Headlight door/motor problem.

[Vette_Newb]

This may have been discussed already as I read several headlight post but didn't see this particular thing.

On occasion, my right headlight either flips half-way or not at all. I believe this is gonna be bushings or gears. Now for the wierd part, when it does work the motor seems to "overrun" and makes alot of noise (a bumping sound) until it stops running. It seems to me like the relay is sticking but since it only does it when I am not in a position to open the hood and mess with it I haven't been able to witness what the dern thing is doing. Sometimes the left one seems to make the same noise but not nearly as often. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated since I am still new to vettes.

The car is an 89 L98 coupe, auto trans and 114k. I am the second owner and I have owned it for nearly 2 weeks, it is not a daily driver so I haven't logged many daylight miles yet.

The car has basically been setting in the guys garage since early 2000, this is due to his 2nd child being born and vettes only having 2 seats.

 

[Tuna]

All indications of the bushings in the gear box gone bad. Order the bushing kits from MidAmerica and plan an afternoon to replace both of them - if one is bad, the other ain't far behind.

The left is easier to replace than the right but only because the gears are easier to remove from the case. With the right side, you'll have to loosen the motor screws to allow some movement in the worm gear to get the big plastic gear out. Do not remove the motor, however.

 

[oldace84]

Either Corvette Fever or Vette Mag's, had a great article on this. Sorry can't remember the issue. about mid of '03.
Good Luck
tony

 

[HallenTi]

Replacement headlight bushings...

I purchased a set of the bushings and took the right headlight apart. Sure enough, and originals were powder. The Mid-America instructions mentioned that due to close tolerances, I might have to sand the bushings slightly. They did not fit as purchased, so I sanded them as "roundly" as I could, to where there was a small amount of clearance when the bushings were in the gear and assembled properly. The headlights cycled once, but the rebuilt one "stuck" in the up position. I assume that either they are still too tight, or that I have a flat-spot on one or more of the bushings. I am frustrated with this (if anyone else has had to do this, I expect you were too). Am I correct in assuming the above, and am I better off to have a little more clearance (sand more off the circumfrance of each bushing)? The instructions also said to liberally grease the gear, bushings, etc, but the original didn't seem to be greased. Of course, I can't open the other one to look, as I will probably find the bushings in poweder form as well. Thanks for any ideas...I have had it off and apart three times, and this time it's "closer" but not working properly. Tim

 

[JonM]

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

 

[HallenTi]

JonM,

Thanks for the link. I did already read that one, and also a pictorial one from another link. When I put them in when the bushings were tight as the article states, the motor bound up and there wasn't the usual "over-run" when the headlight met the stops and wouldn't budge. I have made them a bit smaller, and it will run more consistently, but still binds. So, that is why I knew I couldn't put plop the new bushings in and have it work as in that article. I will have to take it out and experiment with it. The bushings (inserts) were total powder when I opened it. If someone out there has one that is from a working unit and has a micrometer, I'd like the outside diameter and I will make mine the same size.

I can't quite figure out how it operates without seeing one that has the correct bushings, but I assume that once the headlight meets the stop and yet the motor continues to run, the bushings may rotate between the gear pockets and the aluminum "spindle" until the motor comes to rest, and that I either have the bushings too tight still, or possibly slightly out of round.

 

[Midnite 88]

Did you clean all of the old bushing out of the carrier? You may have a small piece stuck in the gear and it is jamming up the works.

The motor should not continue to run after the case contacts the stop under the hood.

Look at the worm and drive gear carefully, are there any worn spots on either of them?

The relay detects a spike in voltage and turns power off to the motor.

Let us know what you find out.

Mike.

 

[muddywaters]

Headlites

Relay Midnight88? You mean module. If there is a relay, could you tell me it's location.

 

[HallenTi]

First off, thanks to all the left comments or suggestions...they got me thinking (watch out!). Special thanks for the great pictorial article by Juan that helped me see just how it is all supposed to look - http://mywebpages.comcast.net/zrjuan/headlight.html

I checked the ring gear for bad or worn teeth (didn't find any luckily) and checked the pinion for same and found no problems. I carefully cleaned the entire area, then went to work on the new set of bushings (inserts), sanding them to fit (the instructions said that might need to be done).

After making them a snug press-fit, I assembled it all, and ran it by hand before mounting it in the hood. It worked fine. I noticed that one of the two small screws that hold the motor to the gearbox had the head broken off. I mounted the assembly anyway to try it out and hooked it all up. Sure enough, when mounted in the hood, once it hit the stop in the closed position, the motor housing shifted slightly, causing my binding problem!

I took the assembly back off, and drilled out the broken screw and put a screw and nut in its place. After that repair, it worked like a charm! I am no longer winking any longer.

Tim

 

[muddywaters]

Headlites

Glad to hear it all worked out for you. Happy Holidays!

 

[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.