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Mechanical headlight adjustment?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Desert Flier, Mar 3, 2020.

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  1. Desert Flier

    Desert Flier Member

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    OK so I've been reading quite a few posts on this site and others and am just trying to get all my thoughts in order. I purchased two new headlight assemblies manufactured by Eagle Eye. My car does not have the auto leveling option that almost every car out there seems to have. I see mentioned often that there is an up/down adjustment on the headlight housing. My housing has two adjusters so I'm assuming the second one is a left/right adjustment? If I'm correct so far I am curious to hear how one accesses the left/right adjuster without moving the windshield washer reservoir (for the passenger side) and the fusebox assembly for the driver side. The adjusters are circled in the picture. Up/down is circled at the top of the picture and left/right is the other circle with the arrow pointed to it if I'm correct. The left/right adjuster is really hard to access when the headlight assembly is in the car. The picture shown is the passenger side of the car. IMG_20200303_142529~2.jpg
     
    #1 Desert Flier, Mar 3, 2020
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  2. Priuslover09

    Priuslover09 Member

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    What headlight are you using?
     
    #2 Priuslover09, Mar 3, 2020
  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    I must say that's the first headlight I've ever seen that someone has rigged with up an electronics cooling fan!!

    Been having temperature issues at the halogen bulb connector? Still halogen or have you modified it? Aftermarket bright bulbs?
     
    #3 TMR-JWAP, Mar 3, 2020
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  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Might be aftermarket LED retrofit "bulbs". LEDs don't make much heat compared to halogens, but they also don't tolerate a lot of it, so it has to be removed somehow.

    Regarding the adjusters: you have noticed the inward-facing 'teeth' on those discs, right?

    Stick your long Phillips screwdriver down from the top, right through those guide channels you see molded in, and it will engage those teeth, and turn the adjuster when you rotate the screwdriver.
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Mar 3, 2020
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  5. Desert Flier

    Desert Flier Member

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    HAHA! It's an LED bulb that I bought off of Amazon.
     
    #5 Desert Flier, Mar 3, 2020
  6. Desert Flier

    Desert Flier Member

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    Fan cooled LED. Turn key drop in replacement.
     
    #6 Desert Flier, Mar 3, 2020
  7. Desert Flier

    Desert Flier Member

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    That will work for the up/down adjuster but I don't see an access point for the left/right adjuster. I'll look again.
     
    #7 Desert Flier, Mar 3, 2020
  8. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    It helps if you understand the crown drive adjuster screws:

    [​IMG]

    Note: image from completely unrelated vehicle; ignore all specifics for adjustment. I'm just posting this so that you can see that you're supposed to be making the adjustment from the edge rather than from the cross-recess face of the screw
     
    #8 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Mar 3, 2020
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  9. Desert Flier

    Desert Flier Member

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    So headlight adjusting was fairly easy. On my car, without any auto leveling function, the adjustment must be done manually. The EagleEye lenses I bought had both a horizontal and a vertical adjustment knob. With this lens only the vertical adjustment was easily accessible. On the passenger side a 1/4" driver and 8mm did the job. The driver's side required a universal joint and extension to reach the adjuster. For horizontal adjustment I had to remove the passenger headlight, make an adjustment, reinstall it and repeat as necessary. MUCH easier than it sounds if the top of the bumper is already taken apart for access. The whole procedure took maybe 30 minutes once the top of the bumper was unlatched from its fasters. The driver's side did not need horizontal adjusting but the procedure would have been the same. Cheers!
     
    #9 Desert Flier, Mar 6, 2020
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