Anyone install mach audio headlights on a PZEV?

[radix2]

Has anyone installed the mach audio headlights on a Focus with the PZEV engine? I'm attempting to do this now, but I'm having issues with the housings fitting. The driver side light is pretty much in--I got it in by removing this plastic piece that doesn't appear to be doing anything except hold the hood release line. I have not been able to come even close to getting the passenger side in. There are hoses from the AC that are in the way--I think I can get them out of the way, but then the hose clamps are still in the way. I'm thinking about cutting those, but I'm not sure if it will fit after that, anyway.

Has anyone had experience with this?
Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

-David

[FocusinZX3]

keep at it. I have never installed them but the lights and and the housings and whatnot are the same for all foci....so they do fit. good luck

[radix2]

Well, I got the headlights installed. It was a serious pain, though.

Note to PZEV owners: The Mach Audio lights do not fit without modification. I ended up cutting off the hose clips and moving the hoses around until the light housing fit. It was a struggle, but they eventually went in.

They look great, and I like the light they produce. However, I'm still having issues with aiming--I can't seem to get the driver side low enough or the passenger side high enough. I'm considering taking it to a dealer to let them worry about it.

Here are some pics:









-David

[radix2]

Well, I finally found out why the aim was messed up: the aiming ball joints were out of their sockets. Apparently Bill Jenkins' "inspection" was not as thorough as he implied. After some struggling, I got the joints back together on the passenger side, and now it aims perfectly. I haven't done this for the driver side yet because I have to remove the two filter boxes, and, as any PZEV owner who has done this can tell you, it's not a trivial task, since there are 8 bolts, many of which are in hard-to-access places.

Below are some pictures:




This picture shows the change I had to make to get the passenger side light housing to fit (well, I didn't take a picture of the original, but you get the point). Notice the two hoses are routed further back, and I cut the clamps that were holding them in place.




This picture shows the up/down internal hight adjustment ball socket before I fixed it.




Ditto for the left/right external adjustment.


I'm going to fix the driver side tomorrow. Then I can drive with the mach headlights -- after 12+ hours of install time . Hopefully the filter boxes will be easier to take off (and put back on) the second time around.

-David

[radix2]

Aargh. I took the driver side headlight out, and I found that the external up/down adjustment clip was broken. It doesn't appear that it can be fixed. Now I get to take the filter boxes off and on a third time!


Here's a pic of the damage:




-David

[Love My ZTS]

Yeah, I had the same problem with the external adjustment piece coming off as well. in the pic that you're holding the screwdriver, that little with plastic piece with the ball on the end, totally disconnected in my driver's side lamp. I tried getting it back in with jsut my hands, but I couldn't. So now I gotta figure a way to get it back in there . Oh well, I guess it can be done. Good job on everything else.

-Tyler

[radix2]

I tried getting it back in with jsut my hands, but I couldn't.

Yeah, I don't think you can do it with your hands very easily. I was able to get the white balls in the sockets by using a flathead screwdriver as a lever against the socket. The angle on the metal (internal) ball makes it hard to lever it with a screwdriver--I was able to get those using a small clamp. I also found it was slightly easier if I oiled the balls so they went in with a little less resistance.

I was able to glue the broken joint, and I've at least got the lights in a position where they're aimed mostly correctly and not blinding oncoming drivers. I'm still going to request replacements from Bill. 4 out of 6 balls out of their sockets + a broken adjustment bar + a broken tab + massive labor when I realized they were broken after they were already installed = .

Good luck with the fix .

-David