Help with Drivers side headlight motor

[Ramairguy]

Hey guys, my drivers side headlight motor just stopped working. No warning at all, no noise or anything like they usually do before they break.. The light just decided to not flip open anymore--Just wanna make sure it's the headlight motor and not something else--The passenger side opens fine. Thanks for any help - 99 trans am

[Christopherrr]

Fuse? Underhood I believe...

Can you see if the light itself is working? If not, check the harness...mine collects water sometimes and corroides the connectors.

[Ramairguy]

yes---the lights are working

[ExtinctBird]

The lift mechanism is a pivoting metal bar that stops up and down by plastic knobs. (At least that is how my 95 is setup.) It is possible for the pivoting bar to get caught up if something gets loose. It is also possible for the metal casing of the headlight motor itself to loosen from the motor, which can mis-align things. You might check for that before ordering a new motor or gear. If you are not hearing the motor running, then it might not be a stripped gear.

[Ramairguy]

Thanks guys, but I have an update....The headlight now pops up, but the headlight motor is making a horrible sound now when I turn the lights off

[RAF7789]

uh oh!!! bad headlight motor.

History (to my knowledge): The headlight motor has no sensors of anything to tell it when to stop going up, or stop going down. the only thing that stops it is the mchanical range of motion. in other words, when it reaches the top, it causes electrical current draw, which then shuts the motor off. so for a split second after it has reached the top, it still tries to move up.

GM made a good move (business-wi$e) by making the gear in the h/l motor nylon(plastic). so every time you use your h/l the plastic gear wears down a little bit. That way they could make more money by people sending in their old headlight motors, which were then refurbished with a new nylon gear and re-sold!!! Then the customer would buy a new headlight motor for only $150!!!

i have made myself very familiar with the headlights.


your options:

1.) Replace headlight motor, ~$150 +
1a.) install it yourself, ~Free plus a 6-pack of cold beer(optional)
1b.) have it installed, ~$50-75
2.) buy a rebuild kit (metal gear that goes in headlight motor)~$85


source
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htm

[Ramairguy]

Thanks for all the info everybody--I actually just purchased a new motor on ebay for $ 81.00--and I'm gonna use that Bfranker video to help me install the new motor--Thanks so much

[Christopherrr]

The "horrible" grinding noise is not a bad motor...just a bad gear.

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

When reassembling after a teardown to get to the gear, note how the lifting arm is assembled...you'll need to assemble it the same way or you'll risk burning out your motor.

___

Looks like I failed to read your post...LOL! Again, just note the lifting arm position.

[Blazer]

You can buy the brass gears for like $33.00 on E-bay. An other places that have them.



Save your old motor its good.

Blazer

[96FirebirdFormula]

Or just take apart the motor and turn the gear 180 degree's and reseal it. or buy brass gear new motor will do it again. after awhile

[RAF7789]

my headlights would grind when they turned down, after i spun the gear, they grinded whe i put them up. a waste of time for me.

[BrdWAtti2d]

Same here, when I turned them around they just grinded when going up, and worse yet, they wouldn't go up all the way. So, the headlights were pointed down too low.

[Christopherrr]

Same here, when I turned them around they just grinded when going up, and worse yet, they wouldn't go up all the way. So, the headlights were pointed down too low.

You didn't turn them correctly...possibly. I've done it for both sides and they work fine...just for it to crap out now. LOL!

[Ramairguy]

Darn! Now I wish I would of purchased the brass gear ..Oh well--Too late.. UPDATE again--lol---Now, when I lock my car doors with my key remote, the headlights pop up all by themselves for like 5 seconds and then go back down, and once they close, I get the grinding noise for another 5 seconds--It's so weird! What the heck is causing that to happen?

[Christopherrr]

That's normal, or happens when your gear is stripped.

I can't remember why it does that...but it's "normal".

Fred, Injuneer, knows why I believe...he explained it once.