Headlight motor noise
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Headlight motor noise
Switched headlights back to manual a few months ago. Yesterday as I turned them off there was the sound of a loud motor running after the ignition was already switched off. It lasted about 15 - 20 seconds. Started the car again to test. While headlights or parking lights were on, no noise, switch them to off position got the noise. So it seems to be coming from headlights. Any ideas? 2002 coupe with 25K.
Thanks
Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,400
Likes: 1
From: Woodbridge Va
Switched headlights back to manual a few months ago. Yesterday as I turned them off there was the sound of a loud motor running after the ignition was already switched off. It lasted about 15 - 20 seconds. Started the car again to test. While headlights or parking lights were on, no noise, switch them to off position got the noise. So it seems to be coming from headlights. Any ideas? 2002 coupe with 25K.
Thanks
Thanks
Sounds like a stripped headlight motor gear. Its a common problem on C5s. Do a search for headlight motors or gears and you should find all the info you need to repair the problem.
http://www.rodneydickman.com/corvette.html
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Ogden Utah
The above link tells where to get the parts and this one tells how to do the job. All you need to know!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...hlight=dickman
It is not a hard DIY repair but you need to pay attention when reassembling so as not to get the shaft backwards... ahem... I have "heard" that some have done that.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...hlight=dickman
It is not a hard DIY repair but you need to pay attention when reassembling so as not to get the shaft backwards... ahem... I have "heard" that some have done that.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Ogden Utah
Don't blame you; I was too at first. I am no mechanic either and I read with awe some of the projects others on here have tackled. But I know which end of a screw driver to use, so I tried it. It was pretty easy. Just get two thin-bladed common (some call them "flat-head") screw drivers and work them in slowly. Take your time... it's not a race. You will have the first one cracked open in just a few minutes and you will wonder why you were reluctant to do it. Good luck!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Do a search for brass gear, you will find 2 sources, Rodney Dickman and B Franker. Rodney's gears come with a new rubber bumper and have a 3 legged brace for later year C5s (to hold on epoxied lid), while B Franker's gears are all Brass and no brace.
Soon you can expect your headlights to come up when you turn on parking lights.
This is how they work. Your headlight module (seldom goes bad) senses current, when it senses a current spike, as when the motors hit the open or close stops, it turns off the power. This spike, where the gear keeps trying to turn, is what ultimately strips the gear, since the metal worm gear is trying to turn the plastic gear. It will then make a "machine gun" noise while it slips. Since there is no current spike a secondary/backup timer turns off the power. After a while the module "looses track" of the position of the headlights and starts opening them with the parking lights.
You can turn the plastic gear 180 degrees, but this is just a temporary fix, and may not work in all cases.
Soon you can expect your headlights to come up when you turn on parking lights.
This is how they work. Your headlight module (seldom goes bad) senses current, when it senses a current spike, as when the motors hit the open or close stops, it turns off the power. This spike, where the gear keeps trying to turn, is what ultimately strips the gear, since the metal worm gear is trying to turn the plastic gear. It will then make a "machine gun" noise while it slips. Since there is no current spike a secondary/backup timer turns off the power. After a while the module "looses track" of the position of the headlights and starts opening them with the parking lights.
You can turn the plastic gear 180 degrees, but this is just a temporary fix, and may not work in all cases.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Thanks to all. Just got off the phone with Rodney Dickman ordering the pair of replacement gears. Should have them by Saturday he says, $94.00 including shipping. Have an extended warrantee (which I should check on since it is about to expire) but I think I'll handle this fix "in house". Can't imagine what my dealer would do with this one and don't want to find out the hard way. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Bluecar
Bluecar
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Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Ogden Utah
Yep! This is definitely one to do yourself. Dickman advises doing them one at a time in case you need to look at the other one to see how it goes back together. That's not bad advice... I didn't follow it, but it might have been useful. Another idea is to take a couple of digital "before" photos. Again, I didn't do it but I remember wishing that I had. Still, it didn't take long to figure out.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
I like the "before" photo idea. Get to use my Christmas present, a digital camera to take them. Will post an "after" message to let you know how it came out. Probably a New Years weekend project. Better get it done before the New Year's celebrating starts or who knows where the parts might wind up being installed!
Cruising
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Yep! This is definitely one to do yourself. Dickman advises doing them one at a time in case you need to look at the other one to see how it goes back together. That's not bad advice... I didn't follow it, but it might have been useful. Another idea is to take a couple of digital "before" photos. Again, I didn't do it but I remember wishing that I had. Still, it didn't take long to figure out.
