Headlight adjustment

Tekkamaki

Member
Where are the heck the adjustment screws for 2002 Protege5's headlights? My headlights need to be adusted so badly, but I can not find any adjustment screws around the headlights like my 1980Chevy pickup does. My lowbeam is aiming perfectly horizontal and my high beam is aiming above the horizontal line. I have to aim them much lower.
Thank you in advance for your help.
 
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There aren't seperate adjustments for low & hi. Set the lows, deal with the highs or the opposite if you happen to use highs more than lows.
 
Please properly aim the lows.

If they are aimed right, the high's are just right as well

If that isn't neough, you can always upgrade the foglights to a driving light
 
At night take the car to a dark parking lot or alleyway where there is flat level ground beside a building or wall, park the driver side of the car close to the wall in a paralell manner. You should see the beam of the headlights and a decent cutoff line to work with. Now block off the pass light with a towel or something so that its beam does not hit the wall this will allow you to adjust the drivers side, from the headlight to about 25' ahead the beam cutoff should drop no less than 2", that from what I can remember is the proper DOT limit. Next do the passenger light by again covering up the drivers side light.

Reason for using the drivers side of the car for light aiming is that the right side of the beam will deflect up diagonally which makes aiming very hard.
 
At night take the car to a dark parking lot or alleyway where there is flat level ground beside a building or wall, park the driver side of the car close to the wall in a paralell manner. You should see the beam of the headlights and a decent cutoff line to work with.
Might wanna park perpendicular to the wall so the lights will shine on the wall. Then just drive around & see if they hit where you want them too. If not stop & adj again. It's all about what they're shining on when driving so you can't just adj on the wall, gotta see where it's hittin when driving.
 
I just adjust till they are too low, then continue to drive around bringing them up till i get flashed

then, take em back down 1/8 to 1/4 turn, then i'm golden
 
Might wanna park perpendicular to the wall so the lights will shine on the wall. Then just drive around & see if they hit where you want them too. If not stop & adj again. It's all about what they're shining on when driving so you can't just adj on the wall, gotta see where it's hittin when driving.


but if they are lined up but pointing up blinding other drivers you won't be able to tell by pointing the car at a wall. Parking parallel to the wall, very close to the wall that is you can see your beam along the wall and see the slope of the beam.

Pic of my old MP3 with HID projectors. This is what I mean
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What happened to those headlights?

What projectors were they?
 
:( Can I ask why?

I've got Acura TL's being retro'd into sedan lights.
 
I sold the lights to some other MP3 owner a couple months before I sold the car which was back in early 2007. Loved the lights and would love to have the cash to do a retro in my new MP5, but I'm broke.
 

Is this a typical phillips head screw? Also, what direction does the headlight move then the screw goes clockwise (when imagining that I'm looking directly at the screw head from inside the car)?

I need to adjust mine a bit as well but don't want to screw anything up.
 
righty tighty (down)
lefty loosey (up)

there's also another bolt towards the outside of the back housing that makes the lights go left and right

don't force it... if at any point it stops moving stop turning... you will strip the cheapo plastic thing those bolts screw into... you will have to open the lights to replace them
i've learned from experience... but if you do strip them... i've found similiar pieces at o'reallys that i replaced mine with
 
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righty tighty (down)
lefty loosey (up)

there's also another bolt towards the outside of the back housing that makes the lights go left and right

don't force it... if at any point it stops moving stop turning... you will strip the cheapo plastic thing those bolts screw into... you will have to open the lights to replace them
i've learned from experience... but if you do strip them... i've found similiar pieces at o'reallys that i replaced mine with

Thanks for the info. Do I need a ratcheting phillips bit or can I actually fit a small screwdriver down there and adjust?
 
Yes 10mm socket. Your actually suppose to screw down from the top with a Phillips according to the service manual. If you look down on the bolt it has a grooved washer between the actual bolt and housing and a groove for a long Phillips to get to it
 
all this is SOOOO helpful. just bought a P5 (had one 9 years ago and never got over having to sell it-a true 'Protege"). having problems with aiming the headlight so very good info. thank you
 
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