Headlight / rain / Keyfob issue?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, Arizona
Headlight/Rain/Key fob issue? please help When I use the keyless entry and press the unlock button, the headlights go up and down and make a horrible grinding noise. Same thing happened while pressing the lock button or when turning the headlights off while I am still in the car. This just happened Sunday night and has never done it before. It was fine all day Sunday before the storm blew in. Did something get wet maybe? This happen to anyone else? How do I fix this? Thanks for your help. The car is in the sig pic.
the grinding noise from the headlights going up/down is a common thing in firebirds.. there's a metal gear driving a plastic gear that moves the headlights, and after enough use, the plastic gear starts to wear down, and eventually starts slipping when it gets to one end or the other, making the grinding noise you're hearing..
you're options are:
1) replace the offending motor (not cheap if you're paying out of pocket)
2) only half of the plastic gear is used to get the headlights up and down.. sometimes you can open the motor (voiding any warrenty you might have) and flip the gear around so the other half is being used
3) buy a brass gear online ($20 if I remember correctly) and replace the plastic one..
as for the headlights going up and down when you lock/unlock the car, that I've never had a problem with...
you're options are:
1) replace the offending motor (not cheap if you're paying out of pocket)
2) only half of the plastic gear is used to get the headlights up and down.. sometimes you can open the motor (voiding any warrenty you might have) and flip the gear around so the other half is being used
3) buy a brass gear online ($20 if I remember correctly) and replace the plastic one..
as for the headlights going up and down when you lock/unlock the car, that I've never had a problem with...
I don't know why it does with the lock/unlock mine's never done that. The grinding bad noise probably is a stripped headlight gear. My drivers side headlight did that you turn off the lights it goes down and just rrrrrrrrrrr really bad noise. I just pulled the fuses for the headlight doors when they were up and they just stay up then. I hit a deer screwed up my front end and got new headlight assemblies. You can just do brass replacement gears. Look in the Firebird specific forum there is a sticky there about the headlicht gears. Hope this helps.
Originally Posted by nrayome98TA
yup, that's what I was thinkin of.. coulda sworn they were cheaper than that though.. <shrug> first thing ta go is your mind, right?
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The unlocking/locking with the keyless thing has something to do with the headlight gear being stripped. Mine did the exact same thing. I tried the "180 gear swap" and that worked for a short while. The backing plate eventually fell off and then started doing it again.
I opted to get a used motor off of ebay for around 50 bucks and just swapped it out. Have not have a problem since and as soon as I fixed the gear/headlight problem, the keylees entery went away as well (the going up then down thing when locking/unlocking your doors). So, they are intertwined in together, but just not sure how. Fix the headlight problem and everything will be back to normal.
I opted to get a used motor off of ebay for around 50 bucks and just swapped it out. Have not have a problem since and as soon as I fixed the gear/headlight problem, the keylees entery went away as well (the going up then down thing when locking/unlocking your doors). So, they are intertwined in together, but just not sure how. Fix the headlight problem and everything will be back to normal.
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Read my sticky in Firebird/Trans Am forum......https://ls1tech.com/forums/pontiac-firebird-1967-2002/177470-firebird-headlights-all-comments-questions-regarding-headlights-go-here.html
