When I got in my car this morning and turned on my headlights on the drivers side light did not rotate all the way in place. I tried to turn them on and off several times and it allways stopped in the same place, about half way around. When I turn the headlights off it rotates into the closed position but the motor keeps on going with a pretty violent shake.I had to unplug the light and the motor to get it to stop. I have seen the brass replacement gears. Is this what I need? And if it is when I take the headlight motor loose do I need to support the hood ? It looks like the same bolts that hold the motor in also hold the hood on !?!
By the way my car is an 87 and I cannot get the Tech Tips section to work.

 

I think your bushings are bad.

Home Depot sales bushings for 1988 through 1996 Vettes, but I am not sure if they will work in your car. They cost .69 cents for a pack of three and are item number 595609 if you want to try them. They worked fine in my 1992 Vette.

Click the link below and good for ordering information and installation instructions. Good luck!

This kit can be purchased at http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=87

This kit repairs the headlight motor assemblies on the following vehicles:
1987-92 Pontiac Firebird, 1987-88 Pontiac Fiero, 1988-96 Chevrolet Corvette,

1988-02 Lotus Elan and Esprit
Kit Contents:
Consists of six Delrin bushings, two 8-32 Zinc plated hex washer-head screws, two 8-32 zinc plated nuts, two Side Cover Gaskets, one Motor Housing Gasket and a tube of
Permatex White Lithium grease.
This kit contains enough parts to repair two headlight assemblies

Tools needed:
1/4” wrench or socket, 10mm socket (3/8” drive), 3/8 drive universal and 13mm wrench, T30 Torx, small standard screwdriver or putty knife, two small paper clips, permanent marker.

Function:
The headlight motor assembly described in these instructions was a vast improvement over the previous two-gear unit GM used. This unit has a large nylon gear that is driven by the worm gear on the motor shaft. This Nylon gear contains 3 solid gel inserts that transfer the load from the gear to a 3-lobe cast hub that is part of the actuator shaft. These inserts harden and crumble with age. When they have broken down to roughly a sthingyful of crumbs the gear will no longer turn the hub to raise and lower the headlight assembly. Instead the hub will just free-wheel on the gear.

Remove the headlight motor unit from the vehicle (1987-92 Firebird & 87-88 Fiero):

Manually raise headlight by lifting on it while turning motor **** counter-clockwise.

1. Unplug headlight motor wiring at connector. Remove four Torx screws from the black plastic bezel around the headlight assembly, (two on each side). Carefully remove bezel. (No bezel on Fiero).

2. Mark the location of the headlight assembly to the body with a permanent marker. This will help with aligning the unit after the repairs.

3. Remove two 10 mm bolts from the top of the headlight assembly, which holds it to the body. Underneath the assembly and back against the body are two more 10 mm bolts, have good lighting and look closely, you’ll see them. Remove these also.

4. At this point the entire headlight assembly will lift out. Lay it over on its side on some towels to protect your paint. You will then see the three 10 mm bolts that hold the headlight motor unit to the headlight assembly.

5. Remove these three bolts. On the inside of the assembly you will see a 10 mm nut that holds the lever to the actuating shaft from the gear. Remove it and the headlight/motor unit will come free of the assembly. (For the Fiero it is easier to remove the c-clip at this point, the 10 mm nut can be removed once the unit is removed from the headlight assembly).

6. Take the headlight motor unit to a workbench, your ready to do the repair.

Repairing the Headlight motor unit:

7. Lay a shop towel or clean cardboard on the workbench. This will help you keep track of the parts as you disassemble them.

8. Spray penetrating oil on the three cover mounting screws and two motor mounting screws. Allow time for the lubricant to penetrate into the threads. It is common for the motor mounting screws to break on removal. If this happens, grind any old screw flush and center punch the location. Then drill through with a drill bit.

TYPE I and TYPE II units described:

From this point it is necessary to describe the differences between the Type I & Type II units. There are differences in how they need to be disassembled. Type I units have the actuator shaft coming through the side cover plate. Type II units have no hole in the side cover plate.

REFER TO THE CORRESPONDING INSTRUCTIONS THAT FOLLOW FOR PROPER GEAR/SHAFT REMOVAL AND REPAIR.

TYPE I Repair:

►Using a 1/4” wrench or socket, remove the three cover mount screws and the round cover plate.

► Mark the location of the nylon gear to the worm drive from the motor, using a permanent marker.

► Using a 1/4” wrench or socket, remove the two screws holding the motor to the unit. Pry lightly to free the motor from the gasket. Gently pull the motor from the unit. As you pull the motor out the worm gear on the motor shaft will cause the large nylon gear to rotate clockwise. Mark the new location of the nylon gear with a permanent marker. Caution: The brushes are spring-loaded and will fall out of their tracks. Be careful not to lose the springs. If you do misplace a spring you can fabricate one in a pinch by cutting the spring from a ballpoint pen. Also, there is a small ball bearing on the very end of the motor shaft. Set this aside so you don’t lose it.

TYPE II Repair:
Notice how many shim washers

► Using a 1/4” wrench or socket, remove the three cover mount screws and the round cover plate.

► Pull the nylon gear and shaft out of the unit and set aside. Notice how many shim washers were used on the shaft and their sequence.

► Pull the nylon gear and shaft out of the unit and set aside. were used on the shaft and their sequence.

Preparing for Assembly:

9. Clean any chunks of old gel and debris from the body of the unit. You can spray it with WD4O and wipe with a clean rag. Generously grease the housing with the white lithium grease.

10. Remove the nylon gear from the shaft/hub. You will find more chunks of gel and debris to clean out. After it has been cleaned, Install the 3 DeIrin bushings from the kit onto the shaft/hub and reinstall the gear. It should fit together snugly.

11. Generously lubricate the cavity and outside teeth of the large nylon gear. For Type II units, continue assembling with steps 12 & 13. Type I units skip to “Additional assembly steps for Type I units only” section.

12. Install the nylon gear/hub assembly into the headlight unit with the same shims on the shaft as before.

13. Install a new gasket if necessary and the round cover. Secure with three ¼” screws. Continue to sequence 14.

Additional assembly steps for Type I units only:

► Generously lubricate the worm gear of the motor shaft with white lithium grease. Put a dab of grease on the end of the shaft and put the small ball bearing back onto the end of the shaft.

► Install the nylon gear/hub assembly into the headlight unit and align it with the second mark you made. Be sure to use the same shim washers as before.

►Unbend two small paper clips and clip the small end to form a hook. These will be used as tools to help hold the brushes into their tracks as you install the motor shaft into the unit.

► Push the springs and brushes back into their tracks. Note the orientation of the brush. The half moon shape must match up with the shaft of the motor. Hold the brushes flush into their tracks and grab onto the copper strand wire attached to it using the small hook of the paper clip. Pull the paper clip to hold the brushes in place against their springs. Carefully slide the motor back into the housing. When it is within 1/8” of seating with the unit stop. At this point the brushes should be over the commutator (the copper colored part on the motor). This link will explain the function of the commutator and brushes if you are unsure: www.howstuffworks.com/inside-motor.htm

► Un-hook the paper clips from the brush wire and remove them. Continue sliding the motor into the housing. If it doesn’t slide in easily, then a brush has hung up. DO NOT FORCE IT; you will break a brush if you do. Instead, remove the motor and start over. The brushes must be held up in place against their springs for the motor to slide into the unit.

► Secure the motor to the unit with the two ¼” screws or new screws and nuts.

► The nylon gear/hub should have rotated back to the first mark you made on it. If it is off a little, that is OK. You can adjust it with the screw on the end of the motor shaft.

14. Reinstall the unit into the frame. Line up the frame with the location marks on the body ad secure with the four 10 mm nuts. Firebird only; install the bezel.

15. Reconnect the wiring and return the unit to the closed position by turning the motor **** clockwise.

16. Test the headlights by turning them on at the dashboard switch. Congratulations, Job done!

 

Actually, all you need is to replace some bushings in the motor housing. I got some at Ecklers for $5.00, but I have read other posts that claim you can get some at your local hardware store for 50 cents.

Look at the motor and you will probably see a whitish powder in the vicinity of the housing. This is residue from the original bushing material that tends to break down. The bushings replace the gel that was originally used to form the bushing. The gear costs about $50 and IMHO is a waste of money. If you open it up and the gear is destroyed, only then is it time to buy a new gear.

Personally, I felt the $5 wasn't too bad for the bushings, since they came with complete instructions. But the Eckler's site is temporarily down.

sorry onedef, we must have been typing at the same time.

 

I took onedef's advice and got mine at HD. They were $0.53 per package of 2. I finieshed up my passenger side light yesterday.

I've got a picture of my original bushings in a pile I'll post up later this morning.

 

WOW, thanks for the info guys. I'll go take the motor out and check for the damaged bushings. Hopefully it will be a fairly quick and inexpesive fix. Thanks again.

 

Well I took the headlight out and took the motor case apart and little pieces of gears were floating around in the motor case. So now I have two new gears on the way from Mid America. Thanks again for the responses.

 

Don't forget to replace the bushings, too. Holler back if you need any more help!

 

Well I replaced the the gears and the bushings. The motor runs so smooth now it makes me want to change the other side!!! Thanks for the help Slvrfox, Scoob and Onedef92
No job is to tough with all the info one can get from a forum like this one.

 

Glad we could help, Elliott. That's what this place is all about. Now, replace that OTHER set of bushings this weekend. For once one side fails....

 

And chalk this one up as a busted gear. The rare case.

Great instructions OneDef. Trying to change the bushings without them could lead to big problems if you don't pay attention to the worm gear position.

 

True. When I did mine, the C4 TechTips Portal was working and I found a set of instructions that said to mark the position of the main gear with a permanent marker BEFORE removing to ensure a common reference point.

 

I didn't do that. I wonder if that's the cause of my motor running problem.

 

Scoob, I'd say it's possible. When I did my driver's side light I forgot to establish a reference point. It took me a little longer to get it fixed, but I did finally manage to do so.

Smarting from my mistake the first go-round, I marked the passenger side unit with a permanent marker and got it fixed correctly the first go-round. It's definitely a learning experience, but oh, so rewarding once you get everything buttoned down correctly.

 

Let me know if you end up needing motor bushings and I can send them.

Thanks, C.J.
parts@corvettejunction.com