Head light door makes noise...
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Doylestown Pa.
Head light door makes noise...
Hi everyone. My 2002 just started making a noise from the right headlight door when I close it. It's like a grinding or the motor is still running. I have to shut the car off, it still makes the sound for 10 seconds after I turn the car off. Then when I restart the car with the headlights down there is no noise.... what could this be....
Many thanks as always,
mcm
Many thanks as always,
mcm
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 64
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From: Cordova TN
The plastic gear in your headlight motor is stripped. You can either buy another headlight motor (with the plastic gear) or buy a rebuild kit with a brass gear and rebuild it. You can find the rebuild kits on ebay. The rebuild kits are around $50 and new motors can range from $130-$200 or more.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Doylestown Pa.
Thank you darkness
I kinda thought that was the issues with my headlight but with only 14K on the car... well you know!
Have you done the replacement and how difficult was it if so??
Thanks again!
mcm
Have you done the replacement and how difficult was it if so??
Thanks again!
mcm
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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
here's a post i made the other day:
Originally Posted by jdmvette
It's definately a gear problem.
While everyone on here knows of the Rodney gear, there is another alternative out there.
I have personally replaced my gears with the Rodney kit.
http://www.rodneydickman.com/n113.html
You can see that this gear comes with a gear that looks exactly like the stock plastic gear, albiet in brass.
This gear also comes with a replacement black rubber insert that the little tabs on the shaft grab hold of to turn the gear.
The problem I had with this is that the epoxy did not hold the case shut and the shaft ended up backing out from the motor casing and completely chewed the new rubber insert to bits.
Now this was not the fault of the rubber insert, but more of the epoxy that did not hold the case shut. As I understand it, the Rodney kit now comes with a bracket of some sort that keeps this problem from happening.
The other option for a gear replacement is from a guy named Brent Franker. His brass replacement look quite different from stock or Rodney's.
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm
This gear completely eliminates the rubber insert and the metal tabs on the shaft grab onto the brass alone. There should be no future problems with the rubber getting brittle with age and whatnot.
To me this seems like a better solution.
I am happy with my Rodney gears, but if I had to buy another set it would be the gears from Brent.
While everyone on here knows of the Rodney gear, there is another alternative out there.
I have personally replaced my gears with the Rodney kit.
http://www.rodneydickman.com/n113.html
You can see that this gear comes with a gear that looks exactly like the stock plastic gear, albiet in brass.
This gear also comes with a replacement black rubber insert that the little tabs on the shaft grab hold of to turn the gear.
The problem I had with this is that the epoxy did not hold the case shut and the shaft ended up backing out from the motor casing and completely chewed the new rubber insert to bits.
Now this was not the fault of the rubber insert, but more of the epoxy that did not hold the case shut. As I understand it, the Rodney kit now comes with a bracket of some sort that keeps this problem from happening.
The other option for a gear replacement is from a guy named Brent Franker. His brass replacement look quite different from stock or Rodney's.
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm
This gear completely eliminates the rubber insert and the metal tabs on the shaft grab onto the brass alone. There should be no future problems with the rubber getting brittle with age and whatnot.
To me this seems like a better solution.
I am happy with my Rodney gears, but if I had to buy another set it would be the gears from Brent.
