'85 Headlight: Which Pin?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
'85 Headlight: Which Pin?
Changing the gears in my '85 headlight motor, the black gear has 2 pins on the shaft which prevents the shaft from coming out. Which pin is the one that comes out? I have tried a little hammering on them but niether seem to be willing to just drive out easily. so knowing which if not both are designed to come out would help tremendously before I destroy it by being overzealous.
Thanks Guys!
Thanks Guys!
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,509
Likes: 3
From: Hazel Park MI
http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2001...ghts/head1.asp This helped me a lot. But I'll tell you, my situation was a little different, and I went against the conventional thinking of most forum memebers based on that pin. I couldn't get it out either. In the link, it says use a brass punch. I think I tried the one that would go toward the inside of the motor, not the outside or lateral part. At least it looks like htat in the pic in the link, and it seemed to be the one that would be most likely to move. So, I never changed the small gear, as the teeth showed no wear at all, but the big one had a half-pipe groove in it. It's working fine so far, but it is more noisy based on the new grease breaking in. Guess I can't help ya, just though I'd let you know I had the same problem, and I didn't tackle it like I "probably" should have....
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
Yeah it looks to be the inside pin so I will get a little more aggressive with it after I put it in my vice.
After replacing the gears, I may still have the same problem tho, my headlight motor refuses to turn off when it hits the closed position. Someone suggested the stripped gear was the culprit and I was hoping to see some kind of contactor missing or broken when I opened the motor to explain it. The only thing I saw beside the stripped gear is the rubber pieces the metal gear assembly slots into were worn or shrunk allowing slack. Would this be an electrical relay problem maybe? What tells the motor to turn off after the headlight is closed?
Thanks for the link, it was helpful!
After replacing the gears, I may still have the same problem tho, my headlight motor refuses to turn off when it hits the closed position. Someone suggested the stripped gear was the culprit and I was hoping to see some kind of contactor missing or broken when I opened the motor to explain it. The only thing I saw beside the stripped gear is the rubber pieces the metal gear assembly slots into were worn or shrunk allowing slack. Would this be an electrical relay problem maybe? What tells the motor to turn off after the headlight is closed?
Thanks for the link, it was helpful!
Drifting
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,509
Likes: 3
From: Hazel Park MI
Man, ya got me Hlhn - I really couldn't tell how it stops either. I kept looking at the worm gear to see if there was something stopping its motion, causing the light to stop, but it didn't look like it. I do recall seeing a an exterior stop by the bottom lip of the headlight assembly. My headlight motor was assembled incorrectly from the factory it looked like to me - that metal gear assembly that goes into the rubber pieces was not mounted in the slots of the metal plate. There was slack in between mine there also...
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,350
Likes: 322
From: San Antonio Tx
When the headlight hits the stops, the worm gear can't turn it any farther so the armature is forced forward or back, depending on the direction of rotation. This movement opens the contacts and cuts off power to the motor in that direction. If the rubber cushions are worn it will let the worm gear hit the plastic gear very hard and it can jump or break off plastic and keep running. If it is worn in one spot I have removed the gear and rotated it so it doesn't stop in the same spot.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
YES! I actually have two headlights that open and close without having to open the hood!! Apparently I did manage to get it 180* out so I had to rotate the assembly by hand to get both into the right start point and both came open and closed when I operated the switch.
Thanks for the help and advice!
Thanks for the help and advice!
