicle stright ahead to the headlight tester. set the distance between the headlight and the tester to 3m." and then????

i didn't have headlight testers so what i did was park the hatch abt 3 meters ahead of me, and i adjusted the headlights to shine on the red bit of the back of the hatch. after a test drive i realised that was way too high, so i adjusted the light to just lightup the red bit. that seems good to me. only dissavantage is that there is no light on the ground right infront of me(2m), but i figure if i was driving i could spot an object before it gets that close =P or if it was 2m away, i could see it without the need of headlights.

oh another thing, left/right adjustment, should they be pointing straight on forward or slightly outwards? my theory is that u can point them a bit out as the area stright in front, the combine left and right light will produce enough light? and pointing them out with help with preripheral view also.

so what do u guys think? will i be alright or do i need further adjustments?

[Pernod]

Having done mine last week - I did exactly the same as you - I adjusted them to where I thought they should be, found they were way to high, dropped them down untill they were about right.

I'm not sure how to correctly adjust them height wise other than trial and error.
Mine are currently set pretty much level, so that when driving on a flat road they show up the number plate of an oncomming car, but no higher (unfortinuatley I live in a hilly city so flat roads are uncommon - it doesn't matter where your lights are pointing you always end up blinding people as you come over a rise!)

The projection bulbs have a definate 'start' line, which makes it a bit easier to tell when they are adjusted too high/low.

As far as left and right, I have mine adjusted slightly out inorder to give me 3 'hot-spots' of light. Each light gives its own clear 'hotspot' directly where they are pointing, and I have adjusted them so that there is a 3rd hotspot straight ahead where the lights overlap. These three spereate 'beams' all diffuse into an even spread of light from about 6-7 meters infront of the car - its a nice compromise between center view and peripheral.

[CHiMPY]

Originally Posted by Pernod

(I also have diagrams for removing the front bar if they are any use to anyone.)

I should have checked this thread before attempting to remove the front bar on the weekend.