Advice on headlight adjuster mechanism.

[Connieblau]

”˜89 320i convertible. Passes mot ok, but levelling system sort of fizzled out years ago. I quite fancy having a ”˜go’, and reading up on member’s attempts, it seems it was always a bit crappy and not worth the bother, but has anyone successfully found their way round restoring it. What’s the fluid in the pipes for instance?

[Brianmoooore]

Best way to restore is to convert to electric operation, using electric adjusters from an E34 or E36.
If you want to restore the hydraulic system, the fluid is basically water, with additives.

[TurtleDesignTech]

The fluid in the pipes tastes like anti freeze to me.

I had a go at fixing the original system to no avail for several months.

In the end I converted it to E36 adjusters, which took a few months of tinkering too do, including the use a lather to re-machining the original adjusters to fit inside the E36 electric adjuster so they can be set at the correct default height.

Wiring is rather straight forward, just a ground, 12V and signal wire, which go to a resistor with I glued inside the old adjuster knob in the car (looks like stock) and pulled power from one of the light bulb piggy back connectors that illuminates the knob.

In general there is a lot of fiddling and dremeling involved. It is easier to convert them to manual adjusters, if you can find them.

[Brianmoooore]

In general there is a lot of fiddling and dremeling involved.

This is for E36 motors. The E34 version is almost a straight fit.

It is easier to convert them to manual adjusters, if you can find them.

No 'conversion' required. The hydraulic slave cylinders incorporate both a coarse and a fine adjuster. The coarse adjuster is a bit fiddly to move, but will only need adjusting once, and then final alignment can be done with the fine adjuster, which isn't prone to seizing up like the adjusters fitted to manual lights.

[Satan]

Whats the point are you going to be travelling in your vert with the roof down with a couple of 15 stone "beauties in the rear and a boot full full of cement bags, its a nice idea but on the E30's I think its a waste of time, lots of effort and money unless you are going the concourse route and want it mint to win prizes.

[Connieblau]

Thinking back through the stuff I’ve been reading there’s no mention of coarse and fine adjusters/settings so I’m keen to give it a go to see how that works. Interesting feed-back though, I wouldn’t refer to my in-laws as ”˜beauties’ but the total weight is about right, and knowing the taste of anti-freeze shows a mis-spent childhood beyond Evo-Stik. What coolant ratio might that be?, is there any need for a brown paper bag? sucky sponge maybe?