[C2] headlight clocking after regrease
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 318
From: Longmont Colorado
headlight clocking after regrease
I did not pay attention to how my headlight motor gear was clocked when I took them apart to regrease. Do I do this before install or can I do it it when the motors are in the car? Also one of the motor shafts in the headlight bucket has a small pad on the inside of the bucket where a plastic bumper resides . . the other side does not . . which headlight gets the tab and which side does not? Thanks
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
You should be able to get the bucket to engage the motor gear in most any orientation. You may have to rotate the bucket by hand until the bucket shaft aligns with the,slot on the gear. Where in the bucket rotation that happens doesn't matter. The buckets will sync back up when you open them or close them.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
Forgot to mention that if you just happened to put the gear in so that the bucket is at either end of travel, you can "bump" the motor a bit to get to an orientation where you can slip the motor onto the bucket shaft.
I don't have any idea about the plastic button. Then again I've done my motors just by feel, so there may be a couple things in there that I didn't see.
I don't have any idea about the plastic button. Then again I've done my motors just by feel, so there may be a couple things in there that I didn't see.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,946
Likes: 405
From: Bronx New York
I just did mine and can say the first one took forever to get back in- a mirror down by the radiator does help. I made sure the other side was clocked closely to where it was when I removed it and it went very well. Clocking with the manual wheel is very tedious.
It's one of those jobs you can do again in half the time- just like assembling an Ikea entertainment center.
It's one of those jobs you can do again in half the time- just like assembling an Ikea entertainment center.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 318
From: Longmont Colorado
Unfortunately I don't have a reference point so maybe I will get lucky on the clocking. But given your experience maybe I will try to get the clocking close before install just by eyeballing it. It's minus 10 here right now so the shop is a bit cold . . not the best day for a potentially frustrating task.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 951
From: Corpus Christi, TX
Shame on me for not being more clear about this, but installing the motor without clocking the gear can be done by feel by rotating the bucket until the shaft fits into the gear keyway. The motor may be aligned by rotating the bucket so that the slot on the motor foot can align with the 1/2" long pin on the bucket bearing support. There's a good 1/2" or more bucket shaft beyond the length of that pin where the bucket shaft can be engaged with the motor gear, and by rotating the bucket, you eventually get the motor lined up correctly to fit over the pin.
if you can't get the motor lined up at any point along the bucket rotation arc, then bump the motor using the headlight rotation switch. Agreed, the thumb wheel takes forever.
it's a whole lot easier to do this by feel. Trying to hold a mirror in one hand and fumble around with the motor is no fun at all.
if you can't get the motor lined up at any point along the bucket rotation arc, then bump the motor using the headlight rotation switch. Agreed, the thumb wheel takes forever.
it's a whole lot easier to do this by feel. Trying to hold a mirror in one hand and fumble around with the motor is no fun at all.
