#MeToo, no problems adjusting on my 2017 or 2018

 

Final Update Insurance company did send someone out to inspect the vehicle and they approved the repair so all I have to pay is my 250 deductible. Plus the dealer is charging $50 to re-aim the headlights after the new ones are installed. Also the dealer told me that my truck was sitting for a couple days and when they went to inspect it the battery was dead so it sounds like I am going to have to replace the batteries after all. Kinda of a shame they are only 2 years old. But I am glad the warranty worked out.

 

Guys, firstly, thanks for all the comments in this thread that really helped me out. New to this forum and new owner of a 2017 F-350 Superduty Diesel. My LED headlight adjuster screws (the ones with the hokey cable and plastic gear setup) were also locked up. I tried turning them but they didn't budge, so didn't turn any harder for fear of breaking them. So went onto Ebay and found some photos of an LED headlight unit showing the back side and the gear system (photos attached). So it turns out that the cable turns a plastic shaft that's connected via some plastic gears to two 90-degree bevel gears that adjust two hex socket screws that in turn adjust the light beam up/down. I'm not sure whether it was the hex screw that was frozen or just the collective resistance of all of the parts not having been used and collecting dirt but here's how I solved this:

I removed my batteries which gave me enough access to the back of the lights where the adjusting mechanism is located. I then sprayed some silicone lubricant on all the gears (use silicone not regular oil as it could damage the plastic). Then I used a 1/4" hex wrench (I think an 8mm one was probably the correct size but 1/4" was all I had and fitted okay) and inserted it into one of the hex socket screws and cranked it a little back and forth until the gears freed up. Then lubed some more and turned the adjuster screw backwards and forwards until things were moving nice and freely.

I did things one battery at a time so that I wouldn't have to reset all my radio stations, etc. and also so that I could turn on my headlights after lubing the first, adjust the beam height back to match the other light that I hadn't touched yet, then did the second light and adjust it back to match the first light's height. Also took the opportunity to clean up my batteries and repaint some brackets that had gotten damaged from battery acid leakage.

So hope this helps out some of you if you want to get those adjusters working again without fear of breaking them or going through the warranty process.

 

Welcome to the forum! You necroposted a little, but I like that because now I can jump in with a related question. Mine adjusted fine after the leveling kit, but there is a gap between the high beams and low beams. I wonder if they adjust together, or have independent adjustments. I'd like to lower just my highs a bit so when they are on there is no dark area between the low beams and high beams.

Maybe somebody can post pics of that adjustment? I read in another thread a few years back that it's a PITA.

 

Sorry, just found out what "necroposting" is. But even though the thread was old, it was still the most helpful forum thread I could find and helped me out a lot and figured there are still folks out there trying to figure out how to adjust their lights.

I would assume the highs aren't adjustable since they're "highs" and just flood the place with light and don't really need to be adjusted. Perhaps your main beams are set too low? Guess it depends on how high your lift was. If it was just a front leveling kit, then you're only raising your beams a few inches. Before my lift, I found a spot at the mall around the back where it was flat and there was a nice clean wall, backed up 25' from the wall, measured the top of my beams on the wall. Chalked off where my wheels were and then returned after the lift, parked in the same spot, and adjusted the beams to the same height. The other thing you could do is have someone park 25' in front of you and see if you're glaring them out. If not, you could adjust your beams up a bit. As long as you're not getting flashed, you're probably okay.

What's a PITA?

 

PITA = Pain In The A##.

Thanks for your relevant post. Good job. Reps sent.

 

That was piker necroposting, no harm done. I've seen 10+ year necroposts. The OP probably got married and had three kids in the meantime, sold his Super Duty and now drives a minivan he wistfully nicknamed The Bitter Pill.

Carry on, and welcome again.

Rumor has it those highs do have a separate adjustment. Now to find it, that is the rub ... hoping another Posting Guru will chime in if we keep prattling on.

 

same exact thing happened to me. I leveled 2.5” went to adjust with a small flat head and there was tremendous resistance. I tried to adjust it up also sprayed a tiny bit of WD-40 and it didn’t help. Snapped right off. Also, a side note, 2018 on the CV axle uses a 13mm bolt NOT a 15. Manual says 30ft lbs of torque. Around 22 the bolt completely snapped off. Allegedly the stealership is the only people that can order a passenger drive axle. Then the headlight issue. I’m not having a good time with Ford. I traded a 2017 Sierra denali 6.2L and within 2 weeks this is what I’m getting. Hope it gets better….

 

Thank you, mine were also a bit high blinding others, tried to adjust and they didn't move. Not wanting to break them off, I got out my allen wrench and went to work losening them up. A little lube really helped, but still pretty tight. Got them to move without breaking anything. Dropped an socket down there somewhere in the process, much cheaper than a headlight though!

 

Undoubtedly like many others, I found this thread through a depressed google search after stripping out the crappy plastic adjuster screws. I tried using a good lube to loosen up the gears, but still stripped out.

When I tried fitting an Allen wrench into the backside to adjust it that way, of course it wasn’t possible to get the wrench in behind due to clearance issues. Of course, Ford designed the truck where you have to remove the grill to remove the headlights.

So… out of desperation, I tried shoving a 1/4” Allen wrench in the adjustment screw slot, and it grabbed the sides and turned right away. For those looking for a fix - this worked for me. That said, it would be real nice if Ford didn’t cut corners on cheap plastic parts that are known to break easily, and of course that aren’t replaceable individually. Replacing my headlights would have been $1770+ each… and that’s not okay when a 5 cent part breaks.

 

The adjusters on both my LED headlights don't work (2015 model). They won't go up or down and are currently pointed too far down (came like that). Has anyone removed the headlight assembly and adjusted from behind? It is a lot of work to take the assemblies out and I would hate to do all the work if they can't be adjusted from behind either. Thank you all for your help with this. Such a terrible flaw with Ford's headlights.

 

this is exactly what’s happening to my 2017 f250 and I need to aim the headlights down due to barely seeing the road. Can you adjust them from the back if you remove the headlight?

 

Yes, you can adjust them from behind using a 1/4" or 8mm hex wrench but you'll have to remove the batteries (do one at a time so you don't have to reset your radio stations, etc.). You may need to spray some silicone lube into the gears and gently crank back and forth to free things up as there can be dirt and grit buildup in the mechanism.

 

perfect, I just saw your post after posting this! Been looking for what you posted so I will be doing what you did this weekend! You just saved me 3k lol thank you !

 

Mine were stuck the same as what you described, sprayed a little WD40 on the top gears, connecting rod, and lower gears, waited a few seconds and then tried it again and voila.. it was loose as a goose. Made some minor adjustments and I was on my way with my $1400 in my pocket! Sorry this happened to you tho, it definitely sucks.. hind sight is always 2020!