How To: Fix that darn headlight motor (3rd Gen)

I made sure I searched before I posted this, and I didn't find anything, so here it goes. First of all, I’m not trying to undermine your business lonsal, just trying to share my knowledge of fixing the firebird headlight motors with stuff lying around the house.

What you'll need:
-About 6 inches of ½” OD rubber hose (I used ¼” fuel line)
-White lithium grease

First you’ll obviously need to remove the headlight motor from your car. The easiest way of doing this is as follows:

1) Raise the headlights
2) Unplug the headlight motor
3) Lower the headlights. This will turn off the lights, leaving the one headlight you unplugged up.
4) Remove the black headlight cover
5) With a 10mm wrench, unbolt the arm from the motor
6) Unbolt the 3 bolts holding the motor to the car (tip, get the 3rd / lowest bolt from the bottom, very hard to do from the top)


You will want to do the following over a garbage can or outside. Now you need to take apart the headlight motor. What causes your headlight motor to make that clicking sound / not go up is the bearings inside the motor disintegrate.

**NOTE** BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE SCREWS THAT HOLD THE HEADLIGHT MOTOR COVER ON. THE SCREWS ARE STEEL AND THE MOTOR IS ALUMINIUM SO THE SCREWS CAN BREAK VERY EASY. IF YOU BREAK A SCREW, YOU WILL HAVE TO DRILL IT OUT FROM THE BOTTOM ** END NOTE **

When you open the headlight motor (see picture below) get all the powder out of the inside. Take a rag and clean up all the parts very nice. When you remove the gear from the metal spindle, you will notice more dust inside of that. In the three circular openings is where the bearings use to be.

Take the 1/2 inch tubing, place it into one of the circular openings, and mark on the tube level with the top of the gear. Now cut 3 pieces this length. Place the 3 pieces of tube into the gear, and put it and the metal spindle together.

** NOTE ** DO NOT PUT ANY GREASE IN BETWEEN THE GEAR AND THE METAL SPINDLE WHERE THE RUBBER HOSE GOES ** END NOTE **

Now open up your grease, put some on the outside of the gear, on the washers, in the hole where the metal spindle goes, on the worm gear (inside) that turns the motor, and a little around the perimeter. Now put everything back together and put the motor back into your car, and test it.

Questions and comments welcome.


http://www.ohnoes-fbody.com/images/tc/DSC00077.JPG

http://www.ohnoes-fbody.com/images/tc/DSC00078.JPG

The bearings are actually urethane bushings. But you are right about that usually being the problem. Because the gear and output shaft don't match flush, the urethane bushings fit in between them to tighten up the fit. The problem is the urethane bushings wear out and crush into powder and causes the shaft to slip on the gear, resulting in the motor turning but not lifting the headlight. I"m yet to find a parts store that carries the bushings, although I have seen them from time to time on ebay.

Maybe we can get a mod to make this thread a sticky?

im havnig that problem now, it gets on my nerves so bad. but all the auto part stores around here have to order the motors and they cost a arm and a leg. ill try to do what you said and i hope that work. if there not to far gone to fix. thanks for the tip!

im havnig that problem now, it gets on my nerves so bad. but all the auto part stores around here have to order the motors and they cost a arm and a leg. ill try to do what you said and i hope that work. if there not to far gone to fix. thanks for the tip!

I was having the same problem and all I did was zip tie the motor up so it lined up correctly. It worked perfectly.

I have a question? When i put my headlights up they work fine but when i shut them off and they go down they make a horrible noise (i looked at the motors while doing this and they look like there still trying to put the lights down when there all the way down) what could be the cause of this?

Eckler's Corvette parts sells a bushing kit that can be used to fix this problem. Here's a link for the parts that go inside the motor after you clean it out... http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?dept_id=1476&pf_id=29304

I have a question? When i put my headlights up they work fine but when i shut them off and they go down they make a horrible noise (i looked at the motors while doing this and they look like there still trying to put the lights down when there all the way down) what could be the cause of this?

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?


Yes, same problem. There are plastic pieces inside the assembly that have disintegrated.

Good luck. I might tackle mine this week and will let you know how it goes.

Im having this problem also, after i pull the headlights down it makes a noise like it grinding plastic but its not, how can i fix this?

More than likely it's the plastic gears that have been worn out. Go to rodneydickman.com and order the brass gears that should last forever. It's not hard to have then replaced and they will run about eighty bucks. If I were you order both of them because after you replace one the other one will eventually go out.

here is the problem that i'm having and i can't figure it out... i don't know to much about firebirds i just got mine like two months ago... i can put my headlights up and the lights turn on and once they're up they won't go down... when i hit the headlight switch the lights turn off just like they're suppose too... but the lights won't go down anybody have any clue why this would happen...???-

Turn the knob on the motor. It might be in the locked position. Chances are you're going to have to take the motor apart. Try looking for the bushing kits before you take them apart.

thanks man... i put the headlight manually down with the switch off and hit the switch and they both came up... and then i turned them off and they went down... now i just need to fix one more problem... my nose is loose on the front and the trim of the headlight is getting stuck under the nose... does anyone know how to get to the screws for the nose...???

thanks again

MY headlights go up and down great but when it goes does it makes the plastic cracking sound. Do i need to replace the plastic bearings or the gears as well?

My lights work fine but when I turn them off they go down all the way but it makes a loud noise like it is still tring to pull the light down. How do I fix this?

My car had both symptoms and I replaced the bushings, cleaned the case and reinstalled everything, they worked fine after that.

Im3Good4U and drdd8, you guys should try the article above and see if it works before worring about the gears. Let us know how it turned out.

Free Fix :)
Im3Good4U,
I found an article on on how to fix my grinding noise and it worked on my 97 firebird. It might work for you too!!! basiclly what happens is the gear that turns the shaft to raise the headlamp is worn out on one side. But the good news is that the motor only uses half the gear. This article tell you haw to turn the gear around and use the other half. Let us know if this worked for you also.

http://www.firebirdtaclub.com/ttlight.htm

MY headlights go up and down great but when it goes does it makes the plastic cracking sound. Do i need to replace the plastic bearings or the gears as well?


To answer that, you'd have to take the gearbox apart. The bushings are uerethane. Mine were ground into small particles like Parmasean cheese. Tahke the unit apart and look at both the screw gear and the pinion gear for fractures or missing teeth. That should tell you what you'll need. I you have the opportunity, go to a junk yard and pick up a used one for parts.

I took the motor apart before ordering anything because i thought just that and i tried to turn it around to the other half but it still failed. So I got the brass gears from rodneydickman.com as someone on this thread had said and it works beautiful until now. when the next light goes out i plan to do the same.

Found a way to fix head light motor problem -- http://hawksthirdgenparts.com/firebird_lamps___components
sells the repair kit for both left and right motor for $25.50
Hope this can help someone. Took me 30 minutes each to fix mine.

real dumb question....

How do you work the manual open close function on the headlights?!

Also side question, can you post for sale cars/parts in this forum? seems like a forum by forum basis...

When you open your hood right next to the lights you see a black motor and it has a cap. Pull of the cap and turn it up or down to raise and lower lights...
I know thereis a thred were u can post parts for sales, but i dont know what it is hopefullly some one will post it here, otherwise just make a thread about whatever it is.

There isn't someone out there with good pics of this repair. If so that would be great to post. I need to do this.

Super , I read this thread and then within a week mine was making that grinding sound . What luck !!! These motors are wired thru a motor control module which senses the current draw when they reach the stop bumper , which wears the gear out because the motor pushes harder until it reaches that current limit and shuts off . It is designed to fail and none of the national auto parts stores carry them . Dealer wants $165 for one . Rob

I did find this> http://hawksthirdgenparts.com/firebird_lamps___components

and some instructions here.

Yes , I found that one also when I did a google search for headlamp motor . On the 98-02 cars the gear housing is plastic and welded or glued together very well . I don't see how anyone could seperate the case to put the brass gears in . I just ordered a reman unit from "rockautoparts.com" for $57 + core . best price I found. I put everything back together . took 10 minutes labor and twenty minutes looking for the the two hinge screws I dropped into the fender . I will just ride around with both of them up until I get the replacement . Rob

I heard these cars were notorious for this problem, and now I believe it. I had mine replaced about 4 - 5 years ago, and for the last year or so when I turn my headlights on, the left one goes up fine, but the right one winks at people, have to get out and pull it up, and when I turn them off, the right one goes bonk, bonk, bonk for like 10 seconds before it stops. I've read each and every one of your posts, and call me stupid, but what do I do about this problem?

Nice, mines doing this also now...except ive tried to fix it using these methods people have posted...but its like japansese to me so it does me no good....=[

And 14 months have pasted and I just replaced the reman unit with a new ACdelco unit . Don't buy a reman unit from Cardone, they're a peice of crap. There is a national shortage of these motors due the lifespan ending on them. Rob

yeah i did this and it works perfectly now... except 1/2 didnt fit in mine i had to go a little smaller... weird... i found it was also a good idead to take the actual motor off with those two screws diagonal to each other... then clean that dust out really good from the shaft...but make sure you find the two little springs that go behind those wire connector things... not sure what theyre called... then hook a paper clip around the wire and hold them back against the springs while you put the motor back down the shaft (but make sure the gear is back in... then reassemble it... ta da..

try this

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm#FreeGuide

Do you have any pics of the "during" process? Because I dont know where I would put 3" of hose in the motor housing. I got it all cleaned out, but I am a bit confused. Thank you.

classic industries sells a kit to replace the bushings and seals in those motors. cost is about $20.00.

MY headlights go up and down great but when it goes does it makes the plastic cracking sound. Do i need to replace the plastic bearings or the gears as well?

gears here are great instructions
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm