SchifWare
New member
Hey gang – Happy Friday!
First off – sorry if I’m a newb – but I guess we have to start somewhere!
I recently picked-up my first Fiero (86 SE/4-speed/6-cyl/silver) and I’m loving it – not sure why it took me until now to discover how fun these things are!
Secondly – and the reason for the post – is I have the typical Gen1 headlight motor issue on the drivers-side – but hopefully bypassed the dumb questions – so read on…
I verified voltage and both relays and narrowed it down to the motor. It wasn’t grinding, so it seemed electrical – no juice. I popped-open the motor which had screws on it – so it must have been rebuilt in the past. The plastic gear is in good shape, so I’m assuming that’s what was replaced (If I’m right - why they didn’t put in a metal gear is beyond me).
The problem was then obvious – the lower brush was broken off – and just fell out of place as soon as I pulled-out the armature.
Not having a good brush unit, I cleaned-off both surfaces and re-soldered it back on (pointing to it in the picture).
I’m guessing that the friction will cause enough heat to de-solder it, so I’m not keeping my hopes up.
Question #1 – Is this a reasonable fix? I haven’t put it back in to try yet. If not, is there a better fix – or is it replacement time?
Question#2 – Where can I buy a replacement brush unit? Everything I’m finding for the Gen1 motor rebuilds has to do with the gear – and nothing on the brushes.
Many thanks for any help you can offer!
Take care & enjoy the ride…
-Chuck
First off – sorry if I’m a newb – but I guess we have to start somewhere!
I recently picked-up my first Fiero (86 SE/4-speed/6-cyl/silver) and I’m loving it – not sure why it took me until now to discover how fun these things are!
Secondly – and the reason for the post – is I have the typical Gen1 headlight motor issue on the drivers-side – but hopefully bypassed the dumb questions – so read on…
I verified voltage and both relays and narrowed it down to the motor. It wasn’t grinding, so it seemed electrical – no juice. I popped-open the motor which had screws on it – so it must have been rebuilt in the past. The plastic gear is in good shape, so I’m assuming that’s what was replaced (If I’m right - why they didn’t put in a metal gear is beyond me).
The problem was then obvious – the lower brush was broken off – and just fell out of place as soon as I pulled-out the armature.
Not having a good brush unit, I cleaned-off both surfaces and re-soldered it back on (pointing to it in the picture).
I’m guessing that the friction will cause enough heat to de-solder it, so I’m not keeping my hopes up.
Question #1 – Is this a reasonable fix? I haven’t put it back in to try yet. If not, is there a better fix – or is it replacement time?
Question#2 – Where can I buy a replacement brush unit? Everything I’m finding for the Gen1 motor rebuilds has to do with the gear – and nothing on the brushes.
Many thanks for any help you can offer!
Take care & enjoy the ride…
-Chuck
