DIY: Do It Yourself Share all your DIY experiences here. Ask how-to questions also!

Need Help Identifying this under the hood

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 03-25-2008 | 10:29 PM
  #1  
EM_5's Avatar
Thread Starter
Members
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
My Ride: E60 M5
Thumbs up

I had just finished installing the black out kidney grill from Turner. As I was admiring my new grills, I see that the hood is not symetrically flush on both sides. With tool in hand, I go to adjust the bolt identified by the pics below with the red circle. Obviously, that was not the hood-stop/rest bolt. I did not count how many turns I made, so I had to guesstimate where it was... stupid me... too many tools, too little common sense.

Anyhow, I did a search on the web a see that the screw I tinkered with is not the headlight adjustment screw, even though it will loosen the headlights to the point where it can move around.

After tightening the bolt, I go and proceed to test the aim of the lights visually, standing about 20 feet from dead center of the car. I noticed that the Driver's Side headlight gets brighter FIRST, as I lower my height (by slowly squatting). It would appear that if my car was behind another car, the Driver's side headlight will be much brighter.

Attached is the sequential pictures I took. I was first in a higher position (pic 1), where things appeared normal.... then I lowered my body (pic 2) and the Driver's Side light becomes brighter than the other side.... then further down (pic 3) it gets really bright while the passenger side stayed relatively the same.... then squatting (pic4) both are really bright.

I've read that after lowering the car, the headlight angle auto adjust sensor could be off. It may have been like that before I tinkered with the screw in question... OR I may have messed it up.

HELP!!
Attached Thumbnails Need Help Identifying this under the hood-dsc01200.jpg   Need Help Identifying this under the hood-aim.jpg  
Old 03-25-2008 | 10:35 PM
  #2  
DrLev99's Avatar
Contributors
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,987
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh, PA
My Ride: 2008 Alpine White 550i Sport, Cream Beige Interior, 6-Sp Manual - retired 9/2011
Default

Regardless of whether the lights may be self leveling, lowering the car will require the lights to be adjusted upward, with the screws circled below in yellow. When my car was dropped on springs, I could barely see any illumination at all in front of my car. I have tinkered with my headlight adjustments more than most people ever will, to get them just right. As a matter of fact, I just adjusted the passenger side one 30 minutes ago, when I got home from work.

As for that screw you loosened, as long as you tightened it back down, I don't think it should have affected your aim, especially up and down. Remember, driver's side one should be a bit lower than the passenger's side, to not blind oncoming drivers.

For adjusting vertically, clockwise on the inner screws for down, and vice versa. For the right and left adjustment, clockwise is inward and vice versa for outward, but I wouldn't mess with those.

I also included a good headlight adjustment DIY for ya...Headlight_Aim_Instruction.pdf
Attached Thumbnails Need Help Identifying this under the hood-dsc01200.jpg  
Old 03-25-2008 | 11:42 PM
  #3  
EM_5's Avatar
Thread Starter
Members
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: So Cal
My Ride: E60 M5
Default

Originally Posted by DrLev99' post='550885' date='Mar 25 2008, 10:35 PM
Regardless of whether the lights may be self leveling, lowering the car will require the lights to be adjusted upward, with the screws circled below in yellow. When my car was dropped on springs, I could barely see any illumination at all in front of my car. I have tinkered with my headlight adjustments more than most people ever will, to get them just right. As a matter of fact, I just adjusted the passenger side one 30 minutes ago, when I got home from work.

As for that screw you loosened, as long as you tightened it back down, I don't think it should have affected your aim, especially up and down. Remember, driver's side one should be a bit lower than the passenger's side, to not blind oncoming drivers.

For adjusting, clockwise on the inners for down, and vice versa. For the right and left adjustment, clockwise is inward and vice versa for outward.

I also included a good headlight adjustment DIY for ya...
Thanks for the quick reply. I did not anticipate that the Driver's will be that much higher than the Passenger's side after lowering (or maybe the Passenger's side became that much lower than the Driver's side). Any hoot, I have since, after your post, eyeball-leveled both to match the higher side. I will find a vertical wall and use your referenced PDF to get it right.

Since the car is lowered the same on the left and right side, why do you think the Driver's side became so much higher than the Passenger's side?

Thanks so much!
Old 03-26-2008 | 12:07 AM
  #4  
DrLev99's Avatar
Contributors
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,987
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh, PA
My Ride: 2008 Alpine White 550i Sport, Cream Beige Interior, 6-Sp Manual - retired 9/2011
Default

Originally Posted by EM_5' post='550909' date='Mar 26 2008, 02:42 AM
Thanks for the quick reply. I did not anticipate that the Driver's will be that much higher than the Passenger's side after lowering (or maybe the Passenger's side became that much lower than the Driver's side). Any hoot, I have since, after your post, eyeball-leveled both to match the higher side. I will find a vertical wall and use your referenced PDF to get it right.

Since the car is lowered the same on the left and right side, why do you think the Driver's side became so much higher than the Passenger's side?

Thanks so much!
Someone else may be able to answer this better than I in terms of the auto-leveling issues after a drop. I know if you search, it's been discussed here. I am not sure why your driver's side light would be so off compared to the other side. And maybe messing with those screws that hold your light in place, did "screw" something up. Good luck...just keep tweaking it after driving around. You will get it just right after a while.
Old 03-27-2008 | 09:06 PM
  #5  
RootKit's Avatar
Contributors
 
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 295
Likes: 0
From: High Desert, So. CA USA
Default

The screw you mentioned just holds the headlight in place. A while back I took the left and right headlights out to change the "angel eyes" bulbs. When closing the garage i noticed the light beams (left and right) doesn't look level. I loosen the screwd a little bit and position the headlight slightly and rescrew it back again. That solves the problem--and I never messed with the aiming.

I know Rudy posted the instructions for headlight aiming. By shining it against the garage or flat surface i think you can get it pretty well leveled to your likings IMHO.

here it is....

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...st&p=237331
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ilovemye60
E60 Discussion
9
11-10-2015 08:48 PM
alexbaldy
Private Member Classifieds
19
09-28-2015 01:28 PM
Kaane
Tires & Wheels
0
09-26-2015 08:44 PM
ucsbwsr
E60, E61 Parts, Accessories and Mods
4
09-19-2015 11:58 AM
umichchris
Private Member Classifieds
1
09-10-2015 01:54 PM




All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:04 PM.