1993 Headlight Acuator Bushing Replacement

[bstie]

OK. I am ready to start into another project on my 1993 Convertible. Finally managed to get the window stop installed on the passenger side and all works fine. So time to move forward with the next little project.....

The headlights open and close fine, however on the passenger side, the motor wants to continue to run for about 5 seconds after the light is in the open or closed position. I am making the assumption that it is time to install the (3) small nylon bushings to correct the problem.

Anyone do this lately and have any tricks, tips or anything that would be of assistance before I tackle this project? It will be a few days before I start this task, but would certainly appreciate any feedback from anyone here.

Regards,
Brian

 

[JonM]

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2002/february/c4lights/light1.ASP

 

[HallenTi]

Brian, I have recently done the job on one headlight on my 1990. My bushings were powder, and my motor ran just like yours does. I found that the replacement bushings were not quite a "drop-in" as they had to be made smaller in diameter to fit in the tight area between the nylon gear and the aluminum piece. I used 100 grit sandpaper to slowly reduce the diameter as I rotated them, then I checked them periodically for proper fit. When taking the nylon gear out, I had to work the gear around the pinion gear from the motor, but this wasn't overly hard, just be careful not to overdo it and harm any gear teeth. Be sure to keep the proper shims in the proper places - you'll find some between the nylon gear and the motor housing. Use some multi-purpose grease to hold them on the shaft while you install them. Be careful of the very small screws (3) that hold the gear cover on - the head of one of the three of mine snapped off while I was disassembling, and I was being careful, honest! Might not hurt to spray a little penetrating oil on the area while you're taking the rest apart. It is a bit of a job the first time getting aquainted with how it works, but the second one should be easier, and when the headlight works great when you're through, you'll be glad you did it. Tim

 

[Tuna]

The passenger side gear is the hardest to remove since the large white gear has a flange molded on the side that doesn't want to go past the worm gear. I found that loosening the motor screws (do not remove them as you don't want the motor or worm gear to come out) provided a little extra clearance for the worm gear. I also placed an allen wrench in the hole in the shaft to use as a 't-handle' to help pull the gear and shaft out of the housing. When you get read to put it back together, take a triangle file and remove the flange between about 4-5 teeth so that the gear slides back past the worm gear with ease. Mark the area of the gear so that you can find it again later if you need to.

I also agree with the comment about being careful with the screws as they can break easy enough. Put some penetrating oil on them first - especially the motor screws.

 

[onedef92]

I'll lay odds its your bushings. Go to Home Depot and ask for item number 595609. You will need six of these nylon spacers to repair both headlights. They cost me .69 cents (plus tax) for a pack of three at my local Home Depot store.

Much cheaper than the $7.99 price in MAD, Eckler's and some of the other specialty catalogs and they are the exact same Delrin spacers. Go figure.

If there's a TechTips portal on this Forum search under "headlight bushings." If not, let me know and I'll see if I can get you a copy of the instructions I used when I replaced mine a couple of months ago.