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

[Will Kooiman]

I believe the shaft that connects both buckets turns freely.  I have never
had it apart, but it feels like it is in a bearing.  At any rate, I doubt
that it could bind.

My first guess would be the headlight trim rings (1 or both) popping off
and binding.  That seems the most likely.

I doubt that any varmints (wasps, hornets, prancing horses) could bind the
headlights.  It would take a lot to make a gear (or coupler) strip.

On 8/31/14, 3:24 PM, "Mike Drew via DeTomaso" <detomaso at poca.com> wrote:

>Charlie,
>
>It's a bit confusing to follow your narrative. You say you opened the
>motor up, but I assume what you mean is that you opened up the
>'transmission' that has the plastic gear inside?  Connected to the
>electric motor?
>
>The plastic gear (large) has a shaft in the center connected to a small
>steel gear. That engages the curved gear welded to the headlight bar and
>raises and lowers the lights.
>
>It sounds to me as though the interface between the small steel gear and
>the curved gear on the bar wasn't great and at some point the gear teeth
>started skipping. 
>
>While you have the mechanism in your hand you should definitely install a
>metal gear in place of the large plastic one. Otherwise fate will dictate
>that it breaks 1.0 miles after you put it all back together and drive off!
>
>Are the headlights free to go up and down by hand with the motor and
>transmission removed?  (Please say yes!)
>
>If so it's just an adjustment issue. Install a new gear just because,
>reinstall everything, and ensure the interface between the small gear and
>curved gear on the bar is super tight. It's easily adjusted. Methinks
>yours got misadjusted.
>
>Mike
>
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>On Aug 31, 2014, at 9:20, Charles McCall <charlesmccall at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>   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
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