1967 Headlights will not turn

[Dale M.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Bushing is on other end, I was confused at first. I recommend taking the motor apart and cleaning the shaft and lubricating the bushings. With the gear stuck to the case that attaches to the shaft that turns the headlight bucket, you should be able to tap on the ean of the gear, but go slow and easy like the first one Great going. Dale

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Both Gears are now out - and without breaking the casting.
Now another question - the plastic washer that goes underneath the gear - is that a "press fit" or should it rotate freely?
Easy to replace but no need to just spend money if not needed.
THanks for all the help.
Joe

[William L.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Everything inside gear case should rotate freely.

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Thanks Bill,
Any recommendation on type of grease and how much to use?
Joe

[William L.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Joe I use a white lithium grease. I coat all the moving/rubbing parts. You dont have to go overboard with the grease as you can see there was not a lot of grease used by the original manufacturer.
Bill

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Thanks Bill,
By the way - just curious - what is "white" grease and how is that different from regular grease.
Joe

[William L.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

White Lithium grease is what I was taught to use. Someone with at lot more engineering and chemistry knowledge than I have will have to answer about the differences in the two.

[Paul J.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Lithium is a metal, and as such it is heat resistant. Lithium grease is made from lithium stearate (I think) and has good lubricity characteristics. It is a little like molybdenum, if you have ever used a moly grease. Regular grease is a combination of a thick mineral based distillate and several chemical compounds. I do not think that there is any type of metal in regular greases.

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Thanks Paul,
So is the lithium grease less likely to get thick and "gunk" like with limited use? My car is a real nice one but it is a driver and I use it when I can - but rarely at night, so the lights don't turn as often as they probably should.
Thanks for the help.
Joe

[Paul J.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Thanks Paul,
So is the lithium grease less likely to get thick and "gunk" like with limited use? My car is a real nice one but it is a driver and I use it when I can - but rarely at night, so the lights don't turn as often as they probably should.
Thanks for the help.
Joe

I believe so, but it still dries out and gets hard. I think it stays pliable longer. Your car came from the factory with some type of lubricant, and although I can't tell you if it was lithium grease, white lithium greases were a favorite with automotive manufacturers in the past. In my opinion, the primaly reason why you would want grease on a seldom used rotating friction surface would be to protect it from corrosion.

Paul

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Interesting thought Paul,
best bet may be a small amount of grease.
Better yet would be to drive the car at night.
Joe

[Jack H.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Interesting thought Paul,
best bet may be a small amount of grease.
Better yet would be to drive the car at night.
Joe

Just another perspective that I frequently have to remind myself of also....but the original grease served its purpose for what 45 years or so?

[Dick W.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

Thanks Bill,
Any recommendation on type of grease and how much to use?
Joe

I use Lubriplate "white grease" on the gears. Where the shaft goes thru the housing, we always used just a small dab of Never Seize. Everything we work on gets either Never Seize or Loctite. If you never want it apart again the Miller is used to make it permanent.

[Joseph U.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

I am afraid that is the problem I have.
I purchased this car from a friend and the headlights must have been rebuilt since there was not dirt on the casing when I removed them from the car. So I would just like to know what caused both of them to sieze up as they did. Did the grease used turn hard with limited to know use? WHo knows! I would just like to know the cause of the problem.
In reality I will probably never know.
Anyway thanks for all of the help. I plan to totally disassemble the motors and do a complete re-do - might as well since the hood is off the car and the motors are out.
Joe

[Greg C.]

Re: 1967 Headlights will not turn

You need to remove the motors and take them apart ..I have done this many times...the grease dries up...also its not that hard of a job...