New guy with head light problem.

[Two C5s]

Hello, New to this forum. I have a 98 convertible & a 99 coupe,the 99 has problem with the head light operation. When the parking lights are turned on the the parking lights come on but the head lights open! That's not supposed to happen,and when they are turned off the head lights close but there is a loud noise that comes from the right side motor or that area. Kind of sounds like gears grinding maybe,hard to define. The noise lasts about 2 to 3 seconds and stops. The same thing happens when the head lights are turned on,the lights work normal and when they are turned off they close and the same noise happens. Hope someone has any ideas what is causing this problem. Thanks

[Y2Kvert4me]

Plastic gear in one of the headlight motors has stripped it's teeth, a fairly common C5 problem.

You can replace the gear with another plastic one, but most people opt to upgrade to a brass gear, which is a little more expensive (about $50), but should last forever.
Here are some sources for the brass gear...These are old pages, so you may want to email them first to confirm current availability:
Corvette C5 Headlight Motor Gears by Rodney Dickman
4th Generation Headlight Fix
I'm sure most of the usual Corvette parts places like Mid America, Corvette Central, etc also carry them.

If you Google "C5 headlight gear replacement", you'll find pages with pictures/instructions, also some how-to videos on Youtube on how to remove and disassemble the headlight motor.

[Rob]

I have been through this as well on my 2000. I went with a brass gear when I did the replacement and worked like a charm.

[Sneaks]

Welcome to the Barn. I replaced both mine when one failed. Pretty simple straightforward job. Takes about an hour to do both sides if your semi handy with tools. Always opt for the brass, or aluminum, gear. Brent Franker(?) also makes gears for our headlights.
While you have them out, might want to look into upgrading the halogen lights to HID's. Much brighter and safer.

[majorreno]

FYI well i have not had the headlight problem yet but with the frequency i read about this just for curiosities sake i decided to call a local dealer. $1200 for both lights, since they do not replace just the gears, but they replace the motors as well whether you need them or not. i do not have a shop so i will probably have to call someone who can do just the gear job.. if anyone knows of someone i would be interested.

[Sneaks]

Originally Posted by majorreno

FYI well i have not had the headlight problem yet but with the frequency i read about this just for curiosities sake i decided to call a local dealer. $1200 for both lights, since they do not replace just the gears, but they replace the motors as well whether you need them or not. i do not have a shop so i will probably have to call someone who can do just the gear job.. if anyone knows of someone i would be interested.

Thats a supreme case of a dealer trying to bend you over and hump you dry! Run away from these peple as fast as possible, flipping them off as you go.
Find a trusted local mechanic and get a price from them. Then find a local Corvette club and talk to some members there. You'll surely find slmeone who would be glad to help you out.

[knewblewkorvette]

Originally Posted by majorreno

FYI well i have not had the headlight problem yet but with the frequency i read about this just for curiosities sake i decided to call a local dealer. $1200 for both lights, since they do not replace just the gears, but they replace the motors as well whether you need them or not. i do not have a shop so i will probably have to call someone who can do just the gear job.. if anyone knows of someone i would be interested.

That's outrageous!!!
You can do it yourself for $45 ( https://www.google.com/search?q=c5+c...hrome&ie=UTF-8 ) or pay a shop an hour of labor to do it. The gear comes with instructions on how to do it, I did mine on my 98.

[04 commemorative]

Ask one of the techs at the dealer if he would come to your house and do it on the side....