Headlight Motors

[Bud Porter]

My headlight motors are a little in spurts. Is there a way to buy the parts to rebuild this . It looks to have a piece of 3/8 or 1/2 inch round Plastic about 1/2 in. long. If so is there a schedule size i can buy of this plastic. Other than that the motors are in good shape. The lamp housing sticks when i close the hood. when the hood is open the housing works fine. do you have some thoughts. I have adjusted till I am black and blue.

Thank you for the response Eagle 85C4 and Jon M. Good advice.

 

[JonM]

Bud...I do not completely understand your description of your problem. Can you upload a pic of the piece you say is broke? Anyway, in the meantime here is a site that can help you.

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2001/december/headlights/head1.asp

 

[69MyWay]

You need to contact Mid America and get a set of the $4 or $8 or something like that plastic bushings to replace those worn ones in your unit.

This is a common problem and will cause the complaint you have.


I have done it before with a stainless nut ground down on the edges to make it round. I have also used the replacement brass valve stem seats/tubes for a VW cylinder head. They work great because they are the right diameter, and only need to be cut down in length. I happend to have a package of them sitting around from a VW rebuild, and thought...hmmm, I think this will work... AND IT DID!

 

[Bud Porter]

Headlight aux motor

Jon M

In the Aux. motor for the headlights to go up and close there is a centric right below the motor. This is round has three small screws holding the cap on. to remove this you have to knock the pin out that holds the shaft onto the backside and remove the screws. once open there are three sererate pieces of plastic 3/8 or 1/2 in. round that fit in there . the centric is egg shape on three sides and it is metal . the plastic fits into the low side of each centric to turn the headlight housing open and close . mine has been chewed up into very small pieces.

 

[JonM]

If you are talking about these gears...

You can buy brass for around 55 dollars or you can buy plastic for about 20.

corvettecentral.com
madamerica.com

 

[69MyWay]

It sounds like your gears are fine, you just need the three little round bushings that go in each motor. There are six total for the pair.

 

[Radar]

Important

I would be careful using non-plastic shear pins in any headlight motor in the 1988 to 1996 Corvettes. I would stay with the correct plastic shear pins Here is why:

In 1988 (I think, could be 89) GM changed the type of headlight motor to improve reliability and manufacturer it with less internal parts.

The 1984 to 1987 headlight motors used plastic gears for a reason. The motors had a slide end switch design that sensed when the headlight housing linkage reached the end of the travel and stalled the motor. The end switch was designed to open when the motor worm shaft end play moved a few thousands of an inch and opened the circuit to de-energize the motor. The gears were plastic so if the end switch relay did not stop the motor, the teeth would shear off prventing serious damage to the headlight, shafts, linkage or brackets. It also would shear if you got your hand pinched between the fender and the rotating headlight housing (possible major injury). So putting the brass gears in can be a major problem if either end switch ever fails to stop the motor. It is even possible to overheat a stalled motor and cause a melt down and fire.

The new design used from 1988 and on uses a motor with stronger gears, no end switch, but with three plastic shear pins. There is also a solid state current sensing module and simple two wire motors without end switches. The motors draw current throught the module when opening or closing the headlight door. When the motor reaches the end of the travel and stalls in either direction, the module senses the rapid rise in current and immediately de-energizes the motor electronically. This is much easier to maintain. But................if something fails in the module and it fails to de-energize the motor at the end of the travel, the pins shear off and the motor just spins. This prevents major damage. The shaer pins also shear if something gets between the fender and the housing (like you fingers!)

I would strongly suggest staying with the factory type parts (plastic gears in the older motors and plastic shear pins in the newer motors) and getting the end switches working or the module responding. I know you can up-date older C4's to the newer type headlight motors with module.


Thanks,
Radar :xmas Important

 

[Surfer44]

Headlight motors

I followed this site for my 90 ZR1 and it worked great. about 4 hours total. His advice and pictures are perfect.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/zrjuan/headlight.html

 

[Bud Porter]

Headlight Draging

Radar:
I have ordered the bushing for the headlight motor. I have allready bought a motor at the cost of $200.00 and it works fine.I have installed the motor and the housing. When the hood is open it works fine but when the hood is closed the housing drags at the front and keeps it from opening all the way. I have adjusted this till I am blue in the face. So I let my son try it for a while. Still have the same response. It still drags. I have adjusted so many times that the bushings in the right side motor are going out also. I have extra bushing coming to fix that. but i need some advice on the draging. Maybe it needs some washers ?

Thanking you

Bud Porter

 

[vigman]

Which side hangs up

Driver, passenger??????? both?

Make sure the cables ( headlight ) are routed correctly.


My drivers side used to hang on the Evap canister.

Check how far the hood needs to be opened for the lights to clear.. that will give you an idea where they are hanging up.. and you could remove the inner plastic fender and watch it.



Vig!

 

[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.

 

[582Boat]

Headlight bushings and gears

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.

If possible could you send me a copy ofinstructions used to replace gears and bushings in the 1987 headlight motor assembly. 582Boat tinossip@verizon.net

 

[onedef92]

As stated earlier, the 1987 headlight motors DO NOT have bushings, just gears. The 1988-1996 models have the Delrin bushings.

 

[topless82vette]

not sure if vette headlight motors are the same as f-bodies. there is a guy on thirdgen.org by the name of lonsal. I think he has a website topdownsolutions.com .... (I'm not affiliated) ... anyways he sells rebuild kits for 82-92 which are great quality, I used a set of his bushings and gears to fix my 90 firebird headlight motors and they work flawlessly now. I think it costed me like 60 bucks for gears and bushings for both motors something like that.

Just thought I'de post this since 90 firebird headlight motors are probably the same as vette motors.

 

[onedef92]

Just thought I'de post this since 90 firebird headlight motors are probably the same as vette motors.

They are. Same design as the Pontiac Fiero and Buick Reatta.

 

[onedef92]

If possible could you send me a copy ofinstructions used to replace gears and bushings in the 1987 headlight motor assembly. 582Boat tinossip@verizon.net

This link covers the 1988-96 motor design with the Delrin bushings, but it should help you find your way in replacing your gears, too.

http://www.corvettefever.com/howto/33098/index.html