Question: 2000 Headlight Motor

[Blu Cah]

What is the easiest way to remove the drivers side headlight motor?

I'm getting a loud noise for about 5 seconds after the headlight is lowered (sounds like an A10 gattling gun going off).

From what I've read so far, it sounds like the plastic gear has become stripped.

I will be placing an order tonight for the brass gear replacement kit, but in the meantime I would like to rotate the gear 180 degrees to see if the problem goes away.

Also, I need to remove the motor to determine what type of motor that I have installed to determinre the right kit to buy.

Here is the link that I was steered to.

http://rodneydickman.com/corvette.html

Is this guy reputable?

 

[kiwilogan]

HEAD light noise - Stripped Gearing

What is the easiest way to remove the drivers side headlight motor?

I'm getting a loud noise for about 5 seconds after the headlight is lowered (sounds like an A10 gattling gun going off).

From what I've read so far, it sounds like the plastic gear has become stripped.

I will be placing an order tonight for the brass gear replacement kit, but in the meantime I would like to rotate the gear 180 degrees to see if the problem goes away.

Also, I need to remove the motor to determine what type of motor that I have installed to determinre the right kit to buy.

Here is the link that I was steered to.

http://rodneydickman.com/corvette.html

Is this guy reputable?

Very Reputable - my order came within 10days aqnd he even called to check out a mistake on my order

 

[leftyvette]

Count me in! Mine started to make "the noise" about two weeks ago. I will also be ordering a kit. I think it may happen to those that take pictures in front of the museum!!

 

[Blu Cah]

Must be headlight gremlins running around the museum.

 

[zagger]

Borrowed this writeup from another forum:

C5 Headlight Gear rebuild

Parts needed:​

brass gear kit
10mm socket
13mm socket
1/4 drive ratchet
magnetic pick-up tool
phillips screwdriver​

​

Ok, lets get started. Turn the headlights on or manually crank up the bad light. If you turned the lights on you can unplug the bad light and turn the other light off so as not to kill the battery.​

Remove the black plastic headlight surround, 3 Phillips head screws. Now look inside the opening and you will see there are basically 5 nuts/bolts that hold the assembly in place. the following pics show the locations.

After these bolts /nuts are removed lift the assembly out and you have this.​

Turn the whole piece on its side and you will see the round cover which is secured with 3 little screws:​

Remove these screws and take off the cover. You will probably see something that looks like this.​

Make note of how you remove things and clean all that stuff out of there so it will look like this.​

Now install the new gears and replace the cover.​

Install is the reverse of removal. Plug everything back in and you should have this.​

 

[Junkman2008]

That write up is for the early Vettes. My write up covers the later models (2001 and higher). The earlier models only have 5 screws/nuts holding the headlight assembly in the car and the motor can be disassembled by removing the three bolts that hold it together. The later models have 6 bolts/screws holding the headlight assembly in the car and the motor cover has to be pried off carefully.

 

[Blu Cah]

I've determined that the nylon gear on my drivers side headlight is stripped, I was going to rotate it 180 degress, but when I got the motor disassembled, I saw that this fix was done in the past. I know this was supposed to be a temporary fix until I get the new brass gears that I ordered. I guess I'll just have to live with the noise until my brass gear kit arrives.

After looking at the info on Rodney Hickmans web site, for my 2000 I need the kits for the 2000-2004, I'm going to replace both sides with the brass gear.

I'll keep this thread informed of my progress/results.

 

[XLR8]

That write up is for the early Vettes. My write up covers the later models (2001 and higher)......

Very nice write up with photos Junkman2008!!

Please consider submitting it (with photos) in the CAC Technical Article Upload forum HERE for inclusion in the site How-To section HERE.

As our C5s age I'm certain we'll be visiting that section more and more in the future.:L

Jane Ann

 

[caseyk]

What is the easiest way to remove the drivers side headlight motor?

I'm getting a loud noise for about 5 seconds after the headlight is lowered (sounds like an A10 gattling gun going off).

From what I've read so far, it sounds like the plastic gear has become stripped.

I will be placing an order tonight for the brass gear replacement kit, but in the meantime I would like to rotate the gear 180 degrees to see if the problem goes away.

Also, I need to remove the motor to determine what type of motor that I have installed to determinre the right kit to buy.

Here is the link that I was steered to.

http://rodneydickman.com/corvette.html

Is this guy reputable?

It must be something in the air ,I just replaced my driver’s side headlight gear last weekend. I did not take the entire headlight assembly out. I unbolted the three bolts(10mm) that holds the motor on and also took the bolt off of the linkage that connects to the motor shaft. I used a rubber handled screwdriver to prop the headlight up to keep it from falling down. To make it a little easier you can remove the rubber hood stop pin. It is a tight squeeze but I was able to rebuild the motor right there on the fender. The reason for this was ,once I unplugged the motor the wiring harness didn’t allow me to take the motor all the way out and put it on a workbench. However, I did have enough slack to lay the motor flat and pry the cover off, which is a very tedious task. TAKE YOUR TIME! That plastic is very brittle .I took a sharp pointed razor knife and scored the seam first ,and then I started working the cover off a little at a time with a small flathead screwdriver until I was able to peel it off.It was definitely nerve wracking because there is a lot of popping sounds going on while you are prying on it. As far as rotating the gear 180,I don’t think that will help. When I got the cover off of mine the gear was ate up pretty bad and there were pieces of the gear everywhere, it was definitely trashed. Another key point to remember is not to get any of the grease on the surfaces that are to be glued. It will not adhere if you get the grease everywhere. The gear will come right out of the housing. You will have to use a Q-tip to get all of the old grease out of the housing. The instructions that come with the kit will be very detailed, so you shouldn’t have any problems, I am just making note of a few things that I came across while rebuilding the motor. You will also need some emery cloth or some fine grit sandpaper to clean the shaft, there will be rust on it, I cleaned it all up and put the silicone grease on the gear and the shaft prior to gluing it back together. Prior to gluing the cover on make sure you have everything you need with you because you will have to work pretty fast ,you will have about 6-8 minutes of work time before the glue starts to set up, also take note (make a mark of some sort on the housing) of which side the long end of the shaft(that hooks to the headlight linkage) came out of on the motor so you can put it back like it was. Once you have glued the cover on, you will need to get some masking tape or electrical tape(I used electrical tape) and wrap the motor with it .The reason for this is ensure that that cover is completely sealed while the glue is drying. After about 2 hours I took the tape off and re-installed the motor. The instructions stated not to operate the motor for 24 hours but after about 2 hours of set time, the glue was as hard as a hammered cat turd,so I felt confident enough to cycle the motor a few of times to make sure all as was well. Of course re-installing the motor takes longer than it does to take it out, because it took a little time to line up the shaft to fit into the linkage on the headlight. You will have to turn the dial on the top of the motor to achieve this. The end of the shaft is square, so when the shaft lines up the linkage it will slide right on there. I lined the linkage up with the headlight in the up position, prior to plugging in the motor, I turned the lights on and plugged the motor in ,then I turned them off and presto, it worked! No grinding! I cycled them up and down about three times and I was done! I know it sounds like a major job ,but in reality it is not that hard, this is just the type of job that you have to be careful with and take your time, it is definitely worth it versus buying a whole new motor, plus once you have rebuilt this thing it will be stronger and better than it was from the factory, because the kit comes with a reinforcement bracket that goes on the motor before you install it and of course the brass gear too. After rebuilding the driver’s side motor, it will be a breeze to rebuild the passenger side, because I know what to expect. Anyway, I hope this helps, like I said I just wanted to bring up a few things that are pretty critical while doing this job, once you do one you will see that it is not near as bad as it sounds. Good luck, if you have any questions ,let me know .

Casey

 

[Junkman2008]

Very nice write up with photos Junkman2008!!

Please consider submitting it (with photos) in the CAC Technical Article Upload forum HERE for inclusion in the site How-To section HERE.

As our C5s age I'm certain we'll be visiting that section more and more in the future.:L

Jane Ann

Wow, that section for C5's is a tad bare! I'll see what I can contribute.

Hey Casey, you may want to break up your post some to make it easier on the eyes. That's a hard read being one long paragraph. :W

 

[caseyk]

Wow, that section for C5's is a tad bare! I'll see what I can contribute.

Hey Casey, you may want to break up your post some to make it easier on the eyes. That's a hard read being one long paragraph. :W

Good point , I will keep that in mind next time.My apologies,I got carried away and didn't think about it!!!:W

 

[XLR8]

Wow, that section for C5's is a tad bare! I'll see what I can contribute.

.........

See? You've got your work cut out for you! :L

I suspect that C5 owners haven't had as much DIY experience as of yet because our Vettes just aren't that old... yet. As our Corvettes age, I am sure there will be more members looking to the How-To center for practical articles and photos.
Let me know if I can help.

Caseyk... good info in your post too!
Jane Ann

 

[clark1248]

Cannot manually crank up the bad light

After repeatedly manually turning the Headlight Motor counterclockwise, I cannot manually crank up the bad light on the passenger side (or right side) of my 2000 Corvette. The Headlight Gear is stripped. Does anyone have a solution to my problem?

Borrowed this writeup from another forum:

C5 Headlight Gear rebuild

Parts needed:
brass gear kit
10mm socket
13mm socket
1/4 drive ratchet
magnetic pick-up tool
phillips screwdriver​

Ok, lets get started. Turn the headlights on or manually crank up the bad light. If you turned the lights on you can unplug the bad light and turn the other light off so as not to kill the battery.​

Remove the black plastic headlight surround, 3 Phillips head screws. Now look inside the opening and you will see there are basically 5 nuts/bolts that hold the assembly in place. the following pics show the locations.

After these bolts /nuts are removed lift the assembly out and you have this.​

Turn the whole piece on its side and you will see the round cover which is secured with 3 little screws:​

Remove these screws and take off the cover. You will probably see something that looks like this.​

Make note of how you remove things and clean all that stuff out of there so it will look like this.​

Now install the new gears and replace the cover.​

Install is the reverse of removal. Plug everything back in and you should have this.​

 

[zagger]

From what I've seen it is usually one or two teeth that brake off on the plastic gear. You might try to slightly pull up on the door while turning the motor. The idea is to engage good teeth on the gear and that might allow you to raise the light.

 

[clark1248]

Headlight door won't open after manually turning motor counterclockwise

From what I've seen it is usually one or two teeth that brake off on the plastic gear. You might try to slightly pull up on the door while turning the motor. The idea is to engage good teeth on the gear and that might allow you to raise the light.

Hi Zagger,

Thanks for getting back to me. We tried it again and it still will not crank up. It feels as though there are no teeth left.

 

[zagger]

Don't know what advice I could give you without putting my hands on it? Junkman is the one who always has some kind of voodoo backyard remedy that works, hope he chimes in. I would think if the gear was completely striped you could lift the door? I've changed gears in friends car and it also would not go up, power or manual. I took some painters tape and taped it to the door with a little flap on the and. All i did was pull on the tape while manually turning the motor and the gears meshed bringing the light up.

 

[clark1248]

Thank you

Don't know what advice I could give you without putting my hands on it? Junkman is the one who always has some kind of voodoo backyard remedy that works, hope he chimes in. I would think if the gear was completely striped you could lift the door? I've changed gears in friends car and it also would not go up, power or manual. I took some painters tape and taped it to the door with a little flap on the and. All i did was pull on the tape while manually turning the motor and the gears meshed bringing the light up.

Hi Zagger,

I finally got it up. Thank you so much. I just kept perservering.

Peace & Blessings

 

[motorman]

do not open or close those "air brakes" at speed because it puts a lot of strain on those gears either brass or plastic.

 

[Junkman2008]

Don't know what advice I could give you without putting my hands on it? Junkman is the one who always has some kind of voodoo backyard remedy that works, hope he chimes in.

:L :L :L

I must have missed this! Zagger suggested exactly what I would have suggested. I'm glad you got it worked out.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Good info, marked it for the future in case I have to get after it myseld!

Bill