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Thread: Headlight adjusters 3D CAD files

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Woodstock, GA
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    2001 BMW 540i6
    I have tried everything. These cups do not fit. That’s the end of it. I’ve tried silicone spray lube, Vaseline, I tried boiling the cups and freezing the ball and socket, I’ve tried multiple different kinds of lubricants and greases that are safe for plastic. Nothing works. The tolerances on the cups are just too tight and do not fit the ball and socket snap fitting.

    At this point all that’s left to do is find a way to precisely take off some material from the inside of the cup so it will fit.
    Last edited by killian665; 05-20-2018 at 10:59 PM.

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    Damascus, Maryland USA
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    E31/E32 VWs Tesla
    Quote Originally Posted by killian665 View Post
    I have tried everything. These cups do not fit. That’s the end of it. I’ve tried silicone spray lube, Vaseline, I tried boiling the cups and freezing the ball and socket, I’ve tried multiple different kinds of lubricants and greases that are safe for plastic. Nothing works. The tolerances on the cups are just too tight and do not fit the ball and socket snap fitting.

    At this point all that’s left to do is find a way to precisely take off some material from the inside of the cup so it will fit.
    I've got a 1991; I tried to make some sense of these adjusters this weekend but I couldn't see where the buckets went; Do the 1991 adjusters have a different design?

    Regardless, it seems I need to yank the entire headlight assembly out to make any progress, And since the bottom plastic appears cracked on my driver's side, I'm probably better just replacing it all.

    '89 735i, '91 850i, '81 MB 380SLC (For Sale), Tesla Model 3, and VW Passat TDI -- Yes, I still repair General Modules, DM for info!

  3. #53
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    Jun 2012
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    Woodstock, GA
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    2001 BMW 540i6
    If you go to page 2 and look at the photo I posted you’ll see where the cup part of the adjuster is screwed down to the headlight assembly. But yes you do need to remove the entire unit to do this.

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Woodstock, GA
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    As an update I tried sanding out some of the lip for the snap fitting. Still nothing. The problem is the plastic these are printed from does not give at all like the original BMW ones. The cups were originally made from a more flexible plastic than the ball and socket so when pressed together it would flex slightly to allow them to snap together. These do not do that they are too hard

    I then tried knotching them slightly so they might give a little. It worked half the time but otherwise they just broke when pressed together. Also on the ones where I was able to get them together and they not break, the depth of the center is too shallow so the adjuster bottoms out on the screw head that fastens the cups to the headlight and doesn’t fully seat. So as far as I’m concerned these parts don’t fit at all.

    I don’t know what Wuffer tested or how he tested them because they definitely do not work. I’m pitching these and going with Max’s kit.
    Last edited by killian665; 05-23-2018 at 01:52 PM.

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    West Chester, PA
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    BMWs:74 3.0 CS, 97 840Ci
    Has anyone else attempted to install their adjuster 'cups' from Dr. Physic??? I've received mine, but left home for two weeks immediately after I received them. Just before we left for Europe, the driver of a large box truck turned left too soon at an intersection - trying to overturn the First Law of Physics while my car was stationary (he didn't succeed). As a result, my car is now at a high end body shop waiting for a new right front fender and complete front bumper assembly etc. from across the pond. I'll get to working on the lights soon after it returns to our garage.

    Any further comments about installing the cups will be greatly appreciated

    Gary--
    Gary Knox

    '97 BMW 840 Ci
    '03 MB SL55 AMG
    '07 Mini Cooper S hatchback
    '09 Aston Martin DB9 Volante
    '13 Audi A8
    '90 MB 560 SEC and '94 Porsche 928 GTS recently departed but long enjoyed
    50 or so others over the past 70 years of driving

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Las Cruces New Mexico
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    1991 850i 6-speed
    Sorry there have been a lot of problems installing the "buckets" due to a very tight fit. Given the fact that these are not subject to high loads, it should be possible to use fine sandpaper carefully, wrapped around a finger, to enlarge the internal locking ring until they fit together without excessive force. That will also smooth the internal surface, 3d-printed parts have a natural surface roughness, and that will also help with the installation. I offered to send killian665 a replacement bucket for the one he broke, but have not heard back from him. I have a couple of extra ones if you want one. I'm not sure why Wuffer could install them, and yet others have had problems.

    I have now sent out all my sets, so cannot take anymore requests. I can send copies of the STL files, necessary to print the parts, to anyone who wants them. It would also be possible to adjust the dimensions of the buckets if someone can provide a measurement of ones that fit, and distribute a new STL file.

  7. #57
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    Nov 2011
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    Las Cruces New Mexico
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    1991 850i 6-speed
    The bucket design specified an internal diameter of the locking ring of 0.468" and using an extra I have, it measured 0.465". Enlarging that ring slightly to ease the difficult fit I think is the best option to make them fit.

    I also measured one of the buckets from the earlier printing that Wuffer used to test the parts and found it was 0.451" so quite a bit smaller. Perhaps Wuffer can offer some input as to how he got his to fit?

  8. #58
    Join Date
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    Woodstock, GA
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    2001 BMW 540i6
    I tried that. I took air grinder with a bit designed for porting heads. I sanded it down to about half it’s size and still nothing. The problem is more the material they’re made from I believe.

    Wuffer also didn’t test them in the car. There’s no way he could have because he’d of found that, even in the event that you did get them to snap together, the balll and socket bottoms out on the screw that holds the buckets to the headlight preventing it from seating fully.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    47
    My Cars
    1993 850ci 6spd
    BAB83E86-17D0-45B9-B8ED-93B7DDD0A663.jpgFFB49CAC-8B7D-415F-A145-A090DCB639AD.jpg34411354-60AA-4C06-B538-B6712DDDE099.jpgACB0D4AE-7932-4747-AA95-4EAA3E0234D2.jpgTried my hand at them today. After examining the cups and the part that inserts into the cup it doesn’t bottom out on the screw. Ridge inside the cup catches the lip in the plastic piece going in and that’s as far as it goes. (Sorry, don’t know what its called) I figured a relief cut in the cup would let me spread the cup with a screwdriver just enough just to snap in. The plastic is hard and brittle. It cracked just a little at the cut. After assembly I put a little epoxy at the end of the relief in case it decided to crack over time.
    Nice tight fit, no jiggling. Doesn’t have to hold much, just keep it in place. Way better than what I had. Did the same on all I needed to use.
    Happy camper. Took me about an hour and a half for both.
    Thanks drphysic
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    West Chester, PA
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    BMWs:74 3.0 CS, 97 840Ci
    gixxerss,

    THANK YOU for your comments and pictures. That looks like a great solution, and I really appreciate your efforts to 'educate' us on a way to solve the problem. A big THANK YOU again to DrPhysic from me again as well.

    Gary
    Gary Knox

    '97 BMW 840 Ci
    '03 MB SL55 AMG
    '07 Mini Cooper S hatchback
    '09 Aston Martin DB9 Volante
    '13 Audi A8
    '90 MB 560 SEC and '94 Porsche 928 GTS recently departed but long enjoyed
    50 or so others over the past 70 years of driving

  11. #61
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Woodstock, GA
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    2001 BMW 540i6
    I don’t know. Having to cut, break and then glue the shit back together doesn’t really seem like a solution. Seems like a way to rig it.

  12. #62
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Irvine, CA
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    My Cars
    1993 850ci 6spd
    To each his own. When I don’t have I make things work with what I have. Bottom line is it worked for me, lights are tight, no jiggling and with full adjustment. Figured I’d share.

  13. #63
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Las Cruces New Mexico
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    60
    My Cars
    1991 850i 6-speed
    That is an approach that is much more than the minor adjustment I expected. It implies that the measurements I used from the beginning of this thread were wrong. Since I have never had to deal with broken buckets, I had no opportunity to measure the originals myself. Can someone do that? The critical measurements are the internal ones, the basic opening and the diameter of the locking ring, given that the external measurements are all OK. Is there a possibility that BMW changed the parts during the run?

    Not promising anything, but with a better measurement I can look at redesigning the part. Then I could distribute the STL file that is required to 3D print them.

    A quick measurement of the insert, both outside diameter and the diameter of the locking channel would show whether a modified design is required.
    Last edited by drphysic; 06-06-2018 at 09:01 AM.

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