lexus_luv

i have the PIAA platinum series super white they are really bright at 51 watts but output is like a 100 watt bulb. problem is i dont know how to align my headlights so that they are facing down more rather than straight out, blinding people in front of me. help? lol

Ryeno

iTrader: (3)

That makes no sense, aiming downward stops the headlights from blinding people.

Your PIAA bulbs might be white but they are NOT brighter then your oem bulb. Until you switch from halogen to xenon gas bulbs (hids), Aiming your projectors upward would actually be harmful. You'll lose a lot of usable light.

With that being said behind each headlight their are 2 plastic hexagon nuts(one near the high beams is horizontal adjustment and the one near the turn signal is vertical adjustment). You need to find the right size socket (smaller then 10mm) to put on the nut. then just twist them left n right with a wrench. I would use the small size wrench and socket.

DC-Bob

I didn't go with HIDs because I needed a quick fix to keep from getting ticketed by the cops. But now that I'm street-legal I will look into getting an HID kit. Since the Silverstars burn out quickly the HIDs look like a sound investment.

I'm glad I found this website. I was planning to sell my car and get a new BMW 335 coupe. But given how much money I have lost in the stock market I had resigned myself to keeping my 1997 SC300 5-speed a few more years. It has less than 65,000 miles on it and the body is clean. I might even get some nice wheels (I always hated the stock ones) and some performance equipment.

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

The adjusters are 8mm.

kyoso23

There's some people on this site that would give you good $ for that car if you ever decide to sell. You post pictures of it here yet?

Son Gokou

Photo is of the RH (drivers) main headlight.
The yellow circle indicates the top adjuster - used for up/down adjustment.
The red circle indicates the lower adjuster - used for left/right adjustment.

Main Headlight Adjustments
Turn top screw clockwise :- to move light >>> Up
Turn top screw anticlockwise :- to move light >>> Down
Turn bottom screw clockwise :- to move light >>> Left
Turn bottom screw anticlockwise :- to move light >>> Right

High Beam Spotlights
Turn top screw to clockwise :- to move light >>> Right
Turn top screw to anticlockwise :- to move light >>> Left
Turn bottom screw clockwise :- to move light >>> Up
Turn bottom screw anticlockwise :- to move light >>> Down

Blurr

Dont sell your car. It is a rare 1997 5speed. If you get HID, check out ddmtuning. I just got mine and they are awesome for the price.

DaBunny

Do the headlight replacement instructions on p1 of this thread also apply to the 1993 SC300, or just the 1997? Also, where can I buy the Sylvania Silverlight Ultras at a reasonable price? Thanks. (BTW, my 1993 SC300 is also a 5-speed. I am the original owner.)

davmar

Bought an HID conversion kit for my '94 SC300 and so far installation has been a horror story. The manufacturer (not the online retailer) was HID Systems in Oakland, CA. When first attempting to install them found that the kit contained only hi-beam type bulbs, not two of them and two H2 types for the low beams. Sent the wrong ones back and received the correct type as time passed. Then, when I went to install the H2's (which have a base with three tabs and install with a twist-lock action) they wouldn't fit in the headlight. I spent an hour trying to figure out why they couldn't be inserted. Finally I grabbed my digital calipers and measured the boss with the o-ring at the base of the bulb and found that they were about 2 mm larger than the stock bulbs and would never fit into the cylindrical bore in the headlight housing. After failing to receive a response to my email to the retailer I took matters in my own hands and removed the o-ring and wrapped a piece of sandpaper around the boss and kept spinning it until I had reduced the diameter enough. Replaced the o-rings they came with and they still wouldn't fit. Looked closely at the o-rings and found that they had a cross section diameter larger than the OEM parts. Swapped o-rings with the original bulbs and finally got them inserted. The hi-beam bulbs (don't know the type description) have a "D" shaped base and are retained with a wire bail that hinges across them and locks in a slot. Another problem was that they didn't have the Lexus rubber dust seal installed on them. I had to cut out the center of the stock dust shields and bond the grommet they came with to it with waterproof adhesive. After mounting the ballasts, which normally should be the hardest part of such a conversion, I turned on the ignition. Low beams,,,ok. Tried the hi-beams...nothing. After doing a little online research into the ballasts I found that they produce 15,000 VAC initially to get the arc started and then back off to 80 VAC. I unplugged the high voltage leads and turned the 12 v. supply back on, waited a few seconds and inserted the leads of a voltmeter into the high voltage terminals. Nothing! They are defective. Both the defective ballasts I used for the hi-beams were in the same box. The other two in another box I used for the lo-beams worked ok. I'm again trying to contact the seller to get them exchanged. If I still get no response it appears, based on a little browsing online, that HID ballasts have standardized connections so I should be able to order a replacement elsewhere for about $13 each. I'm still not certain whether the Lexus OEM bulbs are 35w or 55w although based on a few comments on this forum it appears they may be the latter. I need to get confirmation on that before obtaining replacements. Mounting the ballasts in the SC's is not a trivial task. There is not much space in the engine bay close enough to the headlights for mounting. For the passenger side they were mounted in the area below where the stock air filter is located. I have a turbo system with a K&N filter in that location and there was space below it for the ballasts. For the drivers side the only available location was on the cooling fan shroud. I used an awl to pierce a pilot hole in the plastic and then used a #8 sheet metal screw to attach the ballast brackets to the shroud.

2jznosht

Yup...and you may want to just check out google shopping results to see where you can get a cheaper than autozone price on the bulbs

jabbajt

this is b/c of them being high-pressure halogens.. burning out prematurely isn't one's biggest concern tho, they can also explode in your hand due to the same exposure to said oils..
just adding for the knowledge hungry 'why-askers' out thr... thanks for the thread & all input guys!!..

jabbajt

you're a member of the 120 club, there's a thread for it & if you haven't registered it into the list of their current locations; plz do..
thanks