Ade Ray Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 I noticed driving home last night that one of my headlamps is not set correctly and I have no idea (a) how to adjust them and (b)How to know when I have got it right. confused.gif Also - I think I have got the standard bulbs fitted and they dont seem very good at dipped. Does anybody use different sorts of bulbs etc. And if I start getting replies about tulips and daffs I wont be impressed! teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Mcalvert Posted December 21, 2001 Leadership Team Share Posted December 21, 2001 Ade - there is a nut under each headlamp bowl - you just loosen his off, adjust the bowl to the desited angle, and tighten it up again. A bit fiddly to get right, but easy in concept. Good luck, Michael. Edited by - Mcalvert on 21 Dec 2001 10:47:25 Edited by - Mcalvert on 21 Dec 2001 10:47:49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Assuming that one of your lights is roughly correct... put the car 10 feet away from a wall on a level surface note where the good one points mark a spot on the wall at the same height and at a distance away that is the same as the gap between headlights point new headlight at this mark Sorry if I am teaching granny... BUT I AM BORED!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 take your timn top , which should have correctly adjusted lights , park it 2m from the garage door , mark the position of the lights on the door with chalk , and then do the same with your caterham - easy . or go to an MOT station and be charged a fiver for lining it up against the proper markers dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 If you are comparing to a tin-top, you'll need to compensate for the different heights and gaps between the headlight (e.g. my Honda Civic lights are a couple of inches lower than the caterhams!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 You shouldnt have to compensate for the height difference if the car is 2m from the garage door , the lights will just be sending the light beam out at a diferent angle but hitting the same vanishing point , its the same principle as that used at the mot staion surley ?? It worked for me anyway ....smile.gif dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Ray Posted December 21, 2001 Author Share Posted December 21, 2001 Many thanks for info, just need to phone the wife to see if she can lend me a piece of chalk from her classroom and the use of her tin-top. I notice there was no word on the alternative bulbs. Is it because I am being too much of a Big Jesse wanting light when I am driving at night or should all 7 drivers be able to see in the dark aswell as leap over tall buildings (or some might say - pick up said tall building and walk underneath)teeth.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Ellis Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 I agree with your comment about the need for light, not overly impressed with the bulbs. There have been some threads before in this matter that might be worth trawling up. As for the adjustment, I too thought that it was simple. I had not bargained on the Bristol SVA waller and the plasticine like quality of the steel lock tab inside the headlamp bowl. During his thug like efforts to set them he sheared them off. After numerous attempts at getting them repaired I ended up replacing the complete units. Back to bulbs - the reason the SVA waller thought my lights were out was because the car in front was a Bristol, straight from the assembly line. The difference in quality of the bulb/lens combination was clearly evident, I suspect the price difference would be also. So there must be better bits out there somewhere. If and when found I would love to hear as commuting to and fro in the dark at present is no fun. I could start on about the fog and the wipers but will save that rant for another day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 OK I'm game for a lights comment even though I never take mine out after dark or even after October. There are two options for different blubs (always thinks that's a much nicer word than bulb so I'll stick with it), different "colour" same wattage blubs and the more powerful blubs. Most manufacturers sell a number of different sorts of blubs nowadays, there's usually a yellow blub allegedly better in bad weather and a blue or whiter blub that's allegedly better. I think it's all a load of bollocks. Blue bulbs are considered better because the latest HID lights on BM's etc (which really are seriously bright) are blue, but they're bright and they're blue, they're not bright because they're blue.... I've tried PIAA super white blubs in my last two cars, H7's in the Passat and now H4's in my new car, to be honest I can't say I've noticed the slightest difference with either (so why did I get suckered in a second time....) The other option is more pokey blubs. Standard blubs in the Caterham are 60/55 H4, that's 60W main beam and 55W dip, you can get various others, 100/55's, 130/80's, 180/100's etc etc. The disadvantage is that a higher wattage blub will take more current, V=IR and all that, so with 12V a 60W blub will take 5A but a 130W blub will take more like 11A. And more current means your wiring and switchgear must be man enough for the extra current. The Caterham comes as standard with a relay in the feed from the light switch to the dip switch (or it did in 1993 spec), so that takes the load off the light switch itself but the dip switch needs to switch the current OK. The other concern with wiring is similar but subtly different. If the wiring is marginal then the extra current will mean a bigger volt drop between the battery and the light (and then back to the earth I guess). This means less volts across the blub and as the light produced is proportional to the voltage you might find less light from a 100W blub seeing 11V than a 55W seeing the whole 12V. I run 100/90's in my car and everything seems to be OK with switches and wiring. My last comment would be to go for a well known blub maker, PIAA or Phillips for example, I've had more and beter defined light from a standard 55W H4 blub than from a cheap no-name allegedly 100W so-called high output rally blub. The second last comment would be legality, there are various stories about blubs over 60/55 being illegal, sold for "off road purposes only". I have no idea whether this is true or not but who cares? The police aren't going to pull your headlights apart to see what watt your blubs are so don't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelspeed Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Oh and forgot to mention... The headlight lens is at least as important if not more so. A well designed reflector and lens unit will give you lots more usable light that a cheapie one. I have used Cibie Z beams for use and swear by them, they're called H180 for 7 inch units. Caterham used to sell these as a option for about 30 quid a side. You can get them from Demon Twatts as well, item 8 on page 141 in the 2002 catalogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Ellis Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Ta for that Mr Chelspeed Looks like I can fill my own Christmas stocking(s) now, probaly do DT shareholders some good also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Ray Posted December 21, 2001 Author Share Posted December 21, 2001 So much information, its enough to make me blub Thanks smile.gif Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 Halfords 'Blue' h/light bulbs state that they are "not for sustained use". Yeah right says I.They'll be OK. Both went 'pop' in less than two weeks of lights-on,-three hour drives/traffic jam-raining type driving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bricol Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 re the lights and wires - I have a Lancia Integrale with 4 equally sized tiny round lights as my normal car - the light output was crap - a specialist advertised a new additional llom to add realys and new feeds to the lights, claiming better light output. Several other owners tried - said it made a difference, so I did the same on mine myself - a simple check when i had done one side - the lights illuminate the lower edge of the front hinged raised bonnet - done side had btight whit elight - other side had less bright yellowy light. Definitely a difference on the road as well. Can't say I've really notice crap light on Cat as yet but . . . Bri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Riches Posted December 26, 2001 Share Posted December 26, 2001 An auto electrician I worked with some while ago suggested taking the raw voltage from the spare output terminal of the alternator, to a relay, then direct to the lamps, the relay is controlled by the headlight switch, ie, dip or main beam, using new wire of a suitable gauge, and soldering the terminals to the wires, making sure the earthing points were free from crap and corrosion, the lighting was greatly improved, no new bulbs, be they blue, white, or black, just good voltage and good earthing, with good quality wiring. Have fun, yours Nigel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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