Main beam headlights at different heights!

[adams172]

Changed the Xenon bulbs yesterday - what fun that was... Anyway, when I put the main beams on after I noticed that the passenger side one was making a mechanical noise and moving up and down constantly (had noticed it flickering in this way before, but put it down to the lumpy idle) - anyway what would have been causing that? And also, it now seems to have stopped doing it, but the passenger side headlight beam seems to be pointing higher than the other if that makes any sense?!

How should I go about rectifying this? Don't want to be blinding other drivers... Quite an odd one, what do the mechanical bits in the lights actually do? I'm guessing they align the beams, but how?! There's no manual way of doing it it seems!

 

[adams172]

Anyone know how to fix this?!

 

[Adam.P]

There is a small white bit on top of the light, on the inside of the engine bay that fits an allen key. You can manually adjust it using that. That's a really rubbish description but you should see it if you look, it's obvious when you see it.

I had the same problem on my old 172 where the auto adjuster broke on the drivers side and just sat at the highest point, this sorted it out for me.

 

[plymcl172]

or go to a garage and ask to a line your headlights !

 

[JBC27]

The noise is the car trying to auto level the beam and is also the reason it's moving up and down. Worth trying the allen key route first but my guess would be that while changing the bulbs you probably twisted the igniter without holding the inner parts still and have popped one or more of the three ball and socket joints out which is preventing the car from leveling successfully hence it's continuously trying.
The alternative is that the levelling sensor on the rear axel is stuffed but as this has happened after you've been changing the bulbs I'd put money on it being one of the pivot joints.
Best bet if the allen key route isn't successful is bumper of (really isn't difficult and there is a guide on here) whip the light out and have a good look around inside with the covers off and bulbs out.