Headlight motors and starting issues . . .

[Red97v6Bird]

Well I have a two part question:

1.) Headlight motor went out today, I know I've seen an add or something about motors with metal gears? Can't find it to save my life tho . . .

2.)My V6 if given me problems takes forever to start up. It cranks fine, just cranks forever untill it fires up , then once it's been drive for 15 mins or so if I shut it down and start it right back up it starts right away . . . . any ideas?

Thanks for any help Guys

[FTA1995]

does the motor make a super loud grinding noise or just a quiet whine with no movement?

Just a shot in thedark, check your fuel pressure key on engine off, see if it bleeds down after the pump cuts off. If so, you have to narrow down the culprit; most likely the fuel pump check ball but it could be the regulator, but these are both assuming you have an adequate pressure while the pump is running.

[formula_gramps]

Red',

When you say the motor went out today.....what exactly do you mean?

Is the motor making any sound (like a grinding noise)?

If the answer is yes, and this is the first time you have had a problem with that particular headlight motor, you may be able to fix it, without having to buy anything.

Typically, these actuator motors use only about half of the large plastic gears inside. Eventually the teeth wear out. But the good news is there is a procedure, to remove the motor from the linkage, rotate the gear 180 degrees, re-attach it, and simply use the other side of the gear.

You can of course pull the motor apart and replace the gear with either another plastic gear or a metal one. I did one a couple of years ago with a plastic gear. The way I figured it, though I was sure the metal gear was a quality product, I was concerned about the other gear that would be driving it, and wondered if that would get chewed up instead. And since the original plastic one lasted me about 12 years (by "rotating it once), I figured what the heck!

anyway, a metal gear can be had from this source:
metal gear

and another source is here:
another metal gear


More importantly though, check that second link for a step by step instruction on how to replace a gear, and at the bottom of the page are instructions on how to do the "free" fix, described above.

and a new plastic one from this source:
plastic gear

Good luck with that!

[Red97v6Bird]

Motor makes a loud grinding noise and yes this is the first time this has occured . . . Thank you very much for the free fix link, I'll go pull the motor right now and give it a shot

this fuel pressure you speak of . . . I assume I can check this with my OBD2 scanner?

I'll have to check this one out tomorrow as it is dark now and pulling a headlight motor in the dark is gonna be enough

[Blazer]

I have Brass gears I will sell you $35.00 you pay shipping.
Blazer

[Red97v6Bird]

Thanks, but no thanks Blazer got it fixed last night . . . . and many thanks Gramps used the free fix and it worked like a charm . . .

Now on to why this thing isn't starting right

P.S. this is the V6 that is taking forever to start . . .

[FTA1995]

I had a problem after I fixed both of mine; the epoxy no matter what kind i used would break off and the gear would slide out laterally. If that happens, take 3 large washers and bend then 45 degress up to the opening on one side only, put them on the side with the plastic plate tied in with the bolts and put the bent parts pointing towards the driven 'axle' for the gear. If it falls apart after you fix it you might loose the gear/axle assembly while driving, although that's not really common. In the picture, there's two washers in one spot because of the way that casing had load on it, it definitely made a difference in durability after it was done. I only needed to do it to one of the three mounting bolts, you might need two or three even.

[Joe 1320]

2.)My V6 if given me problems takes forever to start up. It cranks fine, just cranks forever untill it fires up , then once it's been drive for 15 mins or so if I shut it down and start it right back up it starts right away . . . . any ideas?

Thanks for any help Guys

Try this:

Get a can of starting fluid. Remove the intake duct, open the throttle blade and spray some starting fluid (per the instructions) into the intake and immediatly try a cold start. If it fires up then you are likely dealing with a fuel issue.

Start with fuel pressue and volume test. Also check for fuel pressure leakdown in the injectors.

[formula_gramps]

Thanks, but no thanks Blazer got it fixed last night . . . . and many thanks Gramps used the free fix and it worked like a charm . . .

Hey Red, glad to hear that worked out for you. You should get at least a few years out of the other side of that gear.....LOL. But for some reason, I'll bet it will wear out again before the headlamp on other side does.

Come to think of it, I'm trying to remember anyone ever posting about this problem occuring with the passenger side headlamp assembly. (Kind of like the window motors.....It's always the drivers side!

Joe's suggestion (as usual) is a good one. At least by doing this you split the possible number of problems approximately in half. If after trying that on a cold start, if it still struggles, considering how high the octane rating is for the starting fluid, then it's likely ignition related. In that case, it's probably a matter of an electronic part in the ignition system that has gone flakey, until it gets heated up to a certain temperature. Hence the problem-free start up when the engine is warm.

When I have had situations like that in the past, I have isolated components, coil, ICM, etc. one by one and heated them up with a blow-dryer. With the engine dead cold, it can often reveal which component has the temperature dependant intermittment failure.

The process is a PITA for sure, but being a world class cheapskate, I have often found it a lot cheaper than throwing new parts at a problem and employing "wishful thinking" ......LOL!

Good luck, and let us know how you made out!