Checking Headlight Aim
- Park the vehicle on a level surface, 25 ft (7.6 m) away from, and perpendicular to, a vertical screen or wall. Shut down the engine and set the parking brake. Chock the tires.
- Each headlight has a height adjusting dot. See Fig.. Measure
the distance from the ground to the height adjusting dot on each headlight.
Note those distances. See Fig.,
Ref. A.
Measure beam height from the ground to the small dot roughly in the center of the headlight lens.
Fig. 1, Headlight Beam Height Adjusting Dot
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Measure the distance from the ground to the center of each headlight bulb.
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Mark where the center of each headlight projection should appear.
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Screen or Wall
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Center of Right-Hand Headlight Projection
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Center of Left-Hand Headlight Projection
Fig. 2, Headlight Aiming Screen/Wall
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- Mark the vertical distances found in step 2 on the screen or wall, directly in front of the headlights. These marks represent the desired locations of each headlight bulb center in the following steps. See Fig., Items 2 and 3.
- Turn on the low-beam headlights.
- Identify the center of each beam projection by marking
the area of brightest intensity on the wall. The area of brightest
intensity should fall on or very near the marks made during step 3.
See Fig..
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Low-Beam Angle Upper Limit
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Ideal Low-Beam Projection
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Low-Beam Angle Lower Limit
Fig. 3, Vertical Low-Beam Headlight Variation Limits
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- Use Table. to determine the maximum vertical distance allowable between
the marks made in step 3 and the marks made in step 5. If the vertical
distance between the marks made in steps 3 and 5 is greater than the
maximum distance given in Table., adjust the vertical positioning of that headlight.
Table 1, Vertical Low-Beam Headlight Variation Limits
Vertical Low-Beam Headlight Variation Limits
Distance Between Ground and Headlight: in (mm)
22–36 (560–900)
0
3.9 (100)
3.9 (100)
36–48 (900–1200)
2 (50) down
2 (50)
6 (150)
48–54 (1200–1400)
2.5 (64) down
1.6 (40)
6.5 (165)
Table 1, Vertical Low-Beam Headlight Variation Limits