How to Adjust a Headlight Gear

If your headlight beams are blaring into space or blinding oncoming traffic, you need to readjust them. Fortunately, most vehicles feature adjustment gears on the body of the headlight assembly that allow you to manually change the aim of the headlight beams. One gear controls the vertical axis and the other controls the horizontal axis. Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, these gears need adjustment either with your hands or a screwdriver.

• 1

  Park your vehicle directly in front of a garage door or other flat vertical surface.

• 2

  Measure the distance from the ground to the horizontal center of the headlights and place a horizontal strip of tape on the wall at this same height in front of each headlight.

• 3

  Place a vertical strip of tape on the wall directly in front of the vertical center of each headlight, intersecting the horizontal strip you placed on the wall earlier and creating two tape targets that allow you to aim your headlights.

• 4

  Measure 25 feet away from the wall, place tape on the ground there, and reverse your vehicle until the headlights are directly above the tape on the ground. Turn on your headlights and prop open the hood.

• 5

  Locate the headlight adjustment gears on the body of the headlight assembly. One is usually on top of the headlight assembly and the other on the rear, although their location varies depending on the make and model. Turn these gears with the screwdriver or your hands, whichever is easier.

• 6

  Aim the headlight beams so that the portion of highest intensity hits the wall two inches below and to the right of the center of the tape targets, ensuring that while driving the beams illuminate the road and street signs and not oncoming traffic.