headlight motor grinding
Asked by Steven Jun 07, 2018 at 06:11 PM about the 1999 Pontiac Firebird Base
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
when I shut my headlights off on my 1999 3.8L auto, the headlight motors
grind gears for 3-4 seconds after the lights retract. this is very loud, and cant
be good. how do I fix this?
5 Answers
The gear in the motor is worn out. The gears are plastic and wear out on one side after a while. You could flip the gear over, or get a metal gear replacement. Or just get a whole new headlight motor. In the meantime, take the fuse for the motor out after the headlights are up. That stops them from closing when you turn them off and making that grinding noise. I don't remember what it cost for my headlight motor replacement, but it wasn't too expensive. I think the motor costs around $100 and my mechanic installed for less than $200.
Do a search for a kit to rebuild the motors. The bearings wear out and can be easily replaced for about $20 per motor.
Looks like the best solution for me- don't get me wrong, if I had $300 to throw at this problem, I wouldn't hesitate, but I'm saving for a down on a Lamborghini
I just replaced the plastic gear but it still makes that noise, any ideas?
GuruDZFD5V answered 10 months ago
none of this has been helpful. I put a new cardone motor and it still grinds, took that out rebuilt old motor with new aluminum gear and it still grinds! HELP! I thought i read a statement saying the ground might be suspect.
