This article describes how to upgrade from the standard headlights delivered on a TJ to a set of aftermarket Silverstar Headlights.

* Screw driver with a T-15 star bit - you'll need a long extension so as not to scratch the new lights.

* Sylvania Silverstar head lights - I purchased mine from AutoZone for $25 each.

When I purchased my Jeep the headlights were a mismatch. One light was bright and the other I couldn't find. When I looked at them close up, I discovered that they were different brands, so this led me to the conclusion that not all lights are made the same.

For this reason, I went with a Sylvania Silverstar light because it claimed to be near HID quality. This article describes the basics of how to change the headlights on your Jeep and also how to align them. The Jeep manual suggests that aligning the headlights can be done like this, but a qualified service technician should then do the final alignment. You should do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Before and After

Before getting into the change I'd like to show you the end result. The picture on the top is the before and the one below is after. Notice how my passenger light can barely be seen in the before photo? Also, notice the difference in the quality of the light on the frame of the garage on the left hand side. In the before photo, the frame is somewhat fuzzy; in the second photo it is much clearer. The Silverstars give off a more whitish light that seems to penetrate the darkness a little better.

 

The green arrows shown in the image at left identify where the bezel screws are located.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the 3 screws have been removed, the bezel itself can be removed. The bezel doesn't come out as easily as you would expect. You'll have to kind of pull on this end and that. Don't get frustrated, it will come out. Just keep working with it. As you're removing the bezel take note of how the bezel sits in the frame. There is a fat part and a skinny part. There are two screws on top and one on the bottom. Remember this, because you'll need to reinstall these once we're done.

Once the bezel has been removed, the next step should be to remove the headlight from the wiring harness. Fortunately, this plug can be easily reached on both lights from under the hood. The plug has three prongs on it. Just wiggle it back and forth easily and it will slowly pull off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the bezel has been removed the four screws that hold the headlight can be removed. These are pretty easy to get at and the process is obvious so I won't go into details.

The one thing to note here is that the other three screws that we haven't touched will be used during the alignment steps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this stage the old lights have been removed so you can reverse this process to install the new headlights. Don't install the bezels yet, just install the four screws that hold the light.

Fifth step - alignment

Before setting the alignment, you'll need to determine the distance from the ground to the horizontal centerline of your headlights.

In this picture, I used my tape measure to find I'm about 36 inches off of the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, take this measurement and transpose it to a wall. I used my garage doors for this since they have horizontal lines.

Pull your Jeep 25 feet from the wall and set your headlights to hit the spot on the wall you just measured.

Make sure you're on level ground before doing this.

This should take care of the vertical alignment, but now you'll need to set the horizontal (left and right) adjustment. The manual says that the light on the drivers side should have its center of brilliance (the brightest spot) set about 6 inches in from the spot that is straight out from the light. The passenger side can be set exactly center with the light. This makes sense since we don't want to blind oncoming traffic.

I've done these alignment steps on my Jeep and, if anything, the lights are set a little low. I haven't had anybody flash me for having them set too high. When I turn the high beams on they light up the road like you'd expect. I think if you raised the lights anymore than this you'd probably have problems with blinding other drivers.

Sixth Step - Reinstall the bezel

As before, the bezel doesn't go in very easily either. You'll have to wiggle it back and forth and make sure you have the correct side facing up.

Final Analysis

At first, I wasn't thrilled with the $50 set of headlights. I couldn't really see much of a difference. That is until I went back to driving my daily driver and noticed how yellow those lights were. The Silverstars have a nice, clear, white light that seems to illuminate better than the standard lights. Of course, this is entirely subjective; it's just me measuring this with my eyes.