Headlight clicking and half-turns

Corvette Forums Corvette Classifieds Gallery Corvette News Member List Search Sponsors
Forum FAQ Calendars Contact Us Corvette Recalls TSBs Corvette Timeslips Register Login

Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pics...

Printable Version

Corvette >> Corvette Models >> Corvette C4 Forum >> Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pics...

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pics... - 9/3/2008 6:23:06 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

[B][I]Ed.: No half turn or clicking? Scroll ahead to post 7 for wiring/motor test...[/I][/B]

Remove the entire assembly (motor separation next post, although pictured here):

Have ready a towel to put down the assembly!
Disconnect headlight power supply.
First remove the screws at the lower assembly - with yellow circle.
Then remove nuts numbered ''1'' - at both sides of headlight assembly.
Then loosen, BUT DO NOT COMPLETELY REMOVE, the ''2'' numbered nuts.
Get your free hand onto the headlight assembly, and apply pressure to keep the assembly in place. Don''t make the same mistake I did!!!
Then remove the two remaining nuts #2.
CAREFULLY, pull away the assembly.

Post #: 1

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 6:25:20 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

removal of motor from assembly:
loosen bolt 4, second pic
loosen bolt 2, first pic (ALSO GOOD PIC OF THIS BOLT ( in red circle) IN PIC 3)
you can then remove bolt 1 (it will not come out, until bolt ''2'' is loosened) and you can loosen bolt 3, first pic, and the bolt shown in fourth pic, with a yellow circle, which is on the back side of the h/l motor bracket.

then remove the roll pin in blue circle 3rd pic
The roll pin (blue circle) was tough. I was afraid of manglin'' it. I put the penetratin'' lube on it, then put the vise grips on it gently and squeezed, so the pin would close a little, and allow the oil to get on the outside of the pin. Turn slowly, and work it - it is tight!!!

I didn''t pull it all the way out either - above, first post, red circle.

(in reply to cwb)

Post #: 2

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 6:28:02 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

Motor breakdown...

Step ''2'' here - when you lift off the cover, watch for 2 wafer-thin brass washers pics 2, 3, here, bottom right. There''s a gasket here, which I replaced with a thin film of RTV silicone.

Step ''3'' here (Eckler''s page) - I didn''t do that part...

Step ''4'' here - see side note; disregard reference to post 24 and 11. Use caution SLOW - the double click is the two brushes on the armature being pushed out by the TINY springs. Again - slow, so the springs don''t go ballistic on ya''. A couple of pics of the parts shows a brush spring.

Also watch the nylon gear shaft rotate, as the worm drive/armature is removed, like your distributor from the cam drive. Remember this at re-assembly. I don''t know how many teeth you can ''miss'' by, with no problems.

(EDIT: watch for a lone ball bearing (see pics) to drop out from the end of the worm drive, when you pull it from the armature housing - see post 5, 2nd pic, to see the ball bearing).

If you''re really dedicated, and want to hear sweet music when the repaired h/l works again, do this: re-grease the washer-type ball bearing inside the armature housing. Carefully remove the manual rotation knob from the shaft, and slowly remove the armature winding/shaft from the housing. Buried in there is the washer-bearing, and a few washers. See post 6 pic and not ''reeding'', which holds knob onto shaft.

Continue steps 6 -12 here on the Eckler''s page; before that, scroll ahead for additional posts and pics for reference/tips. Step 7 here - the shaft is a very tight fit into the nylon gear with the new delrins. I just used hand pressure, no carving.

You''ll have to do the fishing line trick to hold the brushes back in - pic 3, and 4, here.

(in reply to cwb)

Post #: 3

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 6:30:05 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

More breakdown/re-assembly...

pic 3; a slight tap with the screwdriver handle will separate the nylon gear from the shaft.

(in reply to cwb)

Post #: 4

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 6:32:03 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

At re-assembly, watch the lone ball bearing...

Put a dab of grease on the end of the drive, to hold the ball in place...

and remember to turn back the nylon gear from its removed position - it got pulled back by the worm drive, like your distributor off the cam drive.

Remember what I said about leavin'' those 2 bolts in place till you get a hand on the headlight assembly?

If you don''t, you''ll get this:

(in reply to cwb)

Post #: 5

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 6:38:53 AM

cwb

Posts: 1508
Joined: 5/13/2007
From: eastern NC
Status: offline

No turn at all? Pics edited in to go with text... Don''t connect stuff yet - just lay it out, so you can see what you''re doin''.

Note - there is a mistake in the FSM wiring diagram: Headlight motor wires are green and grey for both left and right headlight motors.

Now again, note the wiring diagram labels of the wires that go to the 2 motors - A, B, C, and D. NOTE them for the procedure, and when a reference is made to them, change accordingly.

Disconnect lefthand (or righthand, if it is broken) headlamp door 2 way connector. Notice the gray and green wire on the end of the connector that are the headlight motor wires.

Lay out your battery cables, and connect a piece (2nd pic) of wire to the (+) clamp, and another piece of wire to the (-) clamp at one end. Use different colors if possible, to not confuse them. Connect the cables to the battery when your sure the ends are not touching.

Connect the piece of wire on the 12V (+) FUSED (see what I wrote on the schematic about ''fused testing'' above) jumper to the GREEN WIRE connector pin. Connect the wire on the (-) cable to the grey pin connector.

The motor should now turn. If you hear only a click in the motor, switch the green and grey pin to wire connector/jumper. It will turn the other way.

If it does not turn, you have either a bad ground from the module to the frame, or a bad headlight module.

I have highlighted what I THINK is the module ground wire. CONFIRM BEFORE CONTINUING THE (-) GROUND TEST!!!

To test the module ground wire, you need a multimeter. Put the (+) mm probe on the battery (+). Unplug the headlight module connector that feeds the harness (both are circled; one of the connectors has a black wire which is the ground wire, and should be connected to the ground on the rail underneath the headlight). Put the mm (-) probe to the black pin in the connector, the same way you did with the other procedure. The mm should show 12V (about).

If it does not show 12V, you have a broken ground wire. If it DOES show 12V, the module is bad.

(in reply to cwb)

Post #: 6

RE: Headlight clicking and half-turns - repair with pic... - 9/3/2008 9:52:51 AM

juissed

Posts: 3
Joined: 8/6/2007
Status: offline

Awesome fix. This will come in handy for sure..

_____________________________