After manually open/close my headlights...
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 125
Likes: 12
From: Richmond, VA
After manually open/close my headlights...
...the drivers side, upon lowering all the way, just grinds the gear for 5 seconds, then stops. They still work great, except for that. I realize gears fail, but could I have not turned the manual **** enough or too much ?
Thanks !
Thanks !
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 4,308
Likes: 3,455
From: Somewhere, Florida
St. Jude Donor '20-'21-'22-'23-'24
The gear is stripped. You can take it apart and flip it over to the good side, replace with bronze or aluminum gears from a number of different vendors, or just replace the whole motor. I opted to replace the whole unit on my passenger side for $53 instead of fuss with the gears and it's been fine. Everyone says the plastic gears will strip again, and that may be true, but in my mind, if the originals were good for 20 years, what more could you ask for of plastic?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,860
Likes: 4,661
The gear is stripped. You can take it apart and flip it over to the good side, replace with bronze or aluminum gears from a number of different vendors, or just replace the whole motor. I opted to replace the whole unit on my passenger side for $53 instead of fuss with the gears and it's been fine. Everyone says the plastic gears will strip again, and that may be true, but in my mind, if the originals were good for 20 years, what more could you ask for of plastic?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 4,308
Likes: 3,455
From: Somewhere, Florida
St. Jude Donor '20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Yep, exactly the same principle.
Replacing the motor took me about 30 minutes. No taking it apart, putting it back together, waiting for it to dry... I did it after work one night and still took the car out to dinner. Can't complain.
OP - be aware that 97-2000 cars have a different motor style than 01-04s so if you go that route, just buy the right ones.
Replacing the motor took me about 30 minutes. No taking it apart, putting it back together, waiting for it to dry... I did it after work one night and still took the car out to dinner. Can't complain.
OP - be aware that 97-2000 cars have a different motor style than 01-04s so if you go that route, just buy the right ones.
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,137
Likes: 2,984
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
I've never understood flipping the gear. Yes, you will now have some good teeth but the plastic is still 20 years old. I would think the newly exposed teeth would be more likely to strip again as the plastic is very old. I've done the gear swap on my old 98's headlights. I didn't think it was that difficult. I used Rodney's kit http://rodneydickman.com/index.php?c...c0aa1f3fc70efb
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 4,308
Likes: 3,455
From: Somewhere, Florida
St. Jude Donor '20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Yeah I don't understand doing the same amount of work as the metal gears either. But some people are like that - save all the money you can and ignore opportunity costs.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 5,563
Likes: 3,304
From: Virginia
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '21-'22
I replaced both of my motors. I have an '04 and the replacement motors are cheap. If I had an older car, I might have opted for the metal gear swap as the older motors don't have to be glued back together. However, for me the replacement motor was cheap enough that it wasn't worth the hassle of trying to glue the housing back together.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 367,949
Likes: 24,705
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Moved to C5 Tech.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 6,462
Likes: 4,305
From: Florida
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C5 of the Year Winner- Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Make sure to take pictures during removal. The lifting arm has a pivot joint that is possible to install incorrectly. The pivot point should point to the back of the car. You’ll find little dents worn into the stop pads, so make sure the lower arms contacts those pads the same way going back in.