1989 S4

After doing some searching here (and the web), I can't find a good procedure for aiming the headlights/foglights. Found on one the Nichols site, but it didn't include the foglights.

I played around with the foglights last night - one appeared brighter than the other (it was aimed high). This same foglight won't aim downward (gonna take it apart and check the adjustment screws). Right now I have them both aimed WAY too high (don't even hit the road). I assume I want the foglights to pretty much hit the ground in front of the car, eh?

 

The adjusters are almost always broken. I replaced a cracked lens yesterday. The reflectors and adjusters are part of the lens housing. I have 4 donor lens housings. The nearly all of the adjusters are broken on all of them. Wait till you see the flimsy plastic arms. Some will look like they are OK until you move the adjuster screws; then you will see they are broken too. Plastic cement/epoxy cannot make a strong enough repair.

 

Mine were out of alignment as well....turns out the adjustment tabs were broken. They are little plastic pieces that the screws fit into, and break off easily. Very poor design. You have to remove the lens and check the tabs. I don't know if the tabs are even available seperately....anyone know?

Rich

 

Can these tabs be moved?

Not so worried about the left to right adjustment on the fog lights as I am up and down....maybe I could use the tabs from the "up down" part, or are they fitted into the lens housing?

 

Richard....did you manage to adjust them with the broken tabs? Is this possible?

I *think* one could just move the bulb housing part by hand, no?

 

I've always liked this guy's site
http://danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

 

With a broken tab the light reflector just wobbles and chooses it's own resting place. Sure, you can sort of set it in the right position, but when you go to install the light there is no telling where the reflector will finally point. Besides, big bumps will probably cause it to wobble and move as well. I just gave up and let that one point where it wants to...but I'm always looking for an unbroken tab to fix it.....

Rich

 

Unfortunately, the adjustment tabs are part of the lens assembly and not available separately.

 

The article on the daniel stern site doesn't pertain to H5 headlights, only H4.

 

Foglight aim in the great and socialist state of California is limited to center of beam less than 4" off the ground at 75'. Thay have a verylimited circumstance when they can be used too: fog and rain.

I have mine adjusted dead level. Wioth the car on flat/straight ground, it's pretty easy to pull up towrads a wall and see if the pattern gets higher or lower as you get closer. At level, it shouldn't change.

The foglights on my car have no side-to-side adjustment; that pivot is pinned permanently. The fog pattern is wide and flat so side to side really means nothing. Important on the aux hi beam though!

Most adjusting tabs are bent/broken by overtravel during adjustment I'll wager. Close to the ends of the travel on the adjusting screws, those little arms are twisted/contorted. Go a little more and they break! So go easy on them as you adjust; If the beam is way off after a bulb replacement, you probably didn't get it seated in the socket correctly.

 

Owner's manual for my 90' S4 provides a procedure for both fog and headlights.

 

I managed to repair enough of the broken tabs from my 4 donor lenses to make a set. Plastic Weld expoy with a good build-up around the joint. Looks like it might hold.