Headlight motor grease
 

I'm picking up one of the newer style motors with the screws that hold the motor cover on. This way if and when the gear strips out, I can easily replace it without needing t braces or having to pry the cover off.

However, even though this one is brand new, I would like to pop the cover off and see how much grease is inside. Should it be mostly packed, light covering, slathered all over the place, something in between? What type of grease should I buy to add if it needs more. After looking at some of the rust nightmares some people have posted pictures of, to prevent rust on the metal shaft in there, I also wanted to spread some grease on both sides on the flat metal. I figure doing all this will possibly help prolong the life of the plastic gear even though it will likely be replaced in the future with a brass one. I'm going to check worm gear wiggle too and see if I need to make any adjustments to tighten things up. If nothing else, it should help keep the inside greased up and rust free for when I do need to replace the plastic gear.

I just got some motors myself.....i put in brass gears and packed it FULL of grease....i used amsoil grease....you cant put to much in it because of the weep hole at the bottom....it will just flow out

if you dont want to pack it full.....concentrate on the worm gear area and the teeth on the main gear

the grease that was in there was a sorry excuse for lubrication

You don't want to pack the case with grease. This is an open gear system, which is a different thing than ball bearings. Here's a company that makes gears and they remind: https://khkgears.net/new/gear_knowle...-of-gears.html
"There must be sufficient grease to do the job. However, too much grease can be harmful, particularly in an enclosed system. Excess grease will cause agitation, viscous drag and result in power loss."

I think your instincts are good. You want enough grease to fully lubricate everything and then cover all the surfaces for rust protection. After that, there should still be a few blobs of reserve grease in the case that can re-feed and re-lubricate the system.

I expect that when you open the case, you'll find white lithium grease, which is a proper lubricant for metal-to-plastic parts.

Perfect. I have a spray can of white lithium grease, works wonders on the door hinges,but... I wonder if I should just get a tube of it instead or something for this job. Thoughts to ponder before the motor arrives...

previously I have used mobil 1 grease in the gears....it is not really the best choice for this application ....it gets thick and gummy and becomes runny despite being a ....synthetic grease

I think my choice to use the amsoil grease is a better one.....not as thick so flows much easier

I dont know how much of the gears are engaged in a full up and down cycle but clearly not all the teeth are used in operation....hence why I greased it in its entirety

choose your type of grease as you see fit

Definitely. Go for the tube. A spray will make a mess and you will use an entire can to get a small amount out. (Compared to a tube or a tub.)

BTW - If you aren't sure what grease is there (and if you think you really have to add more), you should take in to account compatibility. If it doesn't look like a lithium grease, you may do some other tests: https://www.thelubricantstore.com/gr...tibility-chart

The gear is only used 1/2 way so you only need to really grease up 1/2 to 5/8 or so, the other side won't ever be used (until you flip/rotate the gear). Also make sure that your motor housing is tight on the gear assembly - that is the start of the problem. The motor gets loose, then wears the gear improperly. Make sure your motor is punched down on the gear housing tight.

Here's a vid of my HID install. At about 16 minutes I show how the motor gets loose and how to fix it.

The motor arrived and when I opened it up, it had quite a good amount of grease in it. The housing was 100% tight and there was no wiggle between the gears. I added a bit of grease to the front and back of the flat parts of the gear rod. That's the part I usually see that's rusted to hell and back. Installed perfectly and now it's quiet as can be, for the time being. The old motor's housing was not tight at all, and the gear/rod was very wiggly. Of course the gear itself was concave from damage and the gear cover was barely held on by the gasket sealer they used. At least now I have screws on the new cover to make things much easier if I need to go back in again down the road. 43 bucks for a new motor was quite nice I think.

I wouldn't use lithium grease as that can dry up and get gummy. I'd use a synthetic grease or dielectric grease.