ok, this may or may not be a repost, but just last night when i got home I turned my headlights off, they went down but then the jackhammer on the driver side started. so i disconnected the battery cause I didnt feel like ******* around with it and went to bed.

This morning I searched around the forums and found a post and some links on how to fix this. So I start taking the assembly all apart and as i had the motor out and trying to pry that cover off i thought to myself "there has to be an easier way (while looking at the manual adjustment **** on the top of the motor).

So i put the motor back on and turned the **** until the pin that rotates to bring the arm up or down, was 180 degrees around, and reconnected the arm. I reconnected the batteries and voila! No more retarded loud *** buzzing.

So the moral of the story is:
Look around before you take the whole damn thing apart and think about how it works.

Official write up:

Step 1: Turn on headlights using switch located on the left side of the steering wheel.

Step 2: Disconnect negative battery cable and make sure it does not touch anything metal such as the body.

Step 3: Remove black plastic headlight shroud.

Step 4: Using a 10mm wrench, remove the nut holding the lift arm from the headlight assembly.

Step 5: Using a rubber hammer, knock the arm off of the rotating pin.

Step 6: Remove rubber cover from headlight motor with "remove for manual adjustment" inscribed.

Step 7: Rotate **** on top of headlight motor until the pin rotates 180 degrees from the point that you started from.

Step 8: Reinstall headlight support arm onto pin and reinstall nut.

Step 9: Reconnect negative battery cable.

Step 9: Turn the headlight switch to the off position and make sure the headlight goes down properly and does not make the buzzing noise.

Step 10: Reinstall shroud and be amazed that this only took you about 10 minutes instead of removing the motor, trying to pry the cover off for about 20 minutes, almost cutting your thumb off while trying to pry cover off with flat tip screwdriver, etc etc etc.

(NOTE: If this does NOT solve the problem it is because the ENTIRE gear is stripped and needs to be replaced.)

Sitations needed and if anyone wants pictures I can take some and post them, but they are pretty self explanatory.

STICKY?

 

This is how everyone has been doing it for 11 years. You never have to take the motor out, unless you want to put a new brass gear in.

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm

 

ok now i see, but there was no other info on here about that. So when new people who have no idea what they are doing come here, now they know. probably should be a sticky.

 

Yeah, alot of peopel here have been wondering for a long time why the headlight fix website is not a sticky. There are posts almost daily about how to fix them.

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/pontiac-firebird-1967-2002/177470-firebird-headlights-all-comments-questions-regarding-headlights-go-here.html
Sticky in Firebird section

 

Thats the wrong place for it. Otherwise there wouldn't be almost daily posts here asking about it.

 

yeah, i know its in the firebird forums but needs to be in here, it IS maintenance. this is the first place i came to when i was looking for info.

 

I predict your headlight will start grinding again within 2 months, less than that if this is your daily driver. Go ahead and buy the brass gear so that you will already have it when it fails.

 

My passenger side gear was flipped over 5 years ago, still perfect. Its a matter of not rotating any more then EXACTLY 180*. My driver side lasted 2+ years after I did that one.

Daily driver, my only car.

 

I replaced the gears with aluminized ones (he dosent sell brass anymore) and they both failed within a few weeks just b/c the body of the HD motor was loose and couldnt tighten with the tabs. I got new motors for like 60 from autozone, wish I would have done that in the first place.

 

Yeah, its too much of a tight fit with those gears, if they're not perfect they'll wear out.

When my "free fix" fails I'll just get new motors too.

Are those autozone motors exactly like the factory ones as far as how they open and close? Whats the warranty?

 

Yea they open and close great, also the cover for the gear is held on with 3 screws, so if you do replace the gears on these, no more epoxy. They are remanufactured too I believe.

As far as the warranty, I dont recall.

 

I rushed off to AutoZone.com to verify for myself - but unfortunately it seems the price is this low for 98+ Firebirds - the motor for 93-97 is $120 + tax.

My gear from bfranker is on its way though. And, I am one of those people for whom rotating the gear 180 deg. worked for only a couple weeks. Then it started grinding even worse than before - but I have a suspicion that the previous owner already f'ed with it, so maybe that's why.

 

Is that price w/ or w/o the core. I think I paid something like that until I gave them my old one.


EDIT
O nm saw you said higher for 93-97. Well I think I recall reading you can use either one you just got to flip them around, I'd search it though.

 

a day late dollar short but I took one mtor out spun gear 180, replaced and still noise and WINKING! the one I touched closes when passenger side is up. Rotated drive 1/2 rotation, same thing.... any help ? or just buy 2 motors???

 

? you dont have to take the motor out. just unbolt the arm that attaches to headlight to the motor and rotate the adjustment 180 degrees to the same position that the cam was in but now the gear is on the other side of the teeth.

EDIT: I am not sure if it matters which way to turn the adjustment. anyone verify this?

 

i did this and it fixed it for around 4 months and then it got me yesterday new gear on the way =\

 

saving this

 

If someone would make one that uses the rubber piece that was installed in the original design, I think we would have this licked.
If I was making headlight system I would have used a Slip clutch design and timer instead of a load device

 

Just did the gear replacement it was easier then i thought. The video was very helpful.
http://www.fquick.com/videos/Install...ight_Gear/2024
Thanks