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Moderation has nothing to do with anything. Technical discussion can be had by all and all are free to debate the technical merits of wasting money on brass gears. lol
Amen. I don't know if I mentioned it in this thread or not, but I had to replace the connector seals in my Cardone connectors, fix the polarity issue, and repair one of the power wires. (It was cut and the "factory" just spliced the broken pieces by twisting the copper wire to itself - no solder or crimp or anything.)
My next sentence was going to say that otherwise, they have been really good, but I just remembered that I spent this weekend re-wiring the headlight wires coming out of my Cardone units because the wire insulation became brittle and was cracking. Oh, well. The motors and gears have been great - the wiring was absolute crap. (I think I've replaced 100% of the wiring and connectors on the things at this point...)
I wish the brass gear was a fix but it's not.
I believe there was a member who bought brand new headlight motors, brass gears, installed the gears, and had them strip out in a short period of time.
If you're strapped for cash you can play around with the motors all you want, I'm lazy and 5 years ago I just went into autozone and bought reman ones with a lifetime warranty. Suprisingly haven't had to swap them out yet
After reading this thread, I am still not 100% sure what the best way to fix the issue. Seems like Cardone motors and plastic gears are a good way to go (vs. using stock motors with brass gears). Is that still the case?
As far as actual Cardone motors, I have several que
Cardone's own web site lists "Headlight Motor - 82-9124H" (right) and "Headlight Motor - 82-9125H" (left), both new. Cardone's web site advertises a limited lifetime warranty. Amazon has these motors for $80.41 (right) and $96.98 (left).
At the same time, AutoZone has a SINGLE part number (49-102) called "Cardone Remanufactured Headlight Motor 49-102" for $169. Does anyone know if Amazon ones are safe to buy? Also, what exactly is Autozone selling? An older version? Why would anyone spend $169 on a remanufactured part when new one sells for 50% less?
Final question - what is the best place to buy replacement plastic gears?
Cardone's own web site lists "Headlight Motor - 82-9124H" (right) and "Headlight Motor - 82-9125H" (left), both new. Cardone's web site advertises a limited lifetime warranty. Amazon has these motors for $80.41 (right) and $96.98 (left).
At the same time, AutoZone has a SINGLE part number (49-102) called "Cardone Remanufactured Headlight Motor 49-102" for $169. Does anyone know if Amazon ones are safe to buy? Also, what exactly is Autozone selling? An older version? Why would anyone spend $169 on a remanufactured part when new one sells for 50% less?
The new design Cardone motor has two part numbers because of the removable gear cover. The original motors had one part number, which just mounted to either side of the sealed case. The reman Cardone offering is likely the OLD design and NOT what we'd recommend.
Originally Posted by ek1
Final question - what is the best place to buy replacement plastic gears?
I just bought the "New" Cardone left (i.e. driver) side motor and it looks pretty different from the OEM motor, to the point where I am concerned about installing it. In the pic below the OEM motor is on the left and Cardone motor is on the right
The wiring on the original motor comes out of the front, but on the Cardone motor it comes out of the back. This pinches the wires against the mounting bracket when the motor is mounted
Wire colors are completely different between OEM and Cardone, although the locations seem to be the same
Headlight connectors are a little different. OEM connectors have little white retainer tabs, Cardone ones do not.
Should I be worried? I read some threads about Cardone motors being wired incorrectly in the past.
Should I be worried? I read some threads about Cardone motors being wired incorrectly in the past.
No worries as this is purposefully a different design. The wiring issues were mostly long ago when these first came out. I don't recall anyone posting about them in recent years.
Originally Posted by ek1
The wiring on the original motor comes out of the front, but on the Cardone motor it comes out of the back. This pinches the wires against the mounting bracket when the motor is mounted
Wire colors are completely different between OEM and Cardone, although the locations seem to be the same
Headlight connectors are a little different. OEM connectors have little white retainer tabs, Cardone ones do not.
1. Have you looked at mounted pictures? Do you have the motor on the correct side? The Cardone motors come in a "Left" and "Right" version so everything is oriented correctly since the new gear case is only one-way.
2. Should be no worries. These parts can be used across models, so wire color is less important in aftermarket parts.
3. The OEM connectors are made by Delphi. The connectors on the Cardone are made by another company, which is why they look different. The plastic might even be slightly different. IMO - Not much to worry about. The OEM connectors leaked and corroded like crazy. Trying something different can't get much worse.
No worries as this is purposefully a different design. The wiring issues were mostly long ago when these first came out. I don't recall anyone posting about them in recent years.
1. Have you looked at mounted pictures? Do you have the motor on the correct side? The Cardone motors come in a "Left" and "Right" version so everything is oriented correctly since the new gear case is only one-way.
2. Should be no worries. These parts can be used across models, so wire color is less important in aftermarket parts.
3. The OEM connectors are made by Delphi. The connectors on the Cardone are made by another company, which is why they look different. The plastic might even be slightly different. IMO - Not much to worry about. The OEM connectors leaked and corroded like crazy. Trying something different can't get much worse.
So I actually mounted the motor and everything seems to work. The fact that wiring exits from the back of it effectively makes it harder for headlight connectors to reach (because the big connector between the car and the motor is tucked behind the metal structure).
This is the way the motors come vs. stock and none of the rest of us have had any issues with it. If you post a picture of what you are contending with in the car, we can help. Otherwise, we won't be able to see or contemplate the problem.
This is the way the motors come vs. stock and none of the rest of us have had any issues with it. If you post a picture of what you are contending with in the car, we can help. Otherwise, we won't be able to see or contemplate the problem.
Yeah I got the motor installed and it's working. The only issue is - because the wiring exits the back of the motor, there is now less length of the cable to reach the actual headlights. I forgot to take a pic with the new motor installed, but here is what I mean:
When the old motor is installed, the wires exit out of the front. On my car, the big flat grey connector was actually tucked in behind the black metal plate (where the arrows are pointing). This provided additional protection from the elements:
Like this:
With the new motor, I was not able to tuck the connector in behind the black steel plate because if I did that, the wires going to actual low and high beam bulbs would not reach. So I had to leave the connector sort of tucked in half way.
Did you try connecting the wire and tucking the connector back there before installing the motor and bolting it in? There should be room around the side of the plate for the wires to get back there.
Did you try connecting the wire and tucking the connector back there before installing the motor and bolting it in? There should be room around the side of the plate for the wires to get back there.
Yes, I did. As I mentioned before, its much harder to do it with the new motor because the wire exits out of the back, effectively making the entire cable length shorter, which in turn makes it harder to fully tuck it in behind the metal plate.
