62Jeff

Yep it's me again, with another question about this 65.

Installed a new battery last night and checked out the electrical system. One of the items that does not work is the headlight motors.

I suspect they are just stuck as the courtesy lights dimmed while I operated the headlight motor switch.

How do I unstick them? Can I spray lube anywhere? Is there a way to open them manually? I've tried looking back there with a mirror from in front of the hood and I'm just not seeing anything obvious.

Maybe I should get a better mirror!

Jeff

BADBIRDCAGE

There are two thumbwheels located on the motor shafts towards the center of the car. If the motors are not frozen you can open the buckets manually by turning these thumbwheels. It takes a lot of turns on those thumbwheels to make the buckets move from closed position to open. Not fun.

You need to get hold of a service manual for a midyear corvette and you can get the blowup picture of what's happening in there.

Rich

Formula Outlaw

I just now had to replace the driver's side motor. It would start to rotate then stop. I found out by turning the "bypass wheel" to a certain point I could then rotate it electrically the rest of the way. What was actually going on was the fact I was manually opening them past the balance point then the motor would continue turning. Problem was the motor was so weak it would not rotate the full load. So now both headlights are rotating fast as can be.

It's in the shop having the lost keys/paint damage repairs done and am also having a couple of other things done, particularly a new clutch and tach drive which I lost this past Sunday. The clutch was starting to chatter, pretty badly at certain times. Replace now before it chits the bed....

Ahhhhh, the quirks of a 41 year old car.....

And you're right, it takes a whole bunch of turns on the little manual wheel. Works better if you (with one hand) help keep the pressure off by rotating the headlight as you go.

Should have it back Thursday or Friday.

62Jeff

No doubt. I'm still cataloging the boxes of books and parts that came with the car and don't yet know if I already have a service manual. Don't want to buy a second if I don't need to. I have found the assembly manual and NCRS judging manual, plus a 1965 Corvette Specifications book.

Thanks for the reply, I'll look/feel for something like a thumbwheel.

Formula Outlaw

You'll find it about six inches or so towards the center of the car from the edge of the headlight housing. Has little notches on the outside exterior of the wheel. About the size of a quarter. You can see it with a mirror and flashlight pretty easily and feel for it pretty easily.

Trophy Blue

Hey Formula, Did you ever find your keys??

62Jeff

I found the thumb-wheels on the headlight door motors and was able to manually open and close both headlights with no problems. Doors open and close smoothly using the wheels.

After opening/closing them once with the thumb-wheels, now the left headlight tries to open but doesn't, the right headlight opens all the way. Both refuse to close. This is all with the engine off - if that makes a difference.

Denney

You will probably find that they ~might~ both open now when the engine is running (the running voltage is higher then the straight battery voltage non-running) because of the added torque available from the higher voltage. They will still probably be slow and uneven and you might want to consider pulling them out, opening them up, cleaning all of the old grease out, putting new lithium grease on the gears, and then reinstalling them.

BADBIRDCAGE

62 Jeff

Good going. Since nothing is seized up you can take Denney's suggestion on the clean up and relube and hopefully get lots of service out of the motors without significant expense.

RIch

67L36Driver

Next you can clean all the electrical contacts in the headlite rollover circuit.
Find that shop manual!

pchalpin

62 Jeff - is that a "Bamboo Cream", '72, 455CI, Hurst Dualgate 442 in your avatar?

62Jeff

No, the yellow car is my 72 Buick Skylark 350, which I've had for 28 years
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/phot...cat/500/page/1

The white car is my 71 Olds Vista Cruiser with the 455.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/phot...cat/500/page/1

Jeff

pchalpin

Jeff - great cars! Those early 70's Oldsmobiles and Buicks were really something. Unfortunately, mine 442 is long gone, rusted to oblivion. I'm really glad to see you are preserving the old iron. Best of luck with them and thanks for sharing.

Peter

62Jeff

Thanks for the kind words. The 72 Buick was bought new by my parents, and became mine in 1978. The Vista Cruiser serves as my SUV, if you will, when I need to ship parts or go to Home Depot.

Formula Outlaw

Nope. My buddies on OSO (OffshoreOnly.Com) came up with the theory that aliens came down and took the keys and that I should consider myself lucky that they did not have room in the spaceship for the entire car.....

Formula Outlaw

P.S.: I now have four sets of keys and I keep one set in my bank safety deposit box.....

IMA 66

how easy are those thumbwheels to turn? i have fat hands and it makes it hard to ge tin there lol. When i tried i couldn't really move them. does this mean my motors are seized and i need new ones?

62Jeff

Mine were very easy to turn, and the last time I know these headlights were opened was 1997. So after staying closed for possibly as long as 9 years the thumbwheels worked nice and smooth.

Hitch

It takes quite few turns to get the headlights to move and even more to get them to open completely. Dave.

Formula Outlaw

If you can gently move the headlight along with turning the wheel to take the load off, it helps, at least it did with mine.

They should incorporate "manual opening of midyear headlights" into an Olympic sport....