BamaBird22

Hey guys. I know all about the buzzing noise the headlights make. I've dealt with them before. Well my headlight motor just got old and the bottom part (gear part) actually broke off and separated from the top part (motor part) needless to say I just went to my auto parts store and bought a new motor. Well not even a month and it's making the buzzing noise again. The headlight opens and closes very strong; And the gear is not spinning the motor is just humming. Anyone know what could possibly be wrong?

Also this seemed to occur when I was wiring my aftermarket halos to the factory fog light switch. Could I have touched some wires accidentally and screwed it up?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Moving to Firebirds

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You could swap your motors side-to-side. If the noise moves with the swap, that would indicate it isn't electrical. (Your new motor could have a stripped gear already.)

Phoenix'97

I second this statement. Those plastic gears are horrible and the torque put on them by the screw will eat up the plastic teeth in no time! I am afraid you may have to buy a new motor. However, before you do that, is your motor cap glued onto the plastic casing, or did you manage to find one that uses screws to hold the cap on? The reason I ask is, I came across a motor replacement with three screws holding on the cap and this allowed me to swap in one of two metal gears I had purchased and I have not had any problems since!

I have yet to come across another type of this motor and prior to this I tried to use epoxy to hold the cap on the plastic casing of the old motor, but the torque of the motor blew that cap off after a week of allowing the expoy to harden. The three screws versions are a god-send if you can come across them.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I don't buy this and some of the manufacturers of metal gears don't either. (They point to the disconnection of the motor from the gear case, which puts more leverage on the gear teeth.)

There are a lot of garbage motors out there, though...

BamaBird22

My motor for a fact is under warranty so I'll probably just go swap it. I was just wonder if there was a reason it got stripped so fast or if maybe it was electrical

Phoenix'97

Let me reassure you, I bought a re-manufactured motor that ended up stripping the plastic gear a month later! I was pissed! That is what sold me on my metal gears and one of my motors now has it installed while the other, bizarrely, is still using the plastic gear. It is the darnedest thing!

BamaBird22

Well the one I got must have been remanufactured. I just got the other and it is remanufactured for sure. Once I get enough money (since a month ago I spent 112 dollars on a headlight motor) I'll probably buy the brass gears and put that issue to rest for good

Phoenix'97

I think they are all remanufactured now. The problem here is, each motor may not perform as it should by factory specifications. If they use a slightly different screw to turn the gears or if something in the remanufacturing process is off with the motor, it could fail. I have probably three used motors and the one remanufactured one that failed, it's screw and adjustment **** have some play in them, so when the headlight is raised, it has a bobble to it and that annoyed me! That one, unfortunately has the three screws that hold the end cap on the motor, and this makes the gear swap easy as can be! However, now they don't offer them, it's just the motors with glued caps and since the glues I have used in the past have not been enough to keep the caps on the motor, I am reluctant to replace the gear in the motor on my passenger side that is still using the plastic gear.

If anyone knows of any strong enough glue to hold the caps on the motor with the torque they are given, I would love to know! I was told epoxy by one guy but after letting it cure for a week, the cap was peeling away from the motor and exposing the gear a few days after installation.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You can get new motors from Cardone and their caps screw on - so gear changes are a breeze.

BamaBird22

Okay so I got a replacement motor. I'm replacing it today but noticed that the driver side makes the buzzing noise but now the passenger side headlight won't move up or down now. I've never read anything like this on the forums before. Why would this happen?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

If you unplug the "new" motor, does the other motor work normally?

These things are known to come with the wires in the wrong spots in the connector. If the new motor is back feeding power to the control module, I guess it could cause problems across the entire system.

^ But I'd start by removing your new variable and see if the old stuff goes back to working, first.

BamaBird22

Replacing the motor fixed the issues. Everything is working now. I'm honestly getting sick of these headlights lol. Love hate relationship.

BamaBird22

Coming back again. We had a small rain storm in Alabama where I live. My car was in the rain because I was at work and had no choice. Well, I stop at the gas station to get gas and the NEW motor starts GRINDING away!! This has got to be an electrical issue right? There is no way the gear has stripped after only two weeks of use...right? I need help figuring this out.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Reman motors are notorious for being junk. The tabs that connect the motor to the gear body are weak and lead to wasted gears. When they are rebuilt, this Achilles heel isn't fixed and someone else's weak motor goes on the market.

Are yours reman?

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Yes, Cardone SELECT from Rock Auto are the ones you want.

BamaBird22

My headlight motor is under warranty and my car is put away till I get new shoes for it. Now would probably be the perfect time to refund the orileys motor and use the cash to order the cardone motor

zman1969

iTrader: (91)

what alot of people miss when replacing the gears(Napa has for like 15$ ea)is the motor housing tangs need to be "tightened up" where it connects to gear housing. I did replace 2 gears in both mine and drvrs stripped - again about a month later, when took apart it was loose there again I used a small punch and hammer to tighten again and new gear and works fine now(hopefully longer than a month!) this is the worst part of owning a Firebird IMO this is my second Firebird and 5th gear

edit:
FWIW when housing is loose this lets the motor shaft move away like if you had bad pinion bearings when that going on bad things happen!

DarkJester

I had the dreaded headlight motor issue as well.
I replaced the nylon gear with the brass one in the kit that you can find online that also fits corvettes. Was easy, and no more grind. For what it's worth my motor housing was glued and was tight, no binding no slip. The gear was just stripped. the kit I mentioned comes with all the parts you need, even a brace to lock the motor halves together.

I would post a link but I don't think we are supposed to.

Jester

BamaBird22

I went and got that new cardone motor with screws and brass gear set. I can honestly say that it's worth EVERY shiny penny to end that dreaded moment when you turn off your lights and it sounds like you started a lawnmower. Really if anyone has any issues with your headlight motor, even one, get the brass gears, you won't regret it!!