Vitesse headlamp adjustment

[Colin Lindsay]

Just in from the garage and with MOT pending I'm looking at one of the last MOT fails which was the headlamp setting on the Vitesse bonnet; allegedly the tester's machine could not even get a pattern. I've been told that it's the outer two units only that are tested.

There appear to be two adjustable screws, 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock and a rubber pivot at the 5 o'clock position, but the way the headlamps are currently fitted they appear to be pointing up and to the right. I can get them to move slightly to the left, but not dramatically, but cannot get them to move downwards at all without coming quite loose in feel, as I have to screw the top adjuster very far out. Is there meant to be any kind of spring behind the adjusters to push them out against the nut and keep tension?

The logical thing would be to tighten the 5 o'clock position and so the unit would point down and to the left, but this is a solid pivot and actually holds the unit out, so the only way to overcome this is to move the other two adjusters out even further to the point where I'm concerned the entire light will drop out. I can't get my head round the way the adjusters work as there's a locknut on the end of the adjuster, and the manual tells me nothing. Any pointers?

[NonMember]

It's pretty much as you've surmised. The 5 o'clock position is a fixed reference point, the other two are adjustable for left/right (7 o'clock) and up/down (1 o'clock). There's often (but not always) a spring to hold the whole lot in some sort of tension, to reduce movement. The adjusters vary a bit - often they're just a bolt with a ring-grooved head, fitted into a semi-lock nut so that they will stay where you adjust them to. However, I have occasionally seen ones with a spring to tension the bolt.

Turn the top one anti-clockwise to move the beam down. Turn the lower one anti-clockwise to move the beam left.

If a PO has dismantled them at any time, then it's possible the headlamp ring has been refitted to the wrong place on the adjuster bolt. The head of the bolt should be deep with a groove around it, and the ring should be fitted in the groove. If it's below the head (on the threaded part) then you'll get the symptoms you describe.

[Colin Lindsay]

Thanks Rob; I'll be back in the garage later today and will check; last night was quite dark so not the best light for inspection, but I needed the dark to set the beams. Heralds are simple, this arrangement is a bit strange and doesn't seem so straightforward.