SlowFRC

Edit 2: If you're new to this thread just read post 11 I'll update what's going on in cliff notes form because no one likes reading paragraphs

I'll try to keep this short, I searched and couldn't find an exact answer to my question so here goes. Car is a 99 FRC, passengers headlight assembly/motor was replaced with new style motor less than a year ago. 2 weeks ago the passengers side headlight refused to raise, I immediately assumed it was the gear. I bought a new gear, fast forward to today, I tried the headlight for the first time in 2 weeks and it went up, tried it a few more times and the passengers side would only go up 50% of the time. So if the gear was stripped it wouldn't go up at all, right? Would you guys still replace the gear? If it's not the gear what could it be?

Edit: I should also mention that when the passengers light won't raise with the switch it won't raise manually either.

Chicago1

stand by I will tell you what happened let me fetch one of my posts

Chicago1

Basically the stopper is crapping out.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...s-one-out.html

SlowFRC

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like your problem was completely different from mine. Your post specifically says it's only a problem with the driver's side light, my passenger's side is acting up. Also the passengers side light either goes up completely or won't go up at all, it's not half going up or down or acting on it's own. Thanks for the link and maybe I misread your thread but it seems like we had different problems.

Chicago1

Reading>Me

Sorry about that, It may be possible your headlight control module may be taking a crap? I'm sure you seen it when you did the passenger side motor. It's common for them to go out. I had kinda the same issue as yours but mine would not go down and replaced the module and was gtg.

SlowFRC

Didn't do the passenger side light/motor. It was done at a shop since the car was in an accident and they were repainting stuff too. That being said do you have a pic or the module so i know what to look for? Any to know if it's the module? I don't really feel like buying one on a hunch.

Chicago1

I'll get the pic but from what I read besides it actually melted or burt inside you can't really tell. Maybe one of the electrical gurus will chime in. If you take the black plastic trim off the passenger headlight you will see it. The whole assemby is easy to get out maybe 8-10mins after you have done it a few times. 3 nuts and 3 bolts and voila it's out. Then the 2 nuts on the module.

SlowFRC

Bump for the morning crew, I know a lot of you have had headlight issues.

mcgilles

having one myself so I'll monitor your thread and look for info. when I figure out what mine's doing I'll let you know so you can see if its the same happening to yours. I don't think so however.

clarify what you mean when you say that when the headlight wont open that you can't raise it manually either? what happens when you turn the adjuster? is it jammed and won't rotate? or does it rotate but the headlight won't open no matter how many turns you spin it? note that it takes probably 20 full rotations or so (never really counted) to open the headlight fully.

when your motor was replaced was it an OEM motor with an OEM plastic gear inside? you might want to replace that with a brass gear. even if that's not the problem today the plastic gear will eventually break. if you still had your 99 style motor I'd suggest pulling it out and inspecting the gear, but if you have the newer one you can't just unscrew the cover, you have to break it off and re-glue it. going through all that, you should replace the gear with a brass one so you don't have to take it apart more than once.

I suspect either your gear in the gearbox is broken, the motor itself is defective, or something in the arm that moves the headlight up and down is jammed not allowing it to move.

to the question in the subject of your thread yes, I'd suggest you replace the gears, get the brass ones. might as well just get it over with. gears going bad confuse the control module and make it do odd stuff. when mine failed a couple of years ago the symptom was the headlight doors would pop open when I turned on just the parking lights. still don't really understand how they are connected, but its a well known symptom of worn out gears. something about it just confuses the control module causing this and other bizarre effects. I never had any grinding with mine. swapped in brass gears and all is well.

SlowFRC

Update for those who are interested:

I took the passengers side motor out today and put brass gears in, it seems to have fixed the problem. I probably put the light up and down 20 times in a row and it worked every time. One things that really confused me though is I assumed since my motor was a new style motor that the case was held together by adhesive glue, but it was just held on by 3 screws. I know the cars up to 99 and some 2000 cars had motors like this but the cover on my motor looks like a new style motor. And I was told by Gene at gmpartshouse that I could only buy a new style motor when I bought the passengers side one a year ago. So anyways I just screwed the cover back on to the motor and didn't close it up with adhesive. What would you guys have done?

SlowFRC

Cliff notes update for those interested:

- 99 FRC, passengers side headlight goes up intermittently
- Passengers side motor is only 6 months old, I assume the motor case is held together by glue and not 3 screws like the earlier motors
- I bought brass gears, put them in passengers headlight
- Outside of headlight looks like newer glued together models, but upon further inspection is held together by 3 screws, no glue
- Put headlight back together and don't use glue to seal it up, headlight goes up and down 10+ times without a problem
- I let the car sit outside for a week, it rains a few times
- I get in the car today and passengers headlight won't go up at all

So I'm thinking I should have glued it back together and maybe water just got in the motor, anyone agree/disagree?

00Corvette

You're going to have to seal that thing up for sure. Water will get it there as the little rim that it seats on is not very big and can't provide a good seal just plastic to plastic.

Try some silicone or some type of sealant @ a paint store worst case "The right stuff" should hold it okay.

SlowFRC

Thanks, thats what I was thinking too, anyone else?