Headlights

[Blackhawk3D]

I have a 1996 Toyota Camry, it has a few problems, but one of the most annoying is its headlights. The lowbeams are almost useless, You can barely tell that they are on. I was driving out in the country with my mom and she told me to leave the highs on unless I was at an intersection with cars directly in front of me, they were that bad. I checked one of the low beams and it seemed to be almost new (At least the part that was inside of the headlamp). It said sylvania 9006 51W on it. I replaced the high beams with Sylvania cool blues, I was going to modify the 9005s and put them into the lowbeam slot but they fit into the high beam slot so I just put them there, those lights looked worse than the low beams, they had alot of discoloration from being used (Burnt look). How can I fix these lights? They are very dim.

Thanks,
Nathan

[Eye8Pussies]

so....why didn't you just use the 9005 in the low beam? I thought you said you already reaplced the high beams with cool blues???

but regardless....two questions....are they the original 96 headlamps? if they are, it's probably time to get new ones, as they'reprobably all chipped up, foggy, and/or yellowed, which will affect the amount of light that shines throught

and second, have you checked the actual aiming of the lamps?


if you want to modify the 9005 bulbs to fit the low-beam sockets, just take a look in the camry FAQ for instructions

[Blackhawk3D]

Yes they are the original headlamps. They aren't yellowed too bad, only a tiny bit around the edges. The Cool Blues were the ones I was going to modify. I found that the high beam lamps were in worse condition than the low beams. That is why I put them in the high beams.

[chronoti]

well you dont normaly drive with your high beams on, so you can always get another set, and yes it does make a large diffrance in light output when you do the 9005 thing. search around for a lil thing on cleaning them you think there just a little dirty but once you clean them you see how big of a differance it makes

[Blackhawk3D]

Okay, I'm thinking of getting Sylvania Silverstars for the highs and modifying the current 9005 Cool blues for the lows. What do you think? I don't want to waste the $20 bucks I spent on the cool blue sylvanias.

[Blackhawk3D]

Well, I read around and decided to use my Meguires Cleaner & Wax and my buffer for the headlights, it worked like a charm for the outside, they look great, but I'm not so sure about the inside, I think they still have alot of stuff in them. My parents probably wouldn't like it if I took the headlights out and melted the glue and all, so are there any other good ways to clean the inside?

On another note, I made the plunge and got the silverstars, and they are nice and white, but it seems that alot of light is being wasted. I compared the output to my mom's new CRV and even with the Silverstar highs it's not even close. I'm wondering if my headlights are aimed improperly? It seems they have alot of light but you can't see much very far down the road (My mom's car clearly illuminated the house at the end of our street, mine you could only see the cars' reflective areas) The CRV does not have HID lights, although the bulb is different. Does anyone have any good links for aiming headlights? The correct placement? I know you make tape + signs on a wall at a certain distance and height, but what are the measurements?

Thanks,
Nathan

PS I have started on the 9005 Cool blue low beam lights, but I had to come inside at 11:00.

[ekim55121]

inside at 11?

[BlueFusion6851]

^like as in go inside b/c it was too late out

[RedPhoenix]

I heard baking soda on the inside will work.

[Blackhawk3D]

Okay, I got the cool blues modded and in. One is a little bit looser than I would like but it isn't bad, the other is perfect. I can tell they are much brighter, even in daylight. Now can anyone tell me how to clean the inside and give a link for headlight aiming? I can see the two adjusting screws, I just don't know where to aim them.

[Blackhawk3D]

anyone?

[Eye8Pussies]

baking soda and a toothbrush can help...or you can use toothpaste or compound

and to aim, the top screw makes it go up and down, and the one that's moutned horizontal lets you change the angle of the beam by pushing one side (the side towards the grill) further out, or by pulling it in, thus asjusting your horizontal spread and overlap between the two lamps

the easiest way is to drive up to a wall at night, grab a ratchet and then move things around until you're satisfied

[Blackhawk3D]

So just remove the whole headlight assembly, take it inside, swab it out, and rinse it a few times, and then let it dry thouroughly?

[Knailgun]

more or less...use q tips too...works great