How To: Fix that darn headlight motor (3rd Gen)

[cooltc2004]

I made sure I searched before I posted this, and I didn't find anything, so here it goes. First of all, I’m not trying to undermine your business lonsal, just trying to share my knowledge of fixing the firebird headlight motors with stuff lying around the house.

What you'll need:
-About 6 inches of ½” OD rubber hose (I used ¼” fuel line)
-White lithium grease

First you’ll obviously need to remove the headlight motor from your car. The easiest way of doing this is as follows:

1) Raise the headlights
2) Unplug the headlight motor
3) Lower the headlights. This will turn off the lights, leaving the one headlight you unplugged up.
4) Remove the black headlight cover
5) With a 10mm wrench, unbolt the arm from the motor
6) Unbolt the 3 bolts holding the motor to the car (tip, get the 3rd / lowest bolt from the bottom, very hard to do from the top)


You will want to do the following over a garbage can or outside. Now you need to take apart the headlight motor. What causes your headlight motor to make that clicking sound / not go up is the bearings inside the motor disintegrate.

**NOTE** BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE SCREWS THAT HOLD THE HEADLIGHT MOTOR COVER ON. THE SCREWS ARE STEEL AND THE MOTOR IS ALUMINIUM SO THE SCREWS CAN BREAK VERY EASY. IF YOU BREAK A SCREW, YOU WILL HAVE TO DRILL IT OUT FROM THE BOTTOM ** END NOTE **

When you open the headlight motor (see picture below) get all the powder out of the inside. Take a rag and clean up all the parts very nice. When you remove the gear from the metal spindle, you will notice more dust inside of that. In the three circular openings is where the bearings use to be.

Take the 1/2 inch tubing, place it into one of the circular openings, and mark on the tube level with the top of the gear. Now cut 3 pieces this length. Place the 3 pieces of tube into the gear, and put it and the metal spindle together.

** NOTE ** DO NOT PUT ANY GREASE IN BETWEEN THE GEAR AND THE METAL SPINDLE WHERE THE RUBBER HOSE GOES ** END NOTE **

Now open up your grease, put some on the outside of the gear, on the washers, in the hole where the metal spindle goes, on the worm gear (inside) that turns the motor, and a little around the perimeter. Now put everything back together and put the motor back into your car, and test it.

Questions and comments welcome.

[tri-power]

The bearings are actually urethane bushings. But you are right about that usually being the problem. Because the gear and output shaft don't match flush, the urethane bushings fit in between them to tighten up the fit. The problem is the urethane bushings wear out and crush into powder and causes the shaft to slip on the gear, resulting in the motor turning but not lifting the headlight. I"m yet to find a parts store that carries the bushings, although I have seen them from time to time on ebay.

[blindeyed]

Maybe we can get a mod to make this thread a sticky?

[darkangelbaby84]

im havnig that problem now, it gets on my nerves so bad. but all the auto part stores around here have to order the motors and they cost a arm and a leg. ill try to do what you said and i hope that work. if there not to far gone to fix. thanks for the tip!

[ladybird]

Originally Posted by darkangelbaby84

im havnig that problem now, it gets on my nerves so bad. but all the auto part stores around here have to order the motors and they cost a arm and a leg. ill try to do what you said and i hope that work. if there not to far gone to fix. thanks for the tip!

I was having the same problem and all I did was zip tie the motor up so it lined up correctly. It worked perfectly.

[driftinggrifter2]

I have a question? When i put my headlights up they work fine but when i shut them off and they go down they make a horrible noise (i looked at the motors while doing this and they look like there still trying to put the lights down when there all the way down) what could be the cause of this?

[87bluebird]

Eckler's Corvette parts sells a bushing kit that can be used to fix this problem. Here's a link for the parts that go inside the motor after you clean it out... http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?d...76&pf_id=29304

[b16Civic]

Originally Posted by driftinggrifter2

I have a question? When i put my headlights up they work fine but when i shut them off and they go down they make a horrible noise (i looked at the motors while doing this and they look like there still trying to put the lights down when there all the way down) what could be the cause of this?

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?

[87bluebird]

Originally Posted by b16Civic

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?

Yes, same problem. There are plastic pieces inside the assembly that have disintegrated.

Good luck. I might tackle mine this week and will let you know how it goes.

[lexis]

Originally Posted by b16Civic

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?

More than likely it's the plastic gears that have been worn out. Go to rodneydickman.com and order the brass gears that should last forever. It's not hard to have then replaced and they will run about eighty bucks. If I were you order both of them because after you replace one the other one will eventually go out.

[badbird8988]

here is the problem that i'm having and i can't figure it out... i don't know to much about firebirds i just got mine like two months ago... i can put my headlights up and the lights turn on and once they're up they won't go down... when i hit the headlight switch the lights turn off just like they're suppose too... but the lights won't go down anybody have any clue why this would happen...???-

[tri-power]

Turn the knob on the motor. It might be in the locked position. Chances are you're going to have to take the motor apart. Try looking for the bushing kits before you take them apart.

[badbird8988]

thanks man... i put the headlight manually down with the switch off and hit the switch and they both came up... and then i turned them off and they went down... now i just need to fix one more problem... my nose is loose on the front and the trim of the headlight is getting stuck under the nose... does anyone know how to get to the screws for the nose...???

thanks again

[Im3good4u]

MY headlights go up and down great but when it goes does it makes the plastic cracking sound. Do i need to replace the plastic bearings or the gears as well?

[drdd8]

My lights work fine but when I turn them off they go down all the way but it makes a loud noise like it is still tring to pull the light down. How do I fix this?