Just finished replacing headlight gear
Just finished replacing headlight gear I just finished replacing my headlight gear on the passenger side. I bought the stock plastic gears, didn't have money to get the brass. I only replaced the side that was broken, because I am afraid that it might get messed up and I'll need the other (driverside) gear. It was a major PITA getting it all done, don't know why I had so much trouble. But I am worried about it failing a few days later. I didn't see 3 tabs that needed to get pulled back? Is this only in the brass gear install? Also, when you install the gear, it doesn't have to go exactly the way it came right? Like degreeing a cam? When I finally got everything back together, I shut my hood, and the headlight itself is a little off. The gap isn't equal all the way around, now it looks like I got into an accident and got a shitty repair job! I tired loosening the bracket and moving it, but is still looks like crap! Don't know what to do there? I was tired after messing the with light all day, so I just called it a day. I am going to wait a little more then 24hrs before I use my headlights, hopefully they work and stay intact for another 80k miles!
What's up Delaware. It doesn't matter which way the gear goes in, it only ever uses like 180 degrees of the gear anyway. I'm not sure bout it being flush, I've had mine apart quite a few times and really haven't had any problems. Check how the driver's side is and make sure the passenger looks the same way. Ive messed up putting it back together and had to rip it back out and do it again. Sucks but I would double check.
Hey, we have pretty much the same car! I have a black WS6 with borla mouth! You ever cruise newark at all? I used to go out a lot, but with gas prices and my car being a daily. I just go to parties or bars in newark now, or to the girlfriends.
I'm pretty sure I did everything right, I just remember people saying bend the 3 tabs back, or you'll mess the gear up. I didn't see any tabs to bend back? I just hope my epoxy job stays together, well see tomm when I go to use them. I would hate to pull this apart again, my right hand is beat up from squeezing it through the bumper and highbeam light!
I'm pretty sure I did everything right, I just remember people saying bend the 3 tabs back, or you'll mess the gear up. I didn't see any tabs to bend back? I just hope my epoxy job stays together, well see tomm when I go to use them. I would hate to pull this apart again, my right hand is beat up from squeezing it through the bumper and highbeam light!
. Hi. When you are talking about the headlight assembly not haveing an equal gap, do you mean that the headlight isn't laying flush (up a 1/4")? If so, I had the same problem when I first spun the gear around (crapped out a week later). The prob I had was that the smaller arm that is atatched to the whole armature (the one that you bolt directly back on to the motor) got flipped backwards. You just need to take the nut off the motor / arm attachment place and flip the smaller arm the other way. Then it will sit flush. I think this may be what you are talking about. A picture would help greatly though.
Mark Jr.
Mark Jr.
When my headlight is down, and my hood is shut, the space between the headlight and bumper/hood are not equal all the way around the headlight. I took off the bracket that held the headlight to the front bumper frame, then when I re-installed it, I guess it moved somewhat and isn't flush all the way around the light. I lowered the headlight manually and had no problems? I don't think the arm is reveresed, then it wouldn't lower right? I am really worried about these 3 tabs you have to bend back? I don't want to mess up a new gear a few days from now! Guess I will find out tonight when I go to use my headlights!
. Hi, actually, the headlight would go down most of the way. It would be up 1/2"-1" above the bumper, and obviously down the same amount at the top of the headlight near the hood. It will go down most of the way. Is the headlight to one side? Can you post a pic of exactly what you are talking about. This would help greatly. Hope I can help
Mark Jr.
Mark Jr.
I wish I could, don't know how to post one, it goes down all the way, it just isn't centered basically. I loosened the hold down bolts and moved it and retightened, which helped but not fully. I will try to get a pic, maybe I could email it to you or someone else who could host it. I'd have to get my dads camera from work, might take a few days. I am going to have to use my headlights tonight, so I will see if they work, I can stand the headlight being off a little, as long as it works.
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. Hi, yes you can send me a pic when you get your camera and I will post it for you. hexhd@aol.com The tabs that you are talking about can be tough to get an extremely firm fit. I put the motor in a small vice, and lightly tapped the tabs w/ a hammer and screw driver. Or you can get a small c-clamp, and gently squeeze 2 tabs at once together (one on either side), and also add some jb weld around the seam. That may sound dumb but every little bit helps. I finally broke down after the motor stripped the gear twice on mine and bought an ac delco one. I thought I got ripped off when I paid $101 shipped to my door at work through the shop discount. Then the guy told me that through the dealer, it's $175-$179. If you can get some pics, I may be able to help, until then, read this site, may help you out (not sure where you got your instructions from) But this is what I used when I first did mine: 4th gen Headlight Fix
good luck
Mark Jr.
good luck
Mark Jr.
Last edited by BlackDuk98; Oct 24, 2006 at 09:39 PM. Reason: .
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Verdad Gallardo I used that site as well. So far, my headlight has been working. I only have one tab on the outside of the gear cover, that snapped, and I expoxied the hell outta the cover. How long does it usually take if there is a problem? I wish they made a decent looking fixed headlight conversion for TA's. Hopefully my headlights still work, I'll keep you guys updated, I will mess with the headlight itself being mis aligned later, don't have time to deal with it. Thanks for the help everyone.
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2006
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Oh yea the headlights a PITA totally, I had the same problems also.
-First of when you drive with the affected headlight up does it vibrate any at all or is it rather solid in place? If there is any vibration issues you need to take it all the way back down to having the lever arm off the motor part. Then crank it onto the other side of the guide tabs, those things with tabs. It needs to make the LONG way around on the outside of those. NOT on the inside. Watch the other light go up and down several times (watching that arm) and then watch what you did. (You need extra hands for this) This was what I did wrong the first time.
-If the headlamp housing unit does not vibrate while you have the light up then you should try checking the gap that you have with the light in the up position from the tab. Do not let there be a gap, but dont crank it down hard. You still only got a plastic gear in there.
-Do not forget that you can adjust the headlamp metal bezel cover, maybe find a happy middle ground, however the first 2 should get ya fixed.
On a side note took me 4 hours and some scraped hands to finally get mine right, but man is it worth not hearing that girrrrrrrrrddddd sound again. I am not sure as to the root cause (asides from plastic) but you might try not turning on the headlamps while your moving at high speeds, that must generate quite a drag. Like holding a 3 ring binder outside your window at that speed.
-First of when you drive with the affected headlight up does it vibrate any at all or is it rather solid in place? If there is any vibration issues you need to take it all the way back down to having the lever arm off the motor part. Then crank it onto the other side of the guide tabs, those things with tabs. It needs to make the LONG way around on the outside of those. NOT on the inside. Watch the other light go up and down several times (watching that arm) and then watch what you did. (You need extra hands for this) This was what I did wrong the first time.
-If the headlamp housing unit does not vibrate while you have the light up then you should try checking the gap that you have with the light in the up position from the tab. Do not let there be a gap, but dont crank it down hard. You still only got a plastic gear in there.
-Do not forget that you can adjust the headlamp metal bezel cover, maybe find a happy middle ground, however the first 2 should get ya fixed.
On a side note took me 4 hours and some scraped hands to finally get mine right, but man is it worth not hearing that girrrrrrrrrddddd sound again. I am not sure as to the root cause (asides from plastic) but you might try not turning on the headlamps while your moving at high speeds, that must generate quite a drag. Like holding a 3 ring binder outside your window at that speed.
Well, now I have a new problem. When my headlight goes up, it makes the grinding sound, but not down. I used to unlock, lock my car and the lights would go up, or if I turned on the fogs, the lights would go up, and when the lights went down, they would grind. Now it's only when I turn the lights on all the way and the headlight goes up. It's weird, complete opposite. I am sick of these damn lights. I don't have the time to mess with it until atleast a week, next sunday! I don't know what to do, take the gear out and reinstall a new one? I might get a piece of sheet metal and install that with the motor so it holds the cover in place. I am still unsure about these, tabs, anyone have a pic of them? I don't care about the headlight being missaligned, it's because I took the mounts off and messed it up I'm sure. I just want my headlights to not grind!
Blackduk98 you said you finally broke down and bought a new motor for 101? Will that solve all my problems? If I get a new motor, which obviously has a new gear in it, I won't have to worry about bending any tabs back or epoxying anything right? Just disconnect the old one, put in the new one and go? Nothing hard about that right? I am not sure if my problem is the gear cover came loose or I didn't install the motor right? But the headlight works fine, just grinds on it's way up. It took a few days for it to start doing that, so the cover must be coming off, damn it! I need to get back into a corvette, C6 fixed headlights or a C5 with the C5R lights, this sucks!
Blackduk98 you said you finally broke down and bought a new motor for 101? Will that solve all my problems? If I get a new motor, which obviously has a new gear in it, I won't have to worry about bending any tabs back or epoxying anything right? Just disconnect the old one, put in the new one and go? Nothing hard about that right? I am not sure if my problem is the gear cover came loose or I didn't install the motor right? But the headlight works fine, just grinds on it's way up. It took a few days for it to start doing that, so the cover must be coming off, damn it! I need to get back into a corvette, C6 fixed headlights or a C5 with the C5R lights, this sucks!
Last edited by Red91vette; Oct 29, 2006 at 08:13 PM.
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Blackduk98 you said you finally broke down and bought a new motor for 101? Will that solve all my problems? If I get a new motor, which obviously has a new gear in it, I won't have to worry about bending any tabs back or epoxying anything right? Just disconnect the old one, put in the new one and go? Nothing hard about that right? I am not sure if my problem is the gear cover came loose or I didn't install the motor right? But the headlight works fine, just grinds on it's way up. It took a few days for it to start doing that, so the cover must be coming off, damn it! I need to get back into a corvette, C6 fixed headlights or a C5 with the C5R lights, this sucks!
Mark Jr.
Last edited by BlackDuk98; Oct 31, 2006 at 06:44 PM. Reason: .
Wow, never noticed those tabs. So there are three of them? and you just bend them away from the motor? I noticed tonight my headlight was bouncing up an down. I got out of my car and I could actually raise my headlight about an inch, which caused it to bounce. I guess if I replace the gear, bend the tabs back this time, everything should be ok? Hopefully? I won't need an actuator? I will have to wait to do the install sunday, so I have enough time to do it. This sucks! Thanks everyone for your help, esp blackduk98, you all are very helpful, it is very appreciated, hopefully I can get these damn headlights to work!
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Wow, never noticed those tabs. So there are three of them? and you just bend them away from the motor? I noticed tonight my headlight was bouncing up an down. I got out of my car and I could actually raise my headlight about an inch, which caused it to bounce. I guess if I replace the gear, bend the tabs back this time, everything should be ok? Hopefully? I won't need an actuator? I will have to wait to do the install sunday, so I have enough time to do it. This sucks! Thanks everyone for your help, esp blackduk98, you all are very helpful, it is very appreciated, hopefully I can get these damn headlights to work!
Last edited by BlackDuk98; Nov 1, 2006 at 08:47 PM. Reason: .
Ok, so you bend the tabs towards the motor, away from the gear. In you picuture, that would be bending the tabs to the right? Correct? I am going to install a new gear today, hopefully I can get this one right. This is a major PITA! If this one doesn't work, I will have to get a new motor. So the reason my headlight is moving up and down about and inch is because the gear is messed up right? Hopefully nothing with the actuator or anything else? I will have to see when I take everything apart. Thanks.
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Ok, so you bend the tabs towards the motor, away from the gear. In you picuture, that would be bending the tabs to the right? Correct? I am going to install a new gear today, hopefully I can get this one right. This is a major PITA! If this one doesn't work, I will have to get a new motor. So the reason my headlight is moving up and down about and inch is because the gear is messed up right? Hopefully nothing with the actuator or anything else? I will have to see when I take everything apart. Thanks.
Mark Jr.
Ok, I have my motor out, well as far as it can go out with out disconnecting the wires. But I noticed the four tabs, and they are pretty tightly pressed against the motor. I don't know what else to do? I can bend the tabs in more, would some kind of tape wrapped around help? My cover to the motor didn't come loose at all, so it wasn't that. Maybe it is the actuator? I only have one more gear left, so if this one gets messed up, I am screwed! So all I have to do is install the gear properly, and bend those tabs tightly to the motor and that is it? Because it seems like something else is wrong. BTW, my headlight last night wouldn't come up more then a few inches. Each day I used my lights, they would only come up so far, shorter each day, but I could pull them up all the way, then they would flop around while driving, too dangerous!
Well, I tried bending the 4 tabs back into the motor, moved them a little little bit, don't know if it will work. I epoxied the hell outta the cover, so I won't be able to get that off without a lot of work, so instead of taking a chance that the gear is ok, I am just going to order a whole new motor from my brother's work. We'll see how much it is, but that is the only way I can get one today, on ebay there are a few for around 75 bucks, but I can't wait, gotta have my car running tonight for work. I hate this damn lights!
Ok, well just got back from the shop, picked up my new headlight motor, 137 bucks later! Damn!!! Sucks, that was at cost directly from GM, oh well, this should work and I'll be good for another 80k miles or so, hopefully. Thanks for your help blackduk, sucks I couldn't get the gear swap to work and save money. I'll let you know if I have anymore problems.
