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I'm sure you have indicators that could be cracks. The only way to be sure is to see it in real life under a high power magnifier. (Even then, they can be tough to actually see.) You have nothing to loose by melting these joints and adding a touch of solder.
Here are the irregularities in the solder pools where the cracks either are or would be developing. (Under magnification, this is where the separation happens.) A new pool will harden smooth with no lines...
Quick update...
I found that the lever that the motor uses to raise the headlight was not resting on its rubber stop. I also noticed it has an "R" on it, which I assume is a RH assembly? At any rate, I heated up the lever and bent it so that it would rest properly on the rubber stopper. I also had to swap the direction of the bolts that held the motor in as they were facing the wrong way.
This seems to have solved my issue 95% of the time.
For the other 5% of the time where the headlight doesn't pop up, if I simply twist the manual **** on the motor to loosen it, the headlight will pop up the very next time I turn the lights on.
I can't explain the 1 in 50 times that the passenger headlight doesnt pop up but I'm not worried about it at this point.
I'm sure you have indicators that could be cracks. The only way to be sure is to see it in real life under a high power magnifier. (Even then, they can be tough to actually see.) You have nothing to loose by melting these joints and adding a touch of solder.
Here are the irregularities in the solder pools where the cracks either are or would be developing. (Under magnification, this is where the separation happens.) A new pool will harden smooth with no lines...
Quick update...
I found that the lever that the motor uses to raise the headlight was not resting on its rubber stop. I also noticed it has an "R" on it, which I assume is a RH assembly? At any rate, I heated up the lever and bent it so that it would rest properly on the rubber stopper. I also had to swap the direction of the bolts that held the motor in as they were facing the wrong way.
This seems to have solved my issue 95% of the time.
For the other 5% of the time where the headlight doesn't pop up, if I simply twist the manual **** on the motor to loosen it, the headlight will pop up the very next time I turn the lights on.
I can't explain the 1 in 50 times that the passenger headlight doesnt pop up but I'm not worried about it at this point.
I found that the lever that the motor uses to raise the headlight was not resting on its rubber stop. I also noticed it has an "R" on it, which I assume is a RH assembly? At any rate, I heated up the lever and bent it so that it would rest properly on the rubber stopper. I also had to swap the direction of the bolts that held the motor in as they were facing the wrong way.
This seems to have solved my issue 95% of the time.
Fixing the bent limit the stops should put an end to cycling of the headlights and fixing the bolts should address partial opens.
Originally Posted by Majozak
For the other 5% of the time where the headlight doesn't pop up, if I simply twist the manual **** on the motor to loosen it, the headlight will pop up the very next time I turn the lights on.
I can't explain the 1 in 50 times that the passenger headlight doesnt pop up but I'm not worried about it at this point.
The two typical causes for this are:
- A bad gear
- Cracked solder joints
^ Both have happened to me. On the latter, the it's the act of shutting the hood that jostles everything around, making contact on the board again. (Not so much turning the ****.) For the longest time, I had the "fix" narrowed down to opening and shutting the hood and couldn't figure out why that worked.
Just as I post this update and think I have something figured out, now I have a new issue.
The last couple times I've tried to use the headlight, the motor wouldn't fire, and when I would turn off the headlights, the light would stay up. Previously, the motor would fire and the headlight would return down. I'm shaking my head as I type this...lol.
So, I'm assuming my motor is shot then? One of those refurb kits from Hawk Motorsports or otherwise probably won't work on it...?
And no I have not tried re-soldering the board. Probably will try that even if the points looked fine in person.
So, I'm assuming my motor is shot then? One of those refurb kits from Hawk Motorsports or otherwise probably won't work on it...?
Who knows until you address the other issues that could be the board. Until you can eliminate that gremlin maker, you are just chasing ghosts around your engine bay.
It's actually the other way around. Metal gears (and any other gears) are highly likely to fail if the motor tabs are weak and not tight. (The metal gear suppliers put a warning in the package, specifically for this.)
zman is probably headed for some new motors - like the new Cardone design where we can replace the gear with a screw cover.
Well if case is loose again IDK what else to do, worked great for a short while so maybe motor time
these were nylon from Napa BTW did same on my 99 T/A and never an issue with them again
I just replaced the headlight motors in my 2002 firebird V6 with aftermarket ones. The headlights are now reversed--they go down when the lights are on and up when the lights are off. The passenger side is iffy at best, as it doesn't raise most of the time. Not sure what I did wrong when installing them. Where are the levers/arms supposed to be positioned? I have them in between the upper and lower stops.
Thanks. I'll give that a try in the morning. Do you know if the arm is supposed to go inside or outside of the stops? I have it inside, just want to make sure that's not backwards too.
Thanks. I'll give that a try in the morning. Do you know if the arm is supposed to go inside or outside of the stops? I have it inside, just want to make sure that's not backwards too.
If you spool backwards through the sticky thread in this section on headlight motors, you'll see lots of pictures.
swapping the red and black wires definitely worked. the motors are attempting to go in the right directions. now I have to put the arms in correctly I think.
thank you. I did have them positioned wrong. I put it inside of the stops. looks like I have to reposition it on the outside of the lower one. hoping that's all it will take and these things will work.
Success! thank you again! I did have to change the wires back though, since they were wired correctly the first time. a small inconvenience to have working headlights again.
08-26-2017, 12:18 PM
Update 
