1st gen headlight motor question (Page 1/1)
cbdallas OCT 23, 08:20 AM
Hey guys, tried my hand at rebuilding an '86 headlight motor with Rodney's gear kit. Got it back together, and verified it runs, then installed it in the headlight bucket, and operated it by hand. The "closed" position finger isn't moving to actuate the limit switch, no matter how tightly I crank it closed. The "open" finger moves fine and actuates the switch. I checked and double-checked that the rubber seal and bearing / bushing at the top is seated in the right position. I can pull on the knob and move the "open" finger, but no matter how hard I press down, I can't make the armature move downward to move the "closed" finger.

Can't figure out what I've done wrong. Any suggestions?
cebix OCT 23, 02:47 PM
Been there, done that. The rubber "pellets" that go in the replacement gear are too soft. Gotta replace them with harder material.

But not too hard. I replaced the rubber with steel hex nuts and while the limit switches worked perfectly the gear stripped in a few months.
Dennis LaGrua OCT 23, 09:15 PM
If you need a new motor gear there are aluminum units available that do not strip out as easily.
fierofool OCT 23, 09:25 PM
How much disassembly did you do? If you only removed the gear and its shaft, there's nothing you could have done that would cause this. If you removed the two dogs on the motor shaft (fingers) it's possible you may have gotten one turned over on reassembly.

If you used Rodney's metal gear kit, it isn't likely that the rubber bumpstops are too soft. I have never had a problem with them and I've rebuilt many many Gen 1 motors.
cbdallas OCT 23, 10:04 PM
I took everything apart except the motor shaft. I literally removed it, set it aside, and put it back in when I got everything clean and put the new gear in. Those new bumpers are hard as a rock. This is puzzling.
cbdallas OCT 23, 10:06 PM
Pic
cbdallas OCT 23, 10:14 PM
Ugh...figured it out. Lower bushing in the wrong spot. Thanks guys!
Dennis LaGrua OCT 24, 11:11 AM

quote
Originally posted by cbdallas:

Ugh...figured it out. Lower bushing in the wrong spot. Thanks guys!



Good that you got it working. We will probably never see these motors in the aftermarket. The good news is that they are usually rebuildable. Gears, inserts and even motor brushes (available from Rodney) are available. I've used Rodney's brush replacements and they work well.

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