Headlamp gear question
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,424
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas Nevada
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Headlamp gear question
The drivers side headlamp has been acting up for over a year now. Usually will do it for a few days and then it's months before it acts up again...Most of the time it goes up with maybe half a dozen tries. Now when in the extreme heat it won't go up at all. But when i try it early in the morning when it's cooler it goes right up with no issues. Could it still be the gear?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Here are the stages my "stripped gear" went through.
1) Problem with right headlight not popping up all the time, but light was on. You could ensure it always popped up by loosening the manual headlight **** a few turns before trying.
2) Took a long while but much later, then it would make a machine gun noise after closing for 4-5 seconds. This was obviously the stripped gear sound.
3) Things now got crazy. Sometimes my headlights would pop up when I just turned on my parking lights, but they would not be on.
4) Replaced right stripped plastic gear with brass one. Everything fine. I have left gear but did not put it in yet.
There is a solid state headlight module. It is expensive from the dealer (over $200). I am told these rarely go bad. It is located under your passenger side headlight. It works by sensing the high current when a headlight motor hits a stop and turns off power. That is the cause of the stripped gears, the metal worm gear trys to keep turning until the module turns it off, putting stress on the plastic gear. Oh, there is a rubber shock absorber piece that the motor drives the gear through, it usually goes bad also. Rodney Dickman includes new rubber piecies with his kit. Cost of kit is $90 for 2 gears, rubber piecies, gaskets, lube and if later year includes expoxy and braces (they are a little more $).
Here is the link for Rodney Dickman's kit:
http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html
choose "electrical" and scroll down to your year
It contains all pieces: brass gears, rubber shock absorbers, lube, gaskets, expoxy. Note braces for later years.
1) Problem with right headlight not popping up all the time, but light was on. You could ensure it always popped up by loosening the manual headlight **** a few turns before trying.
2) Took a long while but much later, then it would make a machine gun noise after closing for 4-5 seconds. This was obviously the stripped gear sound.
3) Things now got crazy. Sometimes my headlights would pop up when I just turned on my parking lights, but they would not be on.
4) Replaced right stripped plastic gear with brass one. Everything fine. I have left gear but did not put it in yet.
There is a solid state headlight module. It is expensive from the dealer (over $200). I am told these rarely go bad. It is located under your passenger side headlight. It works by sensing the high current when a headlight motor hits a stop and turns off power. That is the cause of the stripped gears, the metal worm gear trys to keep turning until the module turns it off, putting stress on the plastic gear. Oh, there is a rubber shock absorber piece that the motor drives the gear through, it usually goes bad also. Rodney Dickman includes new rubber piecies with his kit. Cost of kit is $90 for 2 gears, rubber piecies, gaskets, lube and if later year includes expoxy and braces (they are a little more $).
Here is the link for Rodney Dickman's kit:
http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html
choose "electrical" and scroll down to your year
It contains all pieces: brass gears, rubber shock absorbers, lube, gaskets, expoxy. Note braces for later years.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,424
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas Nevada
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
Here are the stages my "stripped gear" went through.
1) Problem with right headlight not popping up all the time, but light was on. You could ensure it always popped up by loosening the manual headlight **** a few turns before trying.
2) Took a long while but much later, then it would make a machine gun noise after closing for 4-5 seconds. This was obviously the stripped gear sound.
3) Things now got crazy. Sometimes my headlights would pop up when I just turned on my parking lights, but they would not be on.
4) Replaced right stripped plastic gear with brass one. Everything fine. I have left gear but did not put it in yet.
There is a solid state headlight module. It is expensive from the dealer (over $200). I am told these rarely go bad. It is located under your passenger side headlight. It works by sensing the high current when a headlight motor hits a stop and turns off power. That is the cause of the stripped gears, the metal worm gear trys to keep turning until the module turns it off, putting stress on the plastic gear. Oh, there is a rubber shock absorber piece that the motor drives the gear through, it usually goes bad also. Rodney Dickman includes new rubber piecies with his kit. Cost of kit is $90 for 2 gears, rubber piecies, gaskets, lube and if later year includes expoxy and braces (they are a little more $).
Here is the link for Rodney Dickman's kit:
http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html
choose "electrical" and scroll down to your year
It contains all pieces: brass gears, rubber shock absorbers, lube, gaskets, expoxy. Note braces for later years.
1) Problem with right headlight not popping up all the time, but light was on. You could ensure it always popped up by loosening the manual headlight **** a few turns before trying.
2) Took a long while but much later, then it would make a machine gun noise after closing for 4-5 seconds. This was obviously the stripped gear sound.
3) Things now got crazy. Sometimes my headlights would pop up when I just turned on my parking lights, but they would not be on.
4) Replaced right stripped plastic gear with brass one. Everything fine. I have left gear but did not put it in yet.
There is a solid state headlight module. It is expensive from the dealer (over $200). I am told these rarely go bad. It is located under your passenger side headlight. It works by sensing the high current when a headlight motor hits a stop and turns off power. That is the cause of the stripped gears, the metal worm gear trys to keep turning until the module turns it off, putting stress on the plastic gear. Oh, there is a rubber shock absorber piece that the motor drives the gear through, it usually goes bad also. Rodney Dickman includes new rubber piecies with his kit. Cost of kit is $90 for 2 gears, rubber piecies, gaskets, lube and if later year includes expoxy and braces (they are a little more $).
Here is the link for Rodney Dickman's kit:
http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html
choose "electrical" and scroll down to your year
It contains all pieces: brass gears, rubber shock absorbers, lube, gaskets, expoxy. Note braces for later years.
Plus i can see the headlight on. Thanks i will order the kit from RD Found a link that explains the R&R procedure so i should be all set for some fun...DP
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Chandler Arizona
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,424
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas Nevada
St. Jude Donor '07-'08
do you have the link for R/R? Thanks
tac4005@yahoo.com
tac4005@yahoo.com
Last edited by PUREFUN; Jul 18, 2007 at 12:23 AM.
