Firebird Headlights--ALL COMMENTS/QUESTIONS REGARDING HEADLIGHTS GO IN HERE
take of the connector going to the motor and have someone turn on/off the headlights and see if you have voltage (using a vom) if you have +12 its time for a new motor.
Originally Posted by Mustang5.Ohater
take of the connector going to the motor and have someone turn on/off the headlights and see if you have voltage (using a vom) if you have +12 its time for a new motor.
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
u wont be believe this ****...i was just messin around lookin at the headlight motor, just tryin to figure out whats wrong with the headlight..and i just flipped the switch and out of no where it started to work. I tried it several more times and it still is workin.. I guess it was a pinched wire or something. thank god cause tomorrow i was gonna take the motor out..
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i did this on both my headlights today. but found a faster way
. if you raise the headlight and remove the headlight bezel. then remove the motor shaft retaining nut (probably the rustiest one lol). !do not remove the actuator arm! lower the headlight. remove the 2 hinge bolts they are torques heads with 10 mm nut on them. have someone hold the loose light assembly up while you raise the light assembly. use a flat head screwdriver to pry the actuator arm off of the motor shaft. remove the headlight assembly. use the manual *** that raises the headlight to turn the gear 180 degrees. put it back together in reverse order. this shortcut is not for those that are not use to trying the faster way. i just did this to save time but it worked really good.
. if you raise the headlight and remove the headlight bezel. then remove the motor shaft retaining nut (probably the rustiest one lol). !do not remove the actuator arm! lower the headlight. remove the 2 hinge bolts they are torques heads with 10 mm nut on them. have someone hold the loose light assembly up while you raise the light assembly. use a flat head screwdriver to pry the actuator arm off of the motor shaft. remove the headlight assembly. use the manual *** that raises the headlight to turn the gear 180 degrees. put it back together in reverse order. this shortcut is not for those that are not use to trying the faster way. i just did this to save time but it worked really good. Teching In
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
im still havin problems with my headlight...when i raise it myself and wiggle the wires around the headlight works... but after a day or so it stops workin again. Could it be anything else besides the connections. And if its the connection how do i change it and where can i buy it
On The Tree
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: Raleigh
just wanted to say thanks for the "quick fix" tip. i had that grinding headlight problem when it went down so i turned the gear 180 degrees (did this about a month ago) and it's worked perfectly ever since. hopefully it'll last for a while.
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Louisiana
headlight headache I have a 1982 Recaro Trans Am. My headlights will go down just fine but they wont go up at all. If my motors work to close them but not to open them, can my motors still be bad? I have changed the headlight isolation relay but nothing changed.
Anyone had this problem before?
Teebird
Anyone had this problem before?
Teebird
TECH Veteran
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,012
Likes: 1
From: Beaumont, TX
Originally Posted by Teebird
I have a 1982 Recaro Trans Am. My headlights will go down just fine but they wont go up at all. If my motors work to close them but not to open them, can my motors still be bad? I have changed the headlight isolation relay but nothing changed.
Anyone had this problem before?
Teebird
Anyone had this problem before?
Teebird
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/index.htmThat may not be what your problem is, but thought it's worth a look...
3rd Gen Headlight Fix
1982 to 1992 Firebirds and Trans Ams
The bad news for you 3rd generation Firebird guys (1982-1992) is that I won't be offering brass gears for you guys. Now, the good news is that 99.9% of the problems associated with headlight problems for you guys is NOT related to the nylon gear failure! You guys are fortunate in that your problem can likely be fixed with less than a buck's worth of supplies from a common place such as Home Depot or any hardware store.
In the 4th gens, the shaft which turns to raise and lower the headlight is connected to the gear via a rubber piece which sets in the gear itself or, in the case of my brass gears with no rubber, the shaft is actually connected via tabs to the brass gear. In the 3rd generation Firebirds, this actual physical connection doesn't exist. Instead, in each light are located three hard "pucks". These pucks provide the mechanical connection between the nylon gear and the shaft which raises or lowers the headlight. Over time, these pucks will actually disintegrate into small granules and dust! The very good news for you guys is these pucks are nothing special. You can use just about anything you can get your hands on that is the proper size and will fit in the areas these three pucks "used" to be located at. I recommend using a thick rubber hose or tubing of the proper diameter and length (1/2" outside diameter and about 1/2" in length) but I have heard of one guy who didn't want to go out and buy anything but had a hot glue stick laying around so sliced off some pieces of that instead! I don't recommend that though since I don't know how long the glue stick will last in there Instead, slice three 1/2" pieces off your hose/tubing and drop them in place where your pucks used to be located. Once you do this you can put your light back together and you'll be good to go! Total cost for this fix is about $0.12 or there abouts
1982 to 1992 Firebirds and Trans Ams
The bad news for you 3rd generation Firebird guys (1982-1992) is that I won't be offering brass gears for you guys. Now, the good news is that 99.9% of the problems associated with headlight problems for you guys is NOT related to the nylon gear failure! You guys are fortunate in that your problem can likely be fixed with less than a buck's worth of supplies from a common place such as Home Depot or any hardware store.
In the 4th gens, the shaft which turns to raise and lower the headlight is connected to the gear via a rubber piece which sets in the gear itself or, in the case of my brass gears with no rubber, the shaft is actually connected via tabs to the brass gear. In the 3rd generation Firebirds, this actual physical connection doesn't exist. Instead, in each light are located three hard "pucks". These pucks provide the mechanical connection between the nylon gear and the shaft which raises or lowers the headlight. Over time, these pucks will actually disintegrate into small granules and dust! The very good news for you guys is these pucks are nothing special. You can use just about anything you can get your hands on that is the proper size and will fit in the areas these three pucks "used" to be located at. I recommend using a thick rubber hose or tubing of the proper diameter and length (1/2" outside diameter and about 1/2" in length) but I have heard of one guy who didn't want to go out and buy anything but had a hot glue stick laying around so sliced off some pieces of that instead! I don't recommend that though since I don't know how long the glue stick will last in there
Instead, slice three 1/2" pieces off your hose/tubing and drop them in place where your pucks used to be located. Once you do this you can put your light back together and you'll be good to go! Total cost for this fix is about $0.12 or there abouts 
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Mesquite, TX
headlight problem I have an 01 trans am...when I engauge or disengauge keyless entry headlights come up then down and make a roaring noise . The noise only comes from left headlight drivers side? Both lights come up though! Any idea? Is it the same thing I am seeing here about gears?
Thanks,
Tiffany
Thanks,
Tiffany