Does anyone really understand adjustment of headlight pods?
Discussion
I'm struggling here!
I have replaced the motor on the O/S pod. I have also got a new linkage. But I still have 2 problems.
Firstly, there is movement in the mechanism. I have adjusted out all the end-float in the motor shaft. But there is still a drop at the top of the pod travel- i.e. it goes up OK then drops back down by about an inch.
Some of the movement is due to a bit of slack in the pivot bolt hole on one side. But there also appears to be some in the arm/lever coming off the motor.
When others' pods go up does the rubber bump-stop on the front of the pod on the bottom lock up firmly against the underside of the bodywork?
Secondly, I cannot seem to adjust the linkage to the right length to get the pod all the way up without it sitting in a raised position when the pod is down.
I know it will depend partly on the articulation of the arm attached to the motor because if it sweeps a different arc that will cause more or less movement in the pod.
Any thoughts?
Adi
I have replaced the motor on the O/S pod. I have also got a new linkage. But I still have 2 problems.
Firstly, there is movement in the mechanism. I have adjusted out all the end-float in the motor shaft. But there is still a drop at the top of the pod travel- i.e. it goes up OK then drops back down by about an inch.
Some of the movement is due to a bit of slack in the pivot bolt hole on one side. But there also appears to be some in the arm/lever coming off the motor.
When others' pods go up does the rubber bump-stop on the front of the pod on the bottom lock up firmly against the underside of the bodywork?
Secondly, I cannot seem to adjust the linkage to the right length to get the pod all the way up without it sitting in a raised position when the pod is down.
I know it will depend partly on the articulation of the arm attached to the motor because if it sweeps a different arc that will cause more or less movement in the pod.
Any thoughts?
Adi
On your motor is there any way of removing the spindle from the gearing and resetting it. Sorry if it's a bit vague but it has been years since I fixed this. My pods go up and stop with the rubber bump stop, I also have bump stops in place on the floor of the pod which is adjustable to level the lights when they are in the down position.
wild rover said:
On your motor is there any way of removing the spindle from the gearing and resetting it. Sorry if it's a bit vague but it has been years since I fixed this. My pods go up and stop with the rubber bump stop, I also have bump stops in place on the floor of the pod which is adjustable to level the lights when they are in the down position.
The guy who refurbishes the motors for Robsport suggested something like that. But I don't see how that would make a difference. I can't claim to be an expert on the motors but if I understand it correctly the main gear wheel which rotates with the actuating arm has 2 raised parts on it in difference positions. I think one activates the switch to stop the motor on the up and the other on the down. Therefore the motor rotates a fixed amount.My understanding is that the motor has a fixed travel so any extra or reduction in travel must be created by making the rotation of the motor start at a different point. There is obviously adjustment in the linkage but the only way of increasing or decreasing the amount of travel is by sweeping a different arc if you understand what I mean.
Having said all of that, I'm sure I must have overlooked something!!
Hi mate...Is the N/S pod doing what it should do?...If yes then you need to remove the headlights, Bowls and disconnect the wiring plugs so that you can see the armature positions of both pods when raised...Compare the O/S to the N/S...Sometimes the arms can be upside down or at the wrong position when fitted...If you have no rubber stop on the bottom of the pod then you might have too much adjustment in the up position..If they go passed a certain point then they will close again...Even with the lights on.
Have you tried this...Remove the lens and disconnect the bowls from the offending side via the connector plug so that nothing gets trapped in the pod, Put a little bit of tape on the front inner edge so that you have something to manually lift the pod up with when closed...Disconnect the armature and then lower the pods...Then raise them again, Obviously only the N/S will lift but the motor on the O/S should be in the correct position...Lift the pod with the bit of tape...(Instead of prising it open with a screwdriver)..Re-connect the armature to see if this makes a difference...Sometimes the armature can hinder full operation of the motor if adjustment is out or done while connected...You might need to reverse the previous adjustment and start again....Hope this makes sense...Ziga
Have you tried this...Remove the lens and disconnect the bowls from the offending side via the connector plug so that nothing gets trapped in the pod, Put a little bit of tape on the front inner edge so that you have something to manually lift the pod up with when closed...Disconnect the armature and then lower the pods...Then raise them again, Obviously only the N/S will lift but the motor on the O/S should be in the correct position...Lift the pod with the bit of tape...(Instead of prising it open with a screwdriver)..Re-connect the armature to see if this makes a difference...Sometimes the armature can hinder full operation of the motor if adjustment is out or done while connected...You might need to reverse the previous adjustment and start again....Hope this makes sense...Ziga
I suspect that the motor has been apart and the gears have not been meshed in the correct place. I had this and it was a right pain to get it right and quite tricky.
Take a look at how the output shaft sits on the other one. The output shaft has two flats on it and the crank arms need to come off at the same angle. I seem to remember that there is an indent on the plastic gear wheel inside which lines up with something. When I eventually had mine adjusted correctly I greased it up and then sealed the casing up again with silicone sealer as well as the 'box' that houses the copper strip and wiring.
Don't try and adjust the length of the rose jointed rod to get this right. You can use that to tweak it a little to get the lamp to sit flush with the bodywork once you have everything else right. I would grease the rose joints too while you have this lot out.
The headlamp unit when its up should press against the rubber heater type hose that is screwed on the front edge. This stops it rattling about.
Also be careful when you are playing with the lights when the circuits are live because they can drop down if you turn the motor in any way. Take the lead off the battery when making adjustments as your hands will be inside the light unit when putting the crank arm and rose joints on. I would also use a large washer on the inside of the light unit to spread the load across the fibreglass.
Take a look at how the output shaft sits on the other one. The output shaft has two flats on it and the crank arms need to come off at the same angle. I seem to remember that there is an indent on the plastic gear wheel inside which lines up with something. When I eventually had mine adjusted correctly I greased it up and then sealed the casing up again with silicone sealer as well as the 'box' that houses the copper strip and wiring.
Don't try and adjust the length of the rose jointed rod to get this right. You can use that to tweak it a little to get the lamp to sit flush with the bodywork once you have everything else right. I would grease the rose joints too while you have this lot out.
The headlamp unit when its up should press against the rubber heater type hose that is screwed on the front edge. This stops it rattling about.
Also be careful when you are playing with the lights when the circuits are live because they can drop down if you turn the motor in any way. Take the lead off the battery when making adjustments as your hands will be inside the light unit when putting the crank arm and rose joints on. I would also use a large washer on the inside of the light unit to spread the load across the fibreglass.
ferlin said:
The headlamp unit when its up should press against the rubber heater type hose that is screwed on the front edge. This stops it rattling about.
Does this mean that the motor doesn't necessarily rotate by its full travel? I have always imagined that the pod, mechanism and all needs to be adjusted so that when the motor has rotated by it's full travel in either direction then the pod will be in the correct up or down position. But from what you are saying I'm not sure whether the motor should rotate until the pod hits the bump stop in either direction. I thought that this might burn the motor out though if it hasn't rotated enough to trigger the switch to disconnect the motor.I will definitely have a look and compare with the N/S. But that is a job for after the Le Mans Classic next week. I still have a diff oil seal to replace in the meantime!
A.
The motors rotate in one direction only and there's a single pin on the drive cog that pushes an electrical connector pin in two places 180 Deg apart.
The length of the threaded link only controls the total stroke of the light pod, not where it ends up - so take extreme care with this, it shouldn't ever need adjusting.
So... the motor arm will stop in two positions 180 Deg apart. Check that the motor arm stops with the threaded link rod parallel to it, either extended fully or on the fully retracted position. I suspect this is your problem; it was mine! you can make some adjustment on the nut that secures the motor arm to the motor spindle as it is located by a shaft with two flats on it, but not much adjustment is available.
I spent ages with the issue you describe where one pod went 'over centre' and stopped a little way down. I eventually figured out that one of the motor arms was turning in one direction, and the other was turning in the opposite direction ...ie the wiring was reversed on one of the light pod motors!! I think it had been wired this way from new so had never been right; I cleaned the motor and got it running in the other direction (it wasn't too happy to begin with...) and now my lights work in unison and stop in the right places.
The rubber up/down stops are only there to stop the light pods rattling around, not to adjust the positions that the pods 'rest' in.
The length of the threaded link only controls the total stroke of the light pod, not where it ends up - so take extreme care with this, it shouldn't ever need adjusting.
So... the motor arm will stop in two positions 180 Deg apart. Check that the motor arm stops with the threaded link rod parallel to it, either extended fully or on the fully retracted position. I suspect this is your problem; it was mine! you can make some adjustment on the nut that secures the motor arm to the motor spindle as it is located by a shaft with two flats on it, but not much adjustment is available.
I spent ages with the issue you describe where one pod went 'over centre' and stopped a little way down. I eventually figured out that one of the motor arms was turning in one direction, and the other was turning in the opposite direction ...ie the wiring was reversed on one of the light pod motors!! I think it had been wired this way from new so had never been right; I cleaned the motor and got it running in the other direction (it wasn't too happy to begin with...) and now my lights work in unison and stop in the right places.
The rubber up/down stops are only there to stop the light pods rattling around, not to adjust the positions that the pods 'rest' in.
Yep!! Gonna have to get down to that nitty gritty stage and actually take the motor apart again.
At least I've solved the end float issue as this motor has an adjuster at the end of the worm gear which you can adjust up to the end of the gear and then lock off.
Thanks for the pictures etc, it helps me prepare for the work. But I'm going to leav that job until after the Le Mans Classic. I'll have plenty of time then before the next planned trip which is to the Wilton Classic Supercar Show.
Gosh, that list of jobs is mounting! Although I am now starting to enjoy working on the car as I get to know it better and understand what to expect.
A.
At least I've solved the end float issue as this motor has an adjuster at the end of the worm gear which you can adjust up to the end of the gear and then lock off.
Thanks for the pictures etc, it helps me prepare for the work. But I'm going to leav that job until after the Le Mans Classic. I'll have plenty of time then before the next planned trip which is to the Wilton Classic Supercar Show.
Gosh, that list of jobs is mounting! Although I am now starting to enjoy working on the car as I get to know it better and understand what to expect.
A.
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