More Headlight Problems
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24,460
Likes: 7
From: sw Ohio
More Headlight Problems
I just got my new gears yesterday and installed them. They worked fine the first few times I used them, but now the one only goes up halfway, if that, and keeps rocking back and forth. I know I put everything in correctly, so is there something I might have missed? Some piece thats commonly messed up when installing new gears?
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
There are two screws that hold the fiberglass headlight covers in place, check the headlight that rocks to see if the screw on the outside hasn't backed out and is hitting the body. Otherwise you might also need to replace the nylon bushing in the motors.
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: las cruces nm
hey wait, so what exactly did you do? so when you said "the nut was gone", you mean a nut that was on one of "two screws that hold the fiberglass headlight covers in place"? i have the same problem -- it rocks back and forth 3 or four times before closing. i went out and bought some bushings from home depot (haven't installed them yet), but now i'm starting to wonder if thats it because the rocking symptom isn't really talked about by the guys that had bushing issues.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,384
Likes: 124
From: Reno/Sparks Nevada
Make sure you're referencing the same type headlight motor. The early C4s are not the same as the later C4s. Headlight rotation problems are completely different between the two. Early C4s don't have bushings so the bushing problem doesn't exist in them. Rarely do new gears fix the headlight rotation problem on early models. Armature brushes and limit switch contacts are the most common if there is a problem with the motor. There are also the relays on the early models, completely different setup than the later ones.
Art
Art
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: las cruces nm
headlight
i just pulled the gear box apart this morning. the three plastic "bushings" are in perfect shape, so apparently the problem is being caused by something else. the symptoms are: when i turn the headlights on, it rocks back and fourth 3 times and then gets stuck half way between opened and closed. i get it to close by stopping the rocking motion with my hand when the headlights are fully opened. when i turn them off, it goes down half way and then stops right there. then i give it a little push by hand and it partially goes down a few inches, and then i quickly turn the headlights on and off with the switch and usually it then retracts fully into the off position.
so for anyone out there with experiencing the same symptoms, you can probably rule out the bearings.
the motor works fine, and the gear looks a little worn, but not too bad. i suspect it's a problem in the linkage. anyone one else out there have similar problems?
--luke
so for anyone out there with experiencing the same symptoms, you can probably rule out the bearings.
the motor works fine, and the gear looks a little worn, but not too bad. i suspect it's a problem in the linkage. anyone one else out there have similar problems?
--luke
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Pro
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 565
Likes: 2
From: Chandler AZ
The 3 bushings act like a clutch so if the light gets stuck it won't break something else. I would check for binding in the linkage or the headlight pod. If it is binding the bushings will slip and not allow the unit to rotate. Good luck, Robert
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: las cruces nm
fixed it! ok, so for anyone searching the forums with the rocking symptoms described above....
found two things. one or both were causing the problem. it had a missing screw that held the link assembly to the casing and the cotter pin was half-way out. so i pushed the cotter pin all the way in and bought a M6x1.0 screw from a hardware store, (it matches the other two).
the missing screw corresponded to the bottom yellow arrow in this picture:
and my cotter pin looked much like the cotter pin in that picture -- it was half way sticking out, and i think it's supposed to be fully inside that silver block.
i'm not sure how that screw came out or how the cotter pin got pushed -- it came that way when i bought the car.
cheers,
--luke
found two things. one or both were causing the problem. it had a missing screw that held the link assembly to the casing and the cotter pin was half-way out. so i pushed the cotter pin all the way in and bought a M6x1.0 screw from a hardware store, (it matches the other two).
the missing screw corresponded to the bottom yellow arrow in this picture:
and my cotter pin looked much like the cotter pin in that picture -- it was half way sticking out, and i think it's supposed to be fully inside that silver block.
i'm not sure how that screw came out or how the cotter pin got pushed -- it came that way when i bought the car.
cheers,
--luke
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 96,443
Likes: 9
From: Fort Knox, KY
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Originally Posted by c4person
fixed it! ok, so for anyone searching the forums with the rocking symptoms described above....
found two things. one or both were causing the problem. it had a missing screw that held the link assembly to the casing and the cotter pin was half-way out. so i pushed the cotter pin all the way in and bought a M6x1.0 screw from a hardware store, (it matches the other two).
the missing screw corresponded to the bottom yellow arrow in this picture:
and my cotter pin looked much like the cotter pin in that picture -- it was half way sticking out, and i think it's supposed to be fully inside that silver block.
i'm not sure how that screw came out or how the cotter pin got pushed -- it came that way when i bought the car.
cheers,
--luke
found two things. one or both were causing the problem. it had a missing screw that held the link assembly to the casing and the cotter pin was half-way out. so i pushed the cotter pin all the way in and bought a M6x1.0 screw from a hardware store, (it matches the other two).
the missing screw corresponded to the bottom yellow arrow in this picture:
and my cotter pin looked much like the cotter pin in that picture -- it was half way sticking out, and i think it's supposed to be fully inside that silver block.
i'm not sure how that screw came out or how the cotter pin got pushed -- it came that way when i bought the car.
cheers,
--luke