How to Adjust Dodge Headlights
by Steve Bradley
Dodge makes a wide range of automobiles from compact cars, to SUVs, to pick up trucks to family sedans. Safety and functionality can be greatly enhanced if one regularly realigns their vehicle's headlights. Many people do not realize that over time the headlight assembly can loosen causing the light beams to either point into oncoming traffic or too high, creating blind spots. These problems can be fixed very simply by taking some basic measurements and adjusting a few crews.
Step 1
Prepare your Dodge. You'll need to have the same amount of weight in the automobile as you would under regular driving conditions otherwise the headlights will dip or rise slightly due to the angle of the vehicle. Fill the gas tank to the half way point. Put regular items in the trunk. Have a partner sit in the driver's seat.
Step 2
Position your Dodge. First, locate a level area in front of a wall or garage door. There needs to be enough room to back the vehicle up about 25-feet. Once you have your location, have your partner pull the auto up to the wall and stop about 1-foot away.
Step 3
Mark the wall. First, take a 6-foot strip of masking tape and mark the wall from the center of the driver's side headlight to the center of the passenger's side light. This will represent the vertical axis for the light beams. Next, take two 6-inch pieces of tape and mark each headlights exact center point, creating two crosses in front of each headlight. This will represent the horizontal axis.
Step 4
Put the auto in reverse and back the Dodge up 25-feet. Turn the head lights on. Inspect the beams from each headlight to determine what needs to be realigned. Both headlights need to fall a couple inches below the 6-foot strip of tape so that the ground in front of the driver is properly illuminated. The passenger's side light should also fall directly on the vertical 6-inch strip of tape. However, the driver's side should fall a couple inches to the right of the vertical strip to avoid shining into oncoming traffic.
Step 5
Open the hood and look in the headlight assembly to locate the two adjustment screws. On the top-center you'll find the vertical adjustment and on the side-center the vertical. Use a screwdriver to adjust each screw until the light beam hits the intended spot. Do this for each headlight. Close the hood.
References
Things You'll Need
- Masking tape
- Screwdriver set
- Partner
- Gas
Writer Bio
Steve Bradley is an educator and writer with more than 12 years of experience in both fields. He maintains a career as an English teacher, also owning and operating a resume-writing business. Bradley has experience in retail, fashion, marketing, management and fitness. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and classics.
