ACA HID install revisit
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
ACA HID install revisit
So, after the ACA installation I did on Mrs. Patches' vette in January - including the "jiggle fix" I posted separately - I noticed a problem the other day. The missus and I were headed home form a friend's b-day party pig roast and I suddenly realized that the beam reflected from the street signs from the headlights was jiggling badly. 
Of course I was perplexed at this development since the fix I had implemented had seemed rock-solid at first. I wondered if the packing I had used had worked its way loose allowing the bulb to bounce around like a Mexican jumping bean in a vibrating bowl. I didn't have any time to check it for a few days and I finally went to adjust the headlight aim last night and discovered the reason for the extreme bounce of the light.
The pivot pin that holds the motor pivot bracket (lever arm) to the headlight frame had worked it's way loose and fallen out. The headlight was basically just floating in the bucket and bouncing around crazily as the car was rolling over the mean, rough-rutted streets of Louisville. Luckily, the pin had fallen down into the front fascia and I retrieved it by reaching down there through the top.
Here's the pivot arm I'm referring to.
The clevis portion is the two black, vertical protrusions on the upper left of this shot.
Apparently, the weak, thin star washer that retains the pin had fallen off, allowing the pin to slide out of the clevis holes. I didn't like the looks of those washers when I first removed them during the installation but had forgotten to find a better replacement as I had meant to do.
I rigged up a replacement temporarily and slid a cap retainer on the end of the pin to hold that until i can find a better solution such as a collar. I took a test drive and the original solid, non-jiggling beam pattern was back.
Now, I need to find the time to put that second set I got in the last GP in my C5. Where does the time go???
Of course I was perplexed at this development since the fix I had implemented had seemed rock-solid at first. I wondered if the packing I had used had worked its way loose allowing the bulb to bounce around like a Mexican jumping bean in a vibrating bowl. I didn't have any time to check it for a few days and I finally went to adjust the headlight aim last night and discovered the reason for the extreme bounce of the light. The pivot pin that holds the motor pivot bracket (lever arm) to the headlight frame had worked it's way loose and fallen out. The headlight was basically just floating in the bucket and bouncing around crazily as the car was rolling over the mean, rough-rutted streets of Louisville. Luckily, the pin had fallen down into the front fascia and I retrieved it by reaching down there through the top.
Here's the pivot arm I'm referring to.
The clevis portion is the two black, vertical protrusions on the upper left of this shot.
Apparently, the weak, thin star washer that retains the pin had fallen off, allowing the pin to slide out of the clevis holes. I didn't like the looks of those washers when I first removed them during the installation but had forgotten to find a better replacement as I had meant to do.
I rigged up a replacement temporarily and slid a cap retainer on the end of the pin to hold that until i can find a better solution such as a collar. I took a test drive and the original solid, non-jiggling beam pattern was back.
Now, I need to find the time to put that second set I got in the last GP in my C5. Where does the time go???
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,747
Likes: 224
From: Hillsboro Oregon
Had the same thing happen.
I matched up a metric bolt to the OEM rod diameter and capped it with jam nuts.
Resulted in tighter fit and it will never come off without a wrench, actually two
I matched up a metric bolt to the OEM rod diameter and capped it with jam nuts.
Resulted in tighter fit and it will never come off without a wrench, actually two
Last edited by jrprich; Apr 30, 2008 at 11:04 PM.
