Headlight Aim Control

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arif
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:43 am
Location: Essex

Headlight Aim Control

Post by arif »

Hi all,
I finally realised what the broken hardened plastic pipes were for in my engine bay. The headlight aim control.

I replaced the pipes and thought I'd give the headlight aim control unit a quick check.

When I took it out of the car water dripped out of the two hole in the back of it.

Possible water ingress from where the pipes were broken in the engine bay near the scuttle?

Anyway I shook out as much water as I could and turned the knob making sure as much water came out as possible and connected it all back together.

I turned on the headlights and turned the knob......nothing :-k no movement of the light at all.

I popped off the pipe (I had a joint half way down the pipe toward the headlight) and put the pipe to my ear. When the knob was turned, only a slight noise could be heard. Kind of like air passing through the pipe but very weakly.

Do I have a duff headlight aim control unit or am I doing something wrong? If I have it I would like it to work correctly.

All help and suggestions appreciated.
ron
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Post by ron »

There are many posts about this. Do a "search" and you will find all the info.

FYI The units are NOT repairable and are NLA.
They are ALWAYS rustier than you thought!!!!!!
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arif
Posts: 101
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:43 am
Location: Essex

Post by arif »

Ron,
I've done a search but can't find a thread with much detail :oops: . I have done a google search and found a thread on mye28.com about the unit and pipes being filled with anti freeze from factory, and not being refillable.

Has anyone refilled these with a diy method? Is there a way around it? If anyone has found a link with a bit more info I'd appreciate a link.
globbitz
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 10:15 pm
Location: Blighty

Re: Headlight Aim Control - is there a hydraulic solution?

Post by globbitz »

arif wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:10 am Ron,
I've done a search but can't find a thread with much detail :oops: . I have done a google search and found a thread on mye28.com about the unit and pipes being filled with anti freeze from factory, and not being refillable.

Has anyone refilled these with a diy method? Is there a way around it? If anyone has found a link with a bit more info I'd appreciate a link.
Hello Arif,

4-years later, i'm now in the same situation - did you manage to find a solution to your headlight aim control dilemma?

I'm now in the same situation with my beast initially failing it's MoT Test owing to the LHS having lost it's fluid; so I've manually adjusted it to the correct level in order to pass, however my RHS is still operating OK (after 30-years), so wish to remedy the situation on the nearside.

I'm aware that the whole system (63 12 1 386 149) is no-longer available from BMW, but I do notice on eBay that Hella offer a solution for the E30 (HELLA 6NH 003 395-211), and wonder whether anyone's tried it? (I guess the limitation might be pipe-length), or the adjustment throw, but any information would be gratefully received.

Kind regards,
Paul
Alvis Stalwart (1971)
Benelli Tornado TRE (2003)
BMW M635csi (1989)
Honda Jazz (2013)
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nick88highline
Posts: 348
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: Headlight Aim Control

Post by nick88highline »

Here is a one post on this subject and there are others, but because the system is described differently by different people it can be hard to find:

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph ... 65#p203765

There is a link in this post to a Porsche forum which explains how to repiar this sort of system. Other options are to fit electric motors. I do not think the E30 system would be worth looking at as it would be too short, plus the calibration would most likely be wrong, but if you could find an E30 with one fitted you could take some measurements! :lol:
I fitted the left hand drive adjuster system, which may still be available from BMW, but it requires routing the lines in a different way, ie one going down one side of the engine bay and other going down the other, as opposed to them both going down the same side and across the front nose cone. Not an easy job to do, but possible.
Good luck
Nick
BMW 635CSiA (1988)
BMW i3 (2016)
Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 (2000)
Morris Minor 1000 (1968)
globbitz
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Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2019 10:15 pm
Location: Blighty

Re: Headlight Aim Control

Post by globbitz »

Hello Nick,

Many thanks for your response with the link: yes, I was using 'headlamp' or 'headlight' in all of my searches, so never found the article that I really needed.

So, looks like a Left-Hand-Drive fitment is the way to go, I should have guessed that L and R would be different parts, and it wasn't as simple as the same part flipped-over.

Best regards,
Paul
Alvis Stalwart (1971)
Benelli Tornado TRE (2003)
BMW M635csi (1989)
Honda Jazz (2013)
Candycj1
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 10:22 pm
Location: London

Re: Headlight Aim Control

Post by Candycj1 »

nick88highline wrote: Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:09 am Here is a one post on this subject and there are others, but because the system is described differently by different people it can be hard to find:

http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph ... 65#p203765

There is a link in this post to a Porsche forum which explains how to repiar this sort of system. Other options are to fit electric motors. I do not think the E30 system would be worth looking at as it would be too short, plus the calibration would most likely be wrong, but if you could find an E30 with one fitted you could take some measurements! :lol:
I fitted the left hand drive adjuster system, which may still be available from BMW, but it requires routing the lines in a different way, ie one going down one side of the engine bay and other going down the other, as opposed to them both going down the same side and across the front nose cone. Not an easy job to do, but possible.
Good luck
Nick
Nick - where did you come through the firewall? Any pictures?
Thanks
James
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nick88highline
Posts: 348
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:31 am
Location: Suffolk, UK

Re: Headlight Aim Control

Post by nick88highline »

Candycj1 wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2019 5:57 pm Nick - where did you come through the firewall? Any pictures?
Thanks
James
The pipes come through the main wiring grommet (right hand side of car) where there are two short rubber sleeves which allow for this. Because the levelling system comes as a complete sealed unit you have to pass the control through the main wiring hole in the firewall.
Nick
BMW 635CSiA (1988)
BMW i3 (2016)
Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 (2000)
Morris Minor 1000 (1968)
Candycj1
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 10:22 pm
Location: London

Re: Headlight Aim Control

Post by Candycj1 »

OK so i get that means out of the same hole the originals came from (holes visible in pic 1 from the old pipes long since perished), do you then mean they come through the firewall via the big grommet in pic 2 though? Wondering if there's not an easier way into the engine bay as that grommet is pretty well packed...

Image

grommet:
Image
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