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has anyone had to deal with stuck headlights yet?

E

echostatic

Turbooo
mine are very hesitant to come up. i can hear the motors spinning the whole time, but the headlamps are very jerky in rising, and may not make it all the way up.
 
Give your headlights some Viagra, I heard it helps to get 'em up! :toot:But seriously, the plastic gears strip out and sometimes they catch, sometimes they don't. The rebuild kit should work but you need to be careful with the disassembly and reassembly. The headlight motors are similar to those used in the C4 Vettes so many of the Vette aftermarket companies sell a similar kit.

I used to have one headlight that would occasionally not go up. Pretty embarrassing to have to pop the hood and crank up one headlight manually. :thumbdwn: :wall:
 
Turbota6 said:
I used to have one headlight that would occasionally not go up. Pretty embarrassing to have to pop the hood and crank up one headlight manually. :thumbdwn: :wall:
Click to expand...

whats embarassing is sitting in a parking lot constantly hitting the switch on and off trying to get both lights all the way up >.>
 
that site seems to be sold out of that kit, but ill go ahead and put in an order... hopefully they will get more soon. i replaced the light switch yesterday and they actually work a lot better o.0 but still not how they should. this is one problem ill be happy to say goodbye to. thanks for the link :)
 
I got a kit off ebay and it was three plastic cylinders that go into the motor. came with instructions and was easy. Head light is very tight now, up and down right away. I guess there are three plastic cylinders in the motor and they disintegrate over time. I found dust in my motor. The kit was only 9 bucks and worked well. I'd check ebay. Jarred.
 
What I did was to go to Home Depot and buy the hard plastic water line, I cut that into 1/2" pieces and mixed up some epoxy and filled them up. Both headlights have been working for 2 years now! I beleive it was 3 pieces per headlight motor.
 
I rebuilt the headlight motors in my '89 GTA awhile back and documented the process with some pictures. I wrote a webpage for it hoping it would help out anyone taking on this task as there are some things I learned the hard way. Let me know if it helps you.

Thirdgen Firebird Headlight Motor Repair - Tips and Tricks

Also, check out thirdgen.org. There are tons of threads in the Electronics section that people talk about what all is involved. The advanced kit from TDS is the only way to go in my opinion becuase you not only get all the parts you need but you get grease and new gaskets. Not too bad for $25.
 
Hardway said:
I rebuilt the headlight motors in my '89 GTA awhile back and documented the process with some pictures. I wrote a webpage for it hoping it would help out anyone taking on this task as there are some things I learned the hard way. Let me know if it helps you.

Thirdgen Firebird Headlight Motor Repair - Tips and Tricks

Also, check out thirdgen.org. There are tons of threads in the Electronics section that people talk about what all is involved. The advanced kit from TDS is the only way to go in my opinion becuase you not only get all the parts you need but you get grease and new gaskets. Not too bad for $25.
Click to expand...

THANK YOU. that was really helpful, i couldnt find pictures anywhere else. unfortunately i broke the 2 small bolts holding the motor housing on. it didnt matter how gently i turned them, they were rusty and stuck. im hoping the 2nd motor will be easier :)

oh yeah, im using rubber vaccuum hose. fits perfectly.
 
No problem Echo.

Breaking the heads off those motor housing bolts is common. The advanced kit comes with 2 extra screws and locking nuts just for that reason. If you order the kit take the screws and nuts to the hardware store and buy some extras. That way if all of them break off you have plenty to go around. I see you are using rubber hose which is a good substitue as well. The second motor should be easier since you do not have to remove the motor housing, you just have to take off the gear box cover. Keep us posted on your progress.
 
the nightmare aspect of this project has been those 2 broken bolts, actually. i spent a few hours trying to clear them out, i finally managed it today. i have a couple screws that fit, ill probably use them to hold the motor housing on. thats good to know i dont have to mess with the housing on the second motor.

i found it easier to simply remove the entire headlight unit and work with that. the drivers side light had a prong rusted in, though, and it broke disconnecting it so i bought new headlights today. i should be able to get it all back together this evening.

i dont think ill ever understand why GM decided to use those 3 little pucks to connect things up...
 
can i change my mind on what the nightmare aspect is?

i put the drivers side motor back together and it wont turn on. ive tried a lot of different things, but nothing has worked so far. last thing i tried was tying some thin string around the wires for the 2 spring loaded brushings, pulling them back to hold the brushings in place, closing it up, cutting the strings and pulling them out so there is nothing else in there. after reconnecting the wire and hitting the switch, only the passenger side motor activated. what on earth could keep the motor from working now?
 
it just occured to me to try plugging it into the passenger side plug. and it worked. the first thing i tried to keep the motor brushes in was a single paperclip holding them both. well that shorted it out and blew a fuse, but i also noticed a flash from somewhere along a wire leading from the car side of the plug. i hope all i have to replace is the plug...
 
update: i got everything done that i could. the passenger side is rebuilt and working wonderfully. the driver side just needs power to the plug and it will be working too. im hopeful that the problem will be found and corrected tomorrow :)
 
no, no it wont be found and corrected today. this is very weird. a continuity tester shows that the drovers side plug is getting power, but the headlamp motor wont activate. it will activate when plugged into the passenger side though.
 
I just found a weird one.. Was detailing the car and noticed the pass headlight trim was UNDER the bumper cover! :jaw::eeks: Needed some adjusting but all is well. I haven't used the headlights in a few years thank god but I wonder how long it's been like that! It would have broken that trim for sure and did who knows what to the bumper cover!
 
i figured this would take one or two days to do, ive been working on it since thursday!

does anyone have any idea why a continuity tester would show that both driver and passenger side headlamp motors have power, but the drivers side still wouldnt activate the motor? the motor will activate when plugged into the passengers side. im stumped on this one, and i definitely dont want to be one of those people driving around with a stuck headlight!
 
Does the passenger side work when plugged into the drivers? Could the contacts be misaligned and not making contact when plugged in?
 
the contacts are aligned. plus, it has to be getting power since its sparking when the spliced wire is touched to a ground. it wont pop a fuse if that wire isnt connected to anything tho.
 
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