Hi all

My f250 2008 XLT headlamp low and high beams are so bad I'd say it's not really usable at night.

Can the headlamp be pointing too much at the road? Can their direction be changed to spread further up the road? The truck is level so it must be the headlamp.

What alternatives are there to getting the headlamp assembly changed? Any reputable brands?

TIA

 

are there regulators? check them out and adjust them using a flat wall, if not buy a new one or put hids or leds

 

This YouTube video helps figure out how to aim your lights. Being level is just an easy way of saying a flatt surface. Really your headlights should be the same height from the surface of the road at any point between 0 to 25 feet from a wall. Then you can use the tape to figure out aiming. High beams should generally be straight ahead. Low beams slightly down and away from oncoming drivers line of sight. (Down and to the right of straight ahead for US driver's.) Assuming that your lights have good buckets for adjustment to change. You can partially disassemble the headlight assembly to check for mounts, pivots, and adjustment screw conditions. If any of it is busted or difficult to turn, adjustment may not be possible. This would warrant a replacement assembly. The header should also have serviceable mounting surface for the lamps.

 

I can't say for the 2008 Body style, But on my 2005 Body style truck (F350) there is NO side-to-side adjustment, However there is up-n-down adjustment via the little black star (Torx, Reverse Torx Socket) screw for adjustment, I don't recall off hand but I think its on the top Inside corner of the headlight housing, at least on my older truck than yours in question.Sorry if this isn't helpful, but may give an idea what to look for on yours.

 

Thanks all. Very useful. I'll see what screws can be adjusted

 

How old are your bulbs? Since you have a lighting problem I’d start with a good bulb, from there address the aiming of the headlights. I recently swapped in Hikari led bulbs in my Subaru the light output is outstanding AND the cut off of these bulbs is equally impressive. The pic below is the Hikari bulbs. I’m running Trucklites in my F350 and their light output is on a whole different level.

 

This was an issue on my FIL's '08 F450 as well. His high beams basically pointed at the ground, while is low beams were up where his brights should have been. That body style used an all-in-one bulb, with a housing around it inside the headlight assembly to help focus the light coming from each filament.

He sold the truck before we could fix the issue, but I believe that either the housing around the bulb was incorrectly placed, or his headlight wiring was altered by a previous owner, because if he adjusted his low beams down, he had no brights, and if he adjusted his brights up, his low beams literally pointed at the sky. He did not do a lot of night driving (maybe 6-8 times a year?), so it was more an annoyance than anything for him.

That said, you should have at minimum an up/down adjustment (usually a torx or star bit) that is easily accessible, but note that it will adjust BOTH your high and low beams. I can't recall if there is a 'hidden' left-to-right adjustment, or if this was something that you would need to remove the headlight assembly to adjust using shim stock spacers. If I swing by my dad's place any time soon (unlikely), I might be able to look at his '08 and tell you.

Yes, my dad and my FIL had identical trucks for a while.

 

new H13 bulbs sorted it. Thanks!!

 

‘Glad you got it sorted out!