Headlight Stuck open

[Cade93TA]

Well, it finally happen the day I dreaded. My car is winking at everyone.

I went to the grocery-store and turned off my car and headlights and my left one stuck open. There was no grinding sound, like ya'll say when the gears are stripped. I looks like it tried to go down but it stuck on something. I thought maybe it just hung on something. I got out popped the hood and look in did'nt find any thing major. Even tred to push it down. Didnt budge.
Just wondering if you guys had any suggestions, or have seen this before.

Thanks
Cade

[Mr Nice Guy]

Don't push it down! That'll strip the plastic gear for sure. Try cranking it down manually by using the wheel thing on the top of the motor(under the rubber cover). If that won't move something's jammed internally. If it does might be electrical....Good luck and let us know if you need more help.....Later

[Mirroredshades]

Cade, sorry to hear about your headlight. If it will roll down manually, its electrical, if it won't roll down manually, the motor may be crunched. If you search this site for "headlight," there is a cool fix for this, including a video, can't remember where it is on the 'net.

On a lighter note, I'm hijacking your thread.

My headlight motor has been grinding for at least 8 months now. Should I go ahead and do the gear fix or wait until it is completely stripped?

[Mr Nice Guy]

If it is making the grinding noise I would go ahead and do it. I think it's embarrassing for my car to make that awful noise everytime I turn the lights on or off at least I did when my formula did it. I did the free fix and that worked but only for another month or two and then I had to take the motors out again. Finally I bought the brass replacement gears since I was sick of trying to fix them and putting them up and down manually was a pain. Unfortunately I wrecked my car a week after I bought the gears . You can get them from a guy on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2443673402 for $36.95 apiece or if you want I will sell the ones I have, which are practically brand new, for $60+shipping. They are really nice and are will not strip out. I would have kept and used them but I bought a Z28 and have no use for them now. Either way this is the fix I recomend just wish I had done it in the first place and not messed with the whole free fix. Thanks to that I am now an expert at taking the headlight motors out of f-birds/Trans Ams. Good Luck....... Later

[Mirroredshades]

Yeah, it is embarassing. I always drop my headlights before I get to the spot so hopefully no one will hear it. I may just buy them from you. I was going to do the metal ones anyway. Let me think about it.

[Mr Nice Guy]

Cool. I think it is definately a worthwile fix. Drop me an email if you want them my email is leemann2@yahoo.com . If you don't buy em I'll prolly just put em on ebay but I thought I'd offer them to my F-Buds first.

[Cade93TA]

Well it fixed itself

my car probably didn't want me to get close to it with pliers. Ha Ha. I guess something got jammed inside I came home from work and the thing went down. ; O well I just thought I would let ya'll know; and thanks for ya'll help; I will know want to check for the next time it happens.

Cade

[Mr Nice Guy]

Glad to hear it fixed itself. Maybe something just got into the linkage and worked it's way out.....Later

[nathanaf8388]

to bad everything doesnt fix itself.....