Hey Guys,

The passenger side headlight on my Vert has kind of a studder when it goes up, the drivers side is fine. Does this mean the gear is bad and what do I do to fix this?

Thanks

Rob

 

The dealer replaced my motor under warranty for the same problem. It's a stripped gear. There is somebody (sorry I can't remember who) selling brass gears to replace the OEM plastic ones in the stock motors, if it needs repair on your dollar. It's something like $30 vs $250.

 

yea, mine is out of warranty, who sells the brass gears? Is that definately the problem? Its going up and down almost all the time, just has a stutter.

Rob

 

I've been searching through the achives and what my headlight is doing does not seem to be the same as a stripped gear. It doesn't grind or do anything funny, just goes up a little, then stoppeds for a sec then continues up. Is this still a bad gear? I hate to start ripping everything apart to find out its something real simple.

Thanks

Rob

 

Went out and rotated both headlights up and down with the manual ****, both felt fine although the passenger one seems to be making a bit of a banging sound when I turn, the drivers side does it too but very softly. I tightened up the positive and negative on the battery and that seemed to help the first time after I did it, but after that it was the same. Maybe the batteryis going?

 

I had the same problem. I replaced the whole motor assembly. But now it only goes up. I have to manually turn it down. Any idea's what's wrong. :cheers:

 

seems like something is connected wrong on yours. I don't know what to do with mine. I guess I could get a new motor, but it really doesn't seem like the motor, maybe the module or relay thing. but I don't know where they are to have a look at them.

Rob

 

I had a few problems with my C4 head lights. Everything from stripped gears to bad contacts in the motors. I replaced the bad gear with a new GM plastic gear and solved that problem. It is easy to take apart and inspect to see what is wrong. If your gear is starting to go it may have a WORN area in one spot that causes it to make the noise and shutter. When I did surgery on my bad light motor to replace the bad gear, I decided to take the other one apart to see if it was going bad also. Sure enough, it had a worn spot that would have stripped off in a few months. I found out that the spot on the gear that goes bad can be rotated 90 degrees and you get to stary the clock over again on the old gear. The spot on the gear goes bad because of the way GM designed the motor to shut off when it reaches the UP or DOWN position.
The motor drive gear causes the motor output shaft to torque in one direction or the other depending if it is driving the light up or down. When the shaft moves in or out it moves a plastic shoe that operates a set of breaker points. When one breaker point opens it stops the motor in that direction.

The torque necessary to move the switch and shut off the motor wears the gear. The gear stops and torques in that same spot over and over again hunderds of times. If you catch it before it completely strips off you are ALL SET!!! Once it strips off you either have to replace it with a new plastic one or a brass one.

If your gear is starting to go bad, maybe you can try that.

I have gone as far as using a good switch assembly out of a completely trashed motor assembly and successfuly repaired mine :thumbs:
My breaker switch assembly contact points wore out! The trashed motor had a good set in it. I got the motor for free!
I brought a set of brass gears at Carsile PA in August just incase I need them :D They were for a C4 but someone on the forum stated that they will fit! :rolleyes: If they don't I will put then on the C4 forum parts for sale page.

BLACKROADSTER You can unplug the motor connector and see if you have 12 volts on each motor drive supply wire for each direction. There should be 3 wires on the motor plug. One is ground and the other two wires should have 12 volts on one wire when the lights are up and 12 volts on the other wire when the lights are down.
If you have the voltage for each direction the motor switch assembly could be at fault.
If you need the color of the wires and what they do i can also look that up for you.
If you have any other questions, please send them my way. I can talk you through gust about any repair! :thumbs:

Bill Curlee


[Modified by Bill Curlee, 1:35 PM 9/27/2003]

 

can it still be the gear even if it seems to move up and down fine when I turn the manual ****? there doesn't seem to be any flat spots or anything. :party:

 

Yes,,, it can still be the driven gear. When you raise it by hand you dont apply lots of torque to the gears. The output shaft of the motor drives right over the bad spot. In the normal mode the gears see a lot of torque and it slips through the gear teeth in that one area. Sounds like you need a new gear if it's shuttering in the process of being raised. The next thing it will start doing is stopping in that area and the motor will kep driving.

Take it apart and inspect it. If it's not the problem I would be surprised!

Bill

 

maybe stuttering isn't a good word, what happens is, the driver headlight goes up normally, the passenger side light, moves up about an inch or so, stops and then continues the rest of the way.

 

There was a post a few week back about a C5 head light problem that the light popped up once it was fully lowered. The problem is caused by a bad nylon stop on one of the motors. The other motor doesn't have the same nylon stop. I will see if I can find it.

Bye,,, be right back

BC

 

but it my case its not popping back up after lowering, its just that it stops part way up before continuing. kind of a like a person that starts up the stairs then stops to catch their breath and continues up.

Rob

 

Here is theC5 Tech/Performance > Headlight problems

-------------------------

The following reply was posted by C-5 TECH:

The motor gets play in the shaft causing the arm on the motor to skip past the stop,causing damage to the stop...GM's fix is to shim the motor :rolleyes:
Here is the service bulliten...If you dont shim the motor,it will eventually happen again

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tech - Left Headlamp Door Does Not Stay Closed #00-08-42-002 - (05/30/2000)
Left Headlamp Door Does Not Stay Closed (Shim Headlamp Door Motor/Actuator and Replace Insulators)
2000 Chevrolet Corvette

Condition
Some customers may comment that the left front headlamp door does not remain closed after the headlamps are turned off. Others may comment that the left headlamp door closes when the headlamps are turned off, but then reopens. In either case, the right headlamp door operates properly.

Correction

Important
The following information applies to the left front headlamp door motor/actuator only. It does not apply to and should not be performed on the right front headlamp door motor/actuator.

problem and the TSB for it.

 

I know yours does not pop back up but it sure sounds like a bad gear. Is the motor still driving when the head light stops moving????

If it stop there may be a loose connection in the wiring harness or inside the headlight housing. Or you could have a loose connection inside the motor.

BC

 

well i don't know if the motor is still going because I'm not that close to the headlight, I'll have someone else turn the head lights on and offf and then I can find out.