[DeTomaso] Headlights don't go up, take II

[Charles McCall]

Thanks for all the replies regarding how to remove the headlight motor. 

 

It wasn't fun, but there are worse jobs. The good news is that I got the
headlight motor out and opened it up. The bad news is that it looks perfect.


 

The headlight motor was actually quite well sealed, and took some persuasion
to get it open. But the grease was still greasy and the insides looked
really in pretty good condition. This is bad news because I was expecting to
see a broken plastic gear, which I was betting was the cause of my problem.
Since it isn't broken, now I'm sort of out of ideas. 

 

Before removing the gear, I had my wife turn the headlights on while I
watched the motor. The motor gear turned, the headlights began to raise a
quarter inch, but then the gear started skipping and the headlights stopped
going up. I had assumed that this juddering was due to a jammed plastic
gear. 

 

The only other thing that occurs to me is that perhaps the motor has somehow
come out of adjustment and wasn't making good contact with the headlight
raise mechanism and it was skipping teeth? The motor gear "wheel" was all
coated with years of road crud, which may inhibit making good contact, but
I've never heard of the teeth of this wheel getting filled up with road crud
and not meshing well enough with the raise mechanism. 

 

Any other theories other than something moved somehow and the motor and
headlight raise mechanism aren't making good contact and I'm skipping teeth?
Is it even possible to adjust to engage the teeth more or less?

 

Thanks

-------------- next part --------------
   Thanks for all the replies regarding how to remove the headlight motor.


   It wasn't fun, but there are worse jobs. The good news is that I got
   the headlight motor out and opened it up. The bad news is that it looks
   perfect.


   The headlight motor was actually quite well sealed, and took some
   persuasion to get it open. But the grease was still greasy and the
   insides looked really in pretty good condition. This is bad news
   because I was expecting to see a broken plastic gear, which I was
   betting was the cause of my problem. Since it isn't broken, now I'm
   sort of out of ideas.


   Before removing the gear, I had my wife turn the headlights on while I
   watched the motor. The motor gear turned, the headlights began to raise
   a quarter inch, but then the gear started skipping and the headlights
   stopped going up. I had assumed that this juddering was due to a jammed
   plastic gear.


   The only other thing that occurs to me is that perhaps the motor has
   somehow come out of adjustment and wasn't making good contact with the
   headlight raise mechanism and it was skipping teeth? The motor gear
   "wheel" was all coated with years of road crud, which may inhibit
   making good contact, but I've never heard of the teeth of this wheel
   getting filled up with road crud and not meshing well enough with the
   raise mechanism.


   Any other theories other than something moved somehow and the motor and
   headlight raise mechanism aren't making good contact and I'm skipping
   teeth? Is it even possible to adjust to engage the teeth more or less?


   Thanks