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this video will show you everything you need to know about adjusting your headlights [Music]
we will go over a checklist to get you started the sae guidelines
how to aim your lights what your owner's manual says and quick disclaimer about hot spots
before you start adjusting your headlights be sure you one are parked on level ground
two keep the regular load in your vehicle if you carry heavy equipment as part of your vehicle you
need that to stay in the vehicle three check the tire pressure in all four tires so they
are set to the manufacturer recommendations four have a properly designed light source
no doubt an oem halogen bulb is a good light source if you're using an aftermarket led
bulb during the aiming make sure the bulb has been designed properly and installed vertically
with led chips facing left and right check our video how to check the bulb is designed properly
in this video we will be following the sae j599-1997 code which is the code that is intended
for the inspection and maintenance of lighting equipment on motor vehicles that are in use
how to aim
step 1 park the vehicle 25 feet away from wall
step 2 mark the reference line the vertical position up and down of the reference point
depends on the height of the experimental vehicle the sae specifies that if the optical center of
the headlamp is less than 36 inches above the roadway then the reference point should
be at the same height as the optical center the optical center of this vehicle in the video is
28.5 inches high which is less than 36 inches tip the optical center is usually marked as a
little dot in the headlight lens step 3 check the lights against the reference line and if needed
adjust the driver's side headlight assembly so the cutoff line touches the horizontal reference line
step 4 check and adjust passenger side if needed adjusting the headlamp assembly is easy at the
back of the assembly you will see an allen screw by turning the screw clockwise you will raise the
beam angle if you turn it counterclockwise the beam of the headlight will go down watch the
beam on the left and you will see it slowly rise as we turn the allen screw clockwise
when we speed it up you can see it rise into position
when we check it again you can see the cutoff line touches the horizontal reference line
if the optical center is more than 36 inches above the roadway surface
the reference point should be two inches below the headlamp optical center
for example the optical center of this ram 1500 is 38.75 inches above ground which is more than
36 inches [Music] so we marked a reference line on the wall two inches less than 38.75 inches
your car's owner's manual usually provides aiming instruction as well
the manual of this vehicle has the same procedure as the aiming process from the sae j599-1997 code
hotspot disclaimer this video is a guide on how to aim your headlight cutoff line
to avoid blinding oncoming traffic and achieve safe driving the video does not include how to
check the maximum luminous intensity of the beam so called hotspot the code of federal regulations
title 49 section 571-108 states there shall be no adjustment of horizontal aim unless the headlamp
is equipped with a horizontal vhad which is also known as vehicle headlamp aiming device
if you need more information please check our video regarding hotspot or any of our other videos
in our library and if you have any suggestions please leave them in the comments below
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