As for the short life????????
1990 Headlight Motor/Gear?
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Metro Detroit MI
1990 Headlight Motor/Gear?
Background:
Bought a 1990 base coupe last year. Headlight motor gears were stripped. Replaced both motors with new (plastic) gears and bushings. Both lights then worked perfectly. It's now ~1,500 miles/one year/maybe two dozen headlight usages later.
Current Issue
Last week the right front headlight/motor started making a grinding sound. No issues when light is turned on.
But when turning lights off, they flip down and then it grinds for about 4 seconds. Same thing if just the parking/running lights are on and then turned off.
Does this sound like a bad gear again? Or does the entire headlight motor need replaced? Or something else? Any insight is appreciated.
Bought a 1990 base coupe last year. Headlight motor gears were stripped. Replaced both motors with new (plastic) gears and bushings. Both lights then worked perfectly. It's now ~1,500 miles/one year/maybe two dozen headlight usages later.
Current Issue
Last week the right front headlight/motor started making a grinding sound. No issues when light is turned on.
But when turning lights off, they flip down and then it grinds for about 4 seconds. Same thing if just the parking/running lights are on and then turned off.
Does this sound like a bad gear again? Or does the entire headlight motor need replaced? Or something else? Any insight is appreciated.
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Metro Detroit MI
Update: Took the headlight motor out today and opened it up. The gear and bushings all seem intact. No gear teeth visibly ground down. No plastic shavings anywhere in the assembly. ??? I'm at a loss.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,475
Likes: 3,291
From: Hartford WI
I don't know about your year but can you run the motor without the plastic gear? It might be that the motor itself is making the noise.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 321
Likes: 110
From: Columbus OHIO
I replaced the pellets in my 93 when it did that exact same thing earlier this spring. It would make the grinding noise for a couple of seconds after turning headlights on or off, or even just they parking lights.
The pellets fixed it for me. it really doesn't make sense that it would have gone bad so soon, and if you checked them out, unless the pellets aren't the right size, it shouldn't be that.
Maybe the thing to do is find out if there are any readers that have replaced the pellets and still get the noise. That would then be a possibility of what you have going on? The gear itself? if the teeth look good, must be another component causing it.
Good luck, hope someone has a good suggestion.
The pellets fixed it for me. it really doesn't make sense that it would have gone bad so soon, and if you checked them out, unless the pellets aren't the right size, it shouldn't be that.
Maybe the thing to do is find out if there are any readers that have replaced the pellets and still get the noise. That would then be a possibility of what you have going on? The gear itself? if the teeth look good, must be another component causing it.
Good luck, hope someone has a good suggestion.
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