One more nagging problem solved today
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,962
Likes: 254
From: Richmond, Ky
One more nagging problem solved today
Ever since I bought my FRC the driver side headlight had an annoying "jiggle" when the lights were on and I hit a bump in the road. I thought I knew where the problem was coming from but was able to confirm my suspicions today. This is why I had so much up and down play in the lift mechanism,
Instead of the pin that connects the lift arm to the headlight it had this allen head bolt and nut which was not the right diameter (too small) and allowed about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch vertical slop.
The small nylon bushing that the correct pin slides through was still in the arm and when I inserted the pin it was snug and eliminated all the slop that had existed.
I had originally thought that a thicker bushing had been used by the factory and that the bushing had somehow worn away and fallen out. Instead, I suppose that the pin either came out on its own or a previous owner was in there for some reason and lost the correct pin. The parts in the pics are from a lucky purchase I made last year thinking the parts might come in handy. Of course the bolt and nut are the ones I removed from my car today and I took the used pin and put it in their place.
Instead of the pin that connects the lift arm to the headlight it had this allen head bolt and nut which was not the right diameter (too small) and allowed about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch vertical slop.
The small nylon bushing that the correct pin slides through was still in the arm and when I inserted the pin it was snug and eliminated all the slop that had existed.
I had originally thought that a thicker bushing had been used by the factory and that the bushing had somehow worn away and fallen out. Instead, I suppose that the pin either came out on its own or a previous owner was in there for some reason and lost the correct pin. The parts in the pics are from a lucky purchase I made last year thinking the parts might come in handy. Of course the bolt and nut are the ones I removed from my car today and I took the used pin and put it in their place.
Last edited by f6john; Mar 18, 2012 at 01:22 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 243
Likes: 11
From: Kalamazoo Michigan
I hated the stock push washer design, so I got a set of replacement pins with cotter pins on the end. Same diameter and almost the exact same length for less than a buck each at my local hardware store.
Much easier to swap in there than tightening a nut on a bolt. But glad you got it fixed! I love when there is a simple and easy fix to annoying issues.
Much easier to swap in there than tightening a nut on a bolt. But glad you got it fixed! I love when there is a simple and easy fix to annoying issues.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
You have stumbled across one of the fixes those of us with HID/BiXenon headlights do to minimize the "jiggle" that is highly magnified by the switch to aftermarket HID headlights. The sharp cutoff created by the HID is painfully obvious as the slop in the stock headligh bucket mounts allows them to vibrate, transmitting that jiggle to the light output beams. The stock halogens are not very sensitive to that slop so most owners aren't even aware of it. You noticed it because the extra slop created by an undersized bolt accentuated the problem even more. I reduced the radial play in those pins in both my HID-equipped C5's after adding HID's. There is also a second stabilizer bar that is added by one of the designers of one set of HID's I have that helps with the problem as well.
Nice work chasing down the cause of your problem.
Nice work chasing down the cause of your problem.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,962
Likes: 254
From: Richmond, Ky
I hated the stock push washer design, so I got a set of replacement pins with cotter pins on the end. Same diameter and almost the exact same length for less than a buck each at my local hardware store.
Much easier to swap in there than tightening a nut on a bolt. But glad you got it fixed! I love when there is a simple and easy fix to annoying issues.
Much easier to swap in there than tightening a nut on a bolt. But glad you got it fixed! I love when there is a simple and easy fix to annoying issues.
It may be an optical illusion but the one with the cotter pin looks smaller in diameter than the stock pin. Did the one you used fit really snug with no play?
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 243
Likes: 11
From: Kalamazoo Michigan
I considered that same option once I saw that someone had used an undersized bolt but since I had another stock pin and it tightened everything up so much I used it instead. If the push washer gives me any problem I will chuck the pin in a vise and drill my own hole for a cotter pin.
It may be an optical illusion but the one with the cotter pin looks smaller in diameter than the stock pin. Did the one you used fit really snug with no play?
It may be an optical illusion but the one with the cotter pin looks smaller in diameter than the stock pin. Did the one you used fit really snug with no play?
Didn't think of drilling holes in the stock pins...oh well. I'm only out a couple bucks.
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Good job being persistent and finding the cause of the jiggle. Glad you got it fixed.
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