slow headlight one side 1965

[Bruce W.]

Hey guys, I got the lights to work but now i see the drivers side goes up much slower than the right side. How do I fix this??? appreciate your help.
Bruce

[Ed S.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Experienced the same with my 64. It is very likely one of two issues or a combination of both. The "buckets ride on shafts that contain a large single metal "ball" on each side. Initially, these were lubricated to glide or rotate smoothly. Over time the lubricant dries out and turns to putty or harder. Instead of lubricating the moving parts the residue is inhibiting smooth movement and slowing the rotation of the buckets. This puts stress on the motors - there is a soft metal gear inside the motor - it wears and eventually it will not engage. You can remove the motors without removing the buckets - motors are relatively easy to overhaul - with the motor out the bucket should rotate very freely - if it doesn't you need to remove the associated components of the buckets, clean, lube and reinstall. If you would like to see several great "how-to" articles with pics on C2 headlight restoration go the the Tech Library on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter website, scroll down to "Electrical", you will see 5 articles on Headlights - these should help. Good luck. https://www.ncrsmac.org/Tech-Library

[Bruce W.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Ed, thanks,
do you think there is any way to lube up the motors without taking them out. I dread the thought of taking off the hood!!
Bruce

[Ed S.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Bruce - first, you do not have to remove the hood to repair the headlight motors or the buckets. I did mine without removing the hood. I was able to get the motors and buckets out completely without removing the hood. Reinstalling was a different story - I removed the front bumpers and grill - that made it a lot easier. They come off pretty easily. But..... you asked, "is there any way to lube up the motors......". The lube that is associated with the motors is all internal to the motors - so the answer is no, you have to remove the motors to replace bad gears, clean them up and lube non electric moving parts. If you are asking if it is possible to lube the two large ball sockets on either side of the buckets (these ball sockets are external to the buckets - it is probably possible - you would have to get a red plastic tube like those that go on a WD40 can and squirt some WD40 or silicone lube into the ball socket. The ball sockets are held in with 3 short 3/8 or 7/16 bolts - you can loosen them so the socket can be slid back a fraction of an inch in order to get the lube sprayed in there better - but ---- I am not sure that will be a permanent fix. My guess is that the motor gears are damaged. If you remove the motors then you can check the movement of the buckets - if the rotate freely you are home - no need to mess with them any further. Hope this helps.

[Bob R.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

The motors can be removed and replaced without removing the hood or grill but it is not an easy thing to do. The motors are held in place with a small 1/4" hex head bolt and a clip. You should put a pin in the hold open brace to prevent the hood from accidentally falling and crushing your arm then these are relatively easy to remove by going through the small space between the hood and front valance with the hood in the open position and using a mirror. It is not very difficult to take the motor apart and grease the large gear which opens the lights. If the gear is damaged you can replace it or just rotate it 180 degrees until the contact area is in good condition. The above is easy to do the difficult part for me was the re install working with a mirror it was a pain to line things up and get the small bolt installed.

[Ed S.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Bob's comments are spot on. A few more points to be aware of and consider. 1. With motors removed and partially disassembled, do not pull hard on the armature to remove it from the housing. It should come out easy. If it doesn't that is because a brass bushing on the end of the armature shaft you cannot see (which is inside the motor) has bonded with the shaft. If you pull on the armature and pull that bushing out of its seat with the armature you have a bit of a problem. It is impossible to get the bushing back in without grinding out the retainer deep inside the motor - which is tack welded in. The bushing should spin freely on the shaft and slide off of it and remain inside the motor. Repro retainers and bushings are available (not expensive) - but it is difficult to install them - there are guys that do that for a nominal fee. 2. "The gear" - many have suggested to just rotate it 180 degrees - that works but a new gear is not expensive and the good news is that new repro gears sold by some vendors are actually a few thousands of an inch thicker than originals - and they fit better because of that, less free play but not so much as to impede functionality. 3. When you reassemble the motor there is a screw with a nut that adjusts the free play of the motor and gear - this is a "by feel" adjustment, you want just a few thousands of an inch movement of the components inside the motor. All easy to do.

[Bruce W.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Ed,
thanks for all the help. Another job to keep me occupied. just discovered that the trip odometer doesn't work. since I will going for a Duntov i will need to get this fixed. Any suggestions?
Bruce

[Duke W.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Once you get the motor/gearbox assy. out rotate the buckets by hand. If they rotate freely, leave them alone, the likely culprit is the worm gear, which may need to be replaced due to distortion of the teeth, although it can be reused by rotating the gear such that the bent teeth on the worm gear are not engaged by the worm machined into the armature shaft.

As far as the motors are concerned, if the armature shaft rotates freely, leave them alone.

The R & I procedure is in your 1963 Corvette Shop Manual, and it is not a difficult job.

Duke

[Ed S.]

Re: slow headlight one side 1965

Ed,
thanks for all the help. Another job to keep me occupied. just discovered that the trip odometer doesn't work. since I will going for a Duntov i will need to get this fixed. Any suggestions?
Bruce

Bruce - you are welcome - glad to be of assistance on the headlights. RE your trip-odometer, sorry - can't help there, as mine works and I have not had to mess with it. That said, if you do a search for Trip odometer in this forum's search field I am pretty sure you will get a lot of references - I recall seeing them. BTW - if you land up pulling the bushing out of your HL motor and need someone that can do an excellent job fixing it - send me an PM, I can give you the name and contact info of an NCRS member that did it for me at a very reasonable cost.