HELP!!How to aim jdm headlights??? - Honda Prelude Forum

shadowZZ · 10-26-2001, 03:03 AM

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how to aim to jdm headlights, i have them on and i cannot see a thing in front of me , they look like they are aimed too low. I know that on the regular stock headlights you can adjust it with a screwdriver but the jdms do not have this. can anyone help me??

Mark94 · 10-26-2001, 07:20 AM

There are a few dials with teeth located behind each light. They kind of look like bottle caps. You have to rotate those dials in order to align the lights. It's a pain to rotate them because of the position they are in.

Mark

AlexLude · 10-26-2001, 02:34 PM

hey mark,

did you just use a screwdriver to turn the "bottlecaps".. lemee know. i'm in the process of getting some JDM's and wanted to make sure it was possible to adjust the lights vertically and horizontally. Thanks!!! ever find out how to make the H1 inner lights functional?? or idd you do it the USDM way and have the inner H1's as highs and the outer H4's as lows? lemme know.. thanks!!

Mark94 · 10-26-2001, 02:50 PM

Yeah Alex,

you can adjust them both vertically and horizontally, but you can't use a phillips screwdriver like on the USDM's. You have to use a flat head to turn the "bottlecaps." because of the limited space behind the lights it is very difficult to adjust them and takes quite a while because the flathead can only turn it about 3-4 mm at a time.

Mark

Mark94 · 10-26-2001, 03:03 PM

I should have made that a little clearer. You have to stick the head of the flathead between the teeth of the "bottlecaps" and turn it that way. That's why it takes so long to do.

Mark

shadowZZ · 10-27-2001, 03:38 AM

Hey Mark, about how long did it take for you to adjust them properly? thanks

_SBradley_ · 10-28-2001, 05:21 AM

Aligning the JDM headlights is pretty easy, and it doesn't take that long, providing you have the right screwdriver (say, 5 mm head).

There are four "bottletops".

To adjust one, just stick the screwdriver down into the hole on the top side of the plastic surrounding the "bottletop", and turn! (This is why you need the right screwdriver: too small or too big, and it won't turn.)

From what I remember, the low, outermost "bottletop" controls the vertical alignment of the outer light. The inner, top "bottletop" controls the vertical alignment of the inner light. The other two control the horizontal alignment of the obvious light.

Not including deciding where the beams should be (which is the hard part), the actual alignment should take you just a few minutes.

Oh, one handy tip is this: once you've aligned the beams up against a wall or whatever you do, walk 10-20 metres away from your car and slowly crouch down. If you get blinded by both headlights at the same time, they they're set to the same level.

To check the horizontal alignment of the high-beams, you can mark their beam centre on your wall, then reverse your car away from the wall (perpendicular). The beam centres should remain stationary. (If they move out, the beams need to come in; and vice versa.)

Mark94 · 10-29-2001, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shadowZZ
Hey Mark, about how long did it take for you to adjust them properly? thanks

Took me over an hour to adjust them properly. You just can't adjust them once and it's perfect. You have to adjust then check it against a wall, readjust and so on. I did that process about 5 times.

In my mind, over an hour is a long time just to adjust headlights.

Mark

4bidden · 10-29-2001, 11:04 PM

the absolute best way to do it if you have some extra wire laying around is to find a small piece of wood, cut some pieces of wire about an inch long, and hammer them into the wood in the pattern of the holes on the back of the dial. soooooo much better than the screwdriver method. i made a tool with wire and got them aimed in less than 2 minutes. just a thought....

TheGreatOne · 10-31-2001, 07:36 AM

I was bidding on some JDM's on Ebay and noticed someone retracted their bid cause there was no harness included...are they expensive or hard to find?

Thanks

4bidden · 10-31-2001, 12:40 PM

mine didnt come with a harness, and they were new out of the box from honda of japan im pretty sure. the box said honda and had never been opened. i had the shop do my install because i dont like electrical wiring. they charged me like $15 for a harness. they work fine. outer = low beam inner+outer = high beam

TheGreatOne · 10-31-2001, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 4bidden
mine didnt come with a harness, and they were new out of the box from honda of japan im pretty sure. the box said honda and had never been opened. i had the shop do my install because i dont like electrical wiring. they charged me like $15 for a harness. they work fine. outer = low beam inner+outer = high beam

Great, nice to know...I'll keep bidding then