I've always hated how poorly my headlights where adjusted! One was pointed at the ground and the other is to the left in outerspace! Well I finally broke down and bought the female torx bits needed to adjust them. I started on one side and it didn't seem to move the beam one bit so I moved on to the other, well I turned the wrench about a half turn and the damned adjustment thingy snapped right off! Worthless! What do I do now?

 

Anyone had experience?

 

Yeah, I just broke mine off last night.
F-ing POS design.

so... how do we go about making a new system that acutally works?

 

 

Sorry for your bad luck, but I have no experience in this, sorry.

 

I will be happy to fill you in.

this car has these torx bit to adjust the aim of the headlights.

one is behind the headlight about 4-5 inches long, the other is on the inner side by the top of the cover about 1/2 inch long. these torx shafts drive a gear unit that turn a rod 90 degrees from the shaft (like a drive shaft into a diff). these two gear units push the headlights on the up or down axis, or left and right.

I have moved mine in the past, and lubed them. before I began last night, I lubed it so much the bucket under the headlight is all oil.

I began to spin the unit and the adjustment shaft snapped at the base of the gear box. (I can no longer adjust it) I noticed the parts that move the headlight have a torx bit on the ball joint as well, I tried to adjust that part, but one was already stripped on the up and down.

I further tinkered with it and found my ball joint on the left right movement was not in the socket and the headlight actually swivels forward and backwards. I have it currently wired tight, since this happened last night at 11:30 and I dont want random aim when hitting bumps. I cannot get it to go back in the ball joint, or the ball joint is worn out too much somehow.

I would like to tear the headlight apart and make a system like any other standard car. use a screw driver and turn a screw.
I was even thinking how do I get my C4 headlight on this thing.

I was very tempted to do this last night in the dark. I have had nothing but bad luck with the stock headlights/HID kit that crapped out/PIAA fog lights that keep burning out.

Now I am thinking about non pop up, since I have searched everything in here and it seems one day my headlights will just suddenly stop going up and down...

 

That sucks Hopefully, I will never have this problem with my C5Rs

 

I did this changing to HID's about a year and a half ago. I actually was able to buy the small plastic piece (from one of the two used part vendors here on the forum vette2vette, Genes Karshop) with the torx rod rather than the whole housing. IIRC, there were two phillips head screws that held it to the housing. This is more common than you think so you might be able to find a repalcementpart without much money or effort. They really do need to be lubed as they tend to get gunked up and bind

Hope this helps!

 

What a terrible design, I don't see how more people aren't having this happen...YET From what I see, it's only a matter of time before this problem explodes like the stupid oil pressure sensor problem. I assume most people take off the headlight cover and all just to get at it?
TOOGECKO, did you have to give the vendors part numbers or descriptions of the part you needed? How much$

 

Here is the e-mail I sent Jason at Vette2Vette (815)-673-6200 <-----------------
I don't know if my contact e-mail went through from your website- I am looking for a replacement adjuster rod for my driver side headlight. This will most likely have to come from a damaged housing as the dealer does not list this component as a separate item.

This was all he needed. I think the part was about $25-30 shipped. Hopefully there is a donor car out there right now

 

I spent another 4 hours on it last night. This is a test of patience.

I picked up a new set of crap fog lights from pep boys and installed them in about 10 mins, replacing my burned out piaa's. these are much smaller and actually fit in the vararam thing in there with the stock C5 fog holes, ehh... not much of a difference. I cant even aim them well.
I even modded them with brighter bulbs.

I got the ball joint to pop back in finally on the horizontal plane. I had to squeeze it in with vise grips. no more random movable headlight.

Now for the broken rods gear box. I saw the threaded end of the adjuster sticking out the back on the gear box. I removed the headlight cover, and threaded 2 bolts on this back section of the threaded ball joint. I locked them together and I was able to move my headlight back up. it took a long time and is one of those moments when your legs go weak and numb from being in some odd hunched over position with your head resting over the headlight, and basically half way through I debated just crashing the headlight into a wall, or hitting it with a bat.

after I think I beat it. I hit the headlights up and down and keep hearing a click sound. I feel behind the headlamp and the high and low beam bulbs are loose. I try to get them locked down but they just wont lock in firmly. when I hit the headlight down I guess the wires get pulled taught and yank on the bulbs, making them loose every cycle.

I spent another 45 mins trying to get them locked in. I come to the conclusion that something is wrong with my headlight bucket and the bulbs wont lock down. I got the low beams locked in best I could, they stayed put a few ups and down cycles, but I can make it loose with a simple touch. there is no firm locked in feeling. I feel it go snug, but just pointing at it makes it back out.

I go back to work on aiming them... I swear these headlights just suck.
the beam is very small. when driving on a 2 lane road with no street lights, I feel almost blind.

I am thinking maybe I can remove the reflector from the headlight, make a rough mold of it, and mount in some driving lights in the mold and shove it back into the headlight bucket. This would allow me to aim the lights easily. and hopefully if I get a decent set, light up the road.

I just dont know enough about all this to determine what to do.
and that whole DOT thing.

 

I had the same thing happen and had to replace the whole assembly. I got a used one on the forum and resold the lens and cover.

 

This happened to me also, right after I installed my HID projectors. For a temporary fix, I put a washer behind the headlight housing to the bracket. If it is still too high, put a washer behind the pivot pin at the top of the bracket. Fortunately I broke the passenger side, and I found this.

http://artscorvetteparts.com/part_de...3-529b9c033a68


It took about an hour and a half to install it, and it's kind of tricky getting the ball joint out of the little plastic piece, but it can be done. Lubricate the adjuster with some type of spray lube before you try to manipulate it. Good luck!

BTW, the torx bit can be adjusted with a 1/4" six point socket.

 

I gotta thank you, Cartman98... hopefully you'll come back here and see this. And the others on this thread. I finished my HID install tonight, and the lights were about 2 inches too high. I wasn't sure where the adjustment was, so I came onto the Forum and read some threads. Because of this thread, I lightly lubricated the adjuster when it started to bind, instead of powering through it which is what I would've done. Hopefully you'll get some sense of satisfaction from helping others with your experience.

 

They need to put a warning in with the instructions for the HID's to lubricate the adjusters before trying to aim the lights. It would save a lot of grief!

 

I thought I would bump this thread, if one found it useful others will as well. My headlights are still pointed in outerspace but that will change thanks to the new adjusters I'm going to order and replace along with the new HIRs I just ordered! - Thank you 1Bernie1

 

My HID's in my '01 are just a hair too high, so I've been searching here to see how I can go about adjusting them. Man, am I glad I found this thread!

But one thing that's not entirely clear to me: what exactly do I have to remove in order to properly lube the parts that need lubing?

It sounds as though the actual adjustment can be made through the plastic disc opening on the inside panel of the headlights. (Is this true?) But I'm reading that a housing needs to be removed in order to lube the worm gears. Which housing are we talking about? Just the black surround? Or, the actual body panel "lid?"

I didn't do the actual install of my HIDs (can you tell?!), so I didn't get to see what's going on inside the fixture. If anyone can get more specific with WHERE to spray some CRC, and WHAT TO REMOVE to get so that the spay goes where it needs to, I'd appreciate it.

Oh, also -- when "working the adjustment posts back and forth" before doing the actual adjusting, aren't you, in fact, turning the adjustment posts back and forth the same way you'll be doing the adjusting of the lights? Or, are you working these parts some other way?

Thanks!

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Just the surround (the three phillips head screws) should be fine.

You will see what needs to be WD40'ed, no risk, soak it.

You need to "gently" apply torque on the shaft (righty tighty, lefty loosey ) just go back and forth until it starts to move. It may be a crap design, but it's not made of sugar, it'll be fine as long as you know to be gentle ahead of time.

 

Thanks a million!

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