Headlamp motor fubared resulting in Dreyfus like headlamp twitching

[RobinB5]

Well maybe not the motor itself, but the drive unit, specifically the 3 little plastic rollers had completely disintegrated. Common enough by all accounts and well documented here and on YouTube. On fiddling the drive gear out, there was an eruption of the fragmented remains of the rollers. Overhaul kit ordered from SJ and should be easy to install. I'm tempted not to bother taking the motor itself out, just try to remove the crud from the worm drive. I really don't fancy the fiddlyness of keeping the bushes in whist reinserting the motor shaft. Unless anyone has any tricks as to how to do that without gnashing of teeth and general profanities?   

 

[Escape]

I've used all kinds of tricks for motors like that. A good start is to clamp the shaft in a vice, so you only have to worry about the motor casing.

Small screwdrivers can be used to push back the brushes. Or thin wires to pull them back via the cables. I can't remember what I used for the headlight motors, too long ago and I did too many other motors for windows, wipers, transfer boxes etc in the meantime. I do recall the headlight motors were not that hard. 😉

Filip

[RobinB5]

Thanks Filip! Thin wires or maybe cotton thread sounds doable.

[Barrykearley]

Defo cotton or nylon thread @RobinB5

[s4simon]

 

I remember taking mine apart some 18 years ago.  And yes I remember trying to keep the brushes back when reinstalling was a bit of a nightmare.  But got there in the end.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by s4simon

[fjmuurling]

Some creative bending of a couple of paperclip[s (1 for each brush) will make a nice little hook for keeping the brushes in the retracted position when putting it all together. Upon closing of the housing turn the hooks 90 deg and pull them out.

And a pair of extra hands is also Handy.

 

 

[RobinB5]

Thanks @fjmuurling!

Funnily enough the instructions that came with the refurb kit from SJ recommended one of 2 methods, one of which involved the use of paperclips. However the paper clip was recommended to retract the bushes by pulling on the attached Copper wire, not the bushes themselves. It worked for me today, but I didn't like applying that much tension on the Copper wire.

All back together now. Didn't lose the ball bearing on the top of the motor shaft, applied liberal amounts of grease to the worm screw and nylon gear, headlight pops up and down now without so much as a wink  

I haven't had to do much to my S4 these last couple of years, this was relatively easy! (though I'm going to have to drop the rad pack at some point... not looking forward to that).

[tomcattom]

Good luck with the rad pack, it's not actually that big a deal I didn't think. The only really worry/issue you'll likely have is if the oil coolers cooperate.

It's a lot easier to remove everything if half of it's missing in the first place 🤣

[Escape]

What worries me about dropping the rad pack is it's almost a given that some (if not all) of the captive nuts in the GRP will break free. Getting the bolts out is one thing, but reattaching afterwards something else.

I don't want to put you off, but that is the reason I've been postponing taking out my rad...

Filip

[tomcattom]

What captive nuts are you referring to @Escape? I can't recall any captive nuts on mine when I did the rad pack last year 🤔

[Escape]

It's been some years, but I recall plates with nuts in the GRP (the parts manual lists 'tapping plates') where the bolts for the cowling are attached. I guess captive nuts was not the right term, sorry.
On my red Esprit several could not be used again when refitting or had already been replaced by nuts&bolts where accessible by the previous owner, making it a bit of a nightmare...

Filip