Loose headlight on 94 camry? Why? How fix?

[green94camry]

The passenger side headlight is loose on my 94 camry with 176,900 miles. It is the whole headlight thaht moves? I could see anything that needs tightening? How do I fix this? I went for an inspection today and had a bunch of bulbs out that I never even noticed,lower brake light, liscence plate lights, both front side marker lights replaced them all in good order but the loose headlight is bugging me the drivers side is pretty secure but the passenger side is very loose? Is this common is ther an easy fix? Thanks a bunch, help me pass my inspection and keep another Camry on the road!

[Eye8Pussies]

depends, how is it loose?

if when you move it around, only the lenses move and not any of the black plastic frame, then it probably means something is broken- the plastic part that attaches to the adjustment screws

if you see part of the frame move too, then you're probably just missing a nut/bolt

[HoboJoe]

If it is moving in and out, I had the same problem with my 93 after I took it through snow banks. There is a bolt that sticks out of the back of the casing with a plastic square that goes around the bolt. If this square has been broken, say from plowing through snow banks, the headlight will move back and forth. I bought some new oem replacements from autopartsbuy.com. Had I waited another month or two I could have bought the crystal clear headlights. Excuse me, I'm getting pissed off.

[green94camry]

It's just the headlight that moves not the metal frame. If its a plastic part that broke I'll just epoxy it until I need a new headlight. So far I have just about everything on the short list of stuff that I got safety failed for fixed, brake lights, side marker lights, wiper blades,(wiper fluid), and parking brake. I was worried about the parking brake because it wasnt holding the car at all, after removeing the console and tightening down the adjuster nut all the way the parking brake works awesome, I can give it gas and the car won't move! It's a real easy thing to do and from inside the car makes it a breeze no getting underneath the car! Only thing left on the list is the loose headlight and an exaust leak at the y-pipe to converter flage, I replaced the y pipe last year but the converter flange is warped so it isnt sealing right even with 2 gaskets, so that will have to go to an exaust shop to replace the flange, hopefully for only a few bucks to cut off the warped flange and weld on a new one.

[asscarracer]

The plastic part broke on mine. I used some copper wire to ghetto rig it. It works.

[green94camry]

Ok I fixed the loose headlight this morning. As some eluded to there is a long thin threaded rod that sticks out from the back of the headlight housings. There is a square socket fitting on the end of the rod, at the headlight end, the rod/bolt is threaded and there is a nut on the end. This nut has to be tightened if it loosens up or else there is play from the space between the nut and the casing and the headlight can move forward and backward several inches.
take a 7/8 socket(forget exact size i used) and slide it over the rod and the nut on the end, hold the end of the rod with a vise grip on the squared sides of the rod and turn the socket by hand to snug the nut against the housing. Spray with WD-40 first so it moves easy.

Takes all of 5 minutes to do.


Car is legal again, just clicked to 177,000 miles and runs awesome, passed emmissions without an oil change or tune up-just new aircleaner. This car is saving me a lot of money