tony1970 Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 HEADLIGHT MOTORS how do I a just the the headlight motor tension ? I went to go put my headlights today they not go until I loosened the wheel the on the motor then they worked fine any feed back would be great both motors were rebuild 2 years ago thanks tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Is this just happening on one headlight motor or both? To my knowledge there is no tension adjustment on the headlights. You could try lubricating the pivot points. The knob on the end of the motor actually turns the gearbox to open the headlight doors manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Hi Ronnie thanks for your feedback it happens to both headlights. I did lube the pivot points with motor oil .as I am this I went out to check the lights and they work fine.i am thinking maybe it is the switch.what say you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVET Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 10 minutes ago, tony1970 said: Hi Ronnie thanks for your feedback it happens to both headlights. I did lube the pivot points with motor oil .as I am this I went out to check the lights and they work fine.i am thinking maybe it is the switch.what say you? Is it cold where the car is located? It is possible that the nylon gear was lubed with heavy grease. Or they may not have been lubed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 What model is your Reatta? It would be really helpful if you would add the model to your signature line. HOW TO EDIT YOUR SIGNATURE LINE If you have an '88 or '89 model, push the button on the center console to open the doors and see if the motors run. Also, raise the hood when it's dark outside and see if the headlights come on when the doors won't open. Let is know what you find. It might help in diagnosing your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 12, 2018 Author Share Posted November 12, 2018 Hi Ronnie it is a 1990 reatta conv I did update my profile .I wiil let you know what I find. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 24, 2018 Author Share Posted November 24, 2018 Hi Ronnie been away for a while but I am back ,I have had time to check out the headlights car has been sitting for a while here in florida at 85 degrees in the garage I tried to turn on the headlights but did not go up ,but the lights were on ,loosended the motor knob and they went up I have ruled out the switch ,was say you thanks tony, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 (edited) I may be confused by what you are saying or just do not understand. (a) when you said "loosended the motor knob and they went up" ....by turning the knob on the end of the motor (the only adjustment you can do with the headlights assembled) you are turning the motor shaft. when that knob turns one way the headlights go UP when you turn it the other way they go DOWN. When everything is good, you should not need to touch that knob. I appears the motor is sticking ......maybe not the motor itself but I would guess the bellcrank/arm which you said looks good. The problem I have, if you can turn the knob and it works, why will it not work when power is applied? You could isolate the problem by.........disconnect the motor and apply power directly to the motor. If it goes up and down without assist, then the problem is either the headlight control module or the headlight switch. When I first read your post, I thought you were loosening the end play screw (that is the plug on the end opposite the black plastic knob) it has a hex nut that locks it in place, with the nut loose you can screw the plug in or out to adjust the motor end play, If I need to adjust that, I screw it in with light pressure until it stops, then back off 1/4 turn and tighten the lock nut. It will probably work when the plug is backed off a full turn but that allows the motor shaft to shift more than necessary. Edited November 25, 2018 by Barney Eaton (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 Thanks Barney for your feedback, I started the car up today and lights went up and worked fine ,although I loosed the headlight motor knob last night because lights did not go up but they were on, sometimes only the drivers side will go up and the other side will not .I hit the headlight switch again and they worked fine. I think it could be the headlight switch or something binding on the crank arm. What say you.thanks tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 What do you mean by 'loosened'? ...gave it a 'tweak'?...rotated it til the headlight came all the way up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 Turning on the headlight knob only helps with the next on/off cycle. I think you have excessive wear on your crank arm. Take it apart and take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 Hi Dave ,good to hear from you I will take it apart and have a look as soon as it gets a little cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 Hi Harry,the headlight motor knob was very tight. I turned it a few times just to get it loose the covers were not raised.thanks tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 There is the possibility that one of the motor commutator segments is dead. If the brush stops on the dead segment, the motor will not run until you turn it past the segment ....ie turn the knob. The attached photo shows where the winding is attached to the segment....the wire is crimped in the copper, sometimes you can crimp it more or solder it and the segment will then have continuity. To test for a dead segment, with either a multimeter or test light, put one probe on a segment, the other probe on the segment next to it and you should have a connection......work your way around the commutator until you have tested all segments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted December 4, 2018 Author Share Posted December 4, 2018 Hi Barney, I want to thank you for your feedback for my headlight problem. I have been away for the last couple days ,when I get some time I will check the motor out for dead spots and let you know. Thanks Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Tony, Did you find out what was causing your problem with the lights not opening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Hi Ronnie,Thanks for asking about the headlights I have been very busy in the last couple of weeks. So far all I have done was swap out the headlight switch . It seems to be working fine so far,but I still think there is a dead spot in the motor.After the holidays I will take both motors a part and look in to it further . I will be taking the car out tomorrow for a 50 mile trip . Have a good holiday ,thanks Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted December 29, 2018 Author Share Posted December 29, 2018 Hi everyone, hope all had a good holiday.Getting back to the headlight problem.They are working fine.Just one thing with the the headlights on the ac controller,radio and console lights are not on ,only when I put the fog light switch on they work.My question is Is this normal? Also everything works fine just with the parking lights on I do not have to turn on fog light switch.I need some help to figure this out.Thanks Tony.1990 reatta conv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 A few years back we had some people on this discussion that swore that you could get all sorts of "special" things done to your Reatta at the Craft Centre. I do not think that having the parking lights on to operate the ac, radio and console light was one of the special things you could get done when new. I suspect you have a defective headlight switch that is causing the problem. 1990 Reatta headlight switch was a one year/Reatta only item because the fog light switch was built into the headlight switch assembly. 1991 the fog light switch was moved to the front of the console and The headlight switch had Twilight Sentinel at the bottom . If you can find a Riviera at a junk yard, get the headlight sw. (a standard Riviera did not have Twilight others did) You can plug the Riviera sw in and see if that solves the problem. Jim Finn rebuilds headlight switches.....otherwise you will find very expensive 1990 switches available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony1970 Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 Good mourning Barney and happy new year.I replaced the headlight switch and wala everything works the way it should! Thanks Barney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now