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Old 06-22-2009, 11:45 PM   #1
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Headlights... Pissin me off

How do i get these things to pop up...

1987 Firebird.
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Old 06-23-2009, 09:38 AM   #2
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

What do your headlights do when you turn them on/off? There are two common problems with the 87-92 headlights. First of all, if the motors spin but the lights don't go up or down it means that more than likely your motors need new bushings. If your motors don't do anything when you turn them on/off the problem is probably the module which is mounted on the firewall behind the brake booster.

We don't have any modules in stock right now but we do have the bushing kits available if that's what you need.
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Old 06-24-2009, 10:35 PM   #3
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

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Originally Posted by Thirdgen Ranch View Post
What do your headlights do when you turn them on/off? There are two common problems with the 87-92 headlights. First of all, if the motors spin but the lights don't go up or down it means that more than likely your motors need new bushings. If your motors don't do anything when you turn them on/off the problem is probably the module which is mounted on the firewall behind the brake booster.

We don't have any modules in stock right now but we do have the bushing kits available if that's what you need.
Yes the hand crank motors spin.

How hard is redoing bushings?
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Old 06-25-2009, 01:19 AM   #4
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

I had an 87 TransAm that had the old style headlight motors with the two wire setup. Those can't be rebuilt if the gear goes bad. The best thing for you to do is go to a yard and find the later style 88-92 ones, they have a smaller manual turn wheel on top and are overall smaller, but they are a direct swap if your car has the two wire system per motor. Those are easily rebuilt, there is a plastic gear inside that that is connected to a shaft by three small pucks. Now, if the gear is good and just those pucks have gone out, as in turned to dust, clean out the assembly and go down to autozone and get you a ford window motor kit, it's a little package that has the three pucks you need. Don't give Hawk's or any other merchant out there $20+ for the same package that costs $7 at autozone and $3 for a tub of grease at wal mart. Throw them in, put it back together, and throw it in the car and if the motors were spinning before, you will now have glorious lights up/down function!
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Old 06-25-2009, 01:26 AM   #5
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

I rebuilt mine about 4 years ago with the delrin bushings from top down solutions.

Do not buy the metal bushings, they will wear the worm gear down which is much more difficult and costly to replace.

The delrin bushings on the other hand will last far longer than the stock ones, but are softer than the worm gear so they won't wear that out.

The passenger side was a easy, the driver side was a pita though.
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Old 06-25-2009, 02:08 AM   #6
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

It's not hard to replace the bushings at all. A little time consuming but that's it. Once you replace the bushings the motors should be good forever so it's time well spent.
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Old 06-25-2009, 02:11 AM   #7
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

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Originally Posted by IROCZ28KevinZ View Post
I had an 87 TransAm that had the old style headlight motors with the two wire setup. Those can't be rebuilt if the gear goes bad. The best thing for you to do is go to a yard and find the later style 88-92 ones, they have a smaller manual turn wheel on top and are overall smaller, but they are a direct swap if your car has the two wire system per motor. Those are easily rebuilt, there is a plastic gear inside that that is connected to a shaft by three small pucks. Now, if the gear is good and just those pucks have gone out, as in turned to dust, clean out the assembly and go down to autozone and get you a ford window motor kit, it's a little package that has the three pucks you need. Don't give Hawk's or any other merchant out there $20+ for the same package that costs $7 at autozone and $3 for a tub of grease at wal mart. Throw them in, put it back together, and throw it in the car and if the motors were spinning before, you will now have glorious lights up/down function!
I don't know what you're talking about but all the 87-92 motors are the same. The gear rarely go bad, all you need to do is replace the bushings and the motors will work like new. We sell our bushing kits for $10 for six bushings which is enough to finx BOTH motors.
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Old 06-25-2009, 07:50 AM   #8
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thirdgen Ranch View Post
I don't know what you're talking about but all the 87-92 motors are the same. The gear rarely go bad, all you need to do is replace the bushings and the motors will work like new. We sell our bushing kits for $10 for six bushings which is enough to finx BOTH motors.
My car was an 87 GTA and it did have the older style motors that you really can't rebuild, they don't have the bushings in them. Perhaps it was an early 87? I dunno. They may have been swapped. But the car had the two-wire setup which made it easier to junk them and get the newer style.
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Old 06-25-2009, 09:20 AM   #9
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Re: Headlights... Pissin me off

I just rebuilt my 87 T/A headlight motor bushings. Mine would spin but not go up. I could turn the thing that spins and get them to go up. When I took it apart, it looked like the gear and metal was one piece. It is a 2 piece thing that comes apart and the bearings go in there. Mine bearings were dust. Now they work like new......
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Old 06-25-2009, 09:20 AM
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