2002 headlight door adjustment

[thomp73]

My left side headlight door rotates farther than the right side when closing leaving it angled into the opening a bit. Is this adjustable so that it lays even with the hood profile?

[ericmeist]

Mine did that for a while before the gear stripped out completely and it just clicked loudly while turning up. I understand eventually they don't go up at all. I got it repaired under major guard. I have seen aftermarket brass gears replacing factory nylon that look like a pretty easy DIY job. You are seeing preliminary signs of a worn nylon gear. If it really bothers you I suggest you do the DIY; if still under warranty wait and see. The brass gears are in all the internet Corvette shops. As my 2002 ages and they fail again that's my long term strategy.

Good luck,
Eric

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
The down stops could also be worn out.
Thats not uncommon either, leading to incorrect alignment.
These are 2 rubber knobs that are connected to the motor assembly/actuator bracket.
Allthebest, c4c5

[Blu Cah]

Originally Posted by c4c5specialist

HI there,
The down stops could also be worn out.
Thats not uncommon either, leading to incorrect alignment.
These are 2 rubber knobs that are connected to the motor assembly/actuator bracket.
Allthebest, c4c5

Having just replaced my nylon gears with the brass gears, I noticed when I had the headlight light assemblies removed, the rubber knobs where worn at the contact points, especially on the down stop.

The wear on the down stop wore completely through and was making metal-to-metal contact.

All I did to fix this was take the knobs off and rotate them 180 degrees. Prior to this my headlight covers were slightly lower on the leading edge of the panel, now they are flush with the front panel.

As a footnote, replacing the headlight motor nylon gears with the brass gears is a good DIY project.

[ToolGuy]

Do the new gear kits come with new rubber knobs?

[leadfoot]

Hello Tod
No they come with brass gears rubber bushings for inside the gear lube and glue for the later model motors some even supply braces for the glued motor covers. It is a must do mod or a will do if you keep the car long enough. A fun DIY project that improves the car and removes a will fail component. The twilight sentile feature if equipped accelerates the gears failure imho as well as opening headlamps at speed. if you do the euro conversion to the glass lens also will speed up the need to replace the plastic gears. Hope all is well. Joe

[ericmeist]

Originally Posted by Blu Cah

Prior to this my headlight covers were slightly lower on the leading edge of the panel, now they are flush with the front panel.

Thanks for the comment. Because of underground parking at office and undercovered parking at home mine I think have worn faster than most. But the one GM didn't fix is angled up slightly. I was planning on getting the brass gears when the second one went out. Any chance the stops could wear in a way that make the light tip higher?

Thanks

[ToolGuy]

Thanks Joe. I think I will do this soon, even though I do not have any issues.

[leadfoot]

The nylon stops and there alignment is an important point in the r/r get extras if you can find them an out of stock item for sure,if not now in the future