Help C5 Headlight Problem

[Vettester]

Hello All, I hope you are all staying safe & healthy. I have read quite a lot about the notorious C5 headlight issues but I have not come across my problem or its resolution. I have an '02 Vert and the other day my drivers side headlight would not go up. It was not making that grinding noise like it was trying to go up indicating worn gears in the motor, it just stayed in the down position. So, I manually raised it using the manual control knob. Turned the lights on and off a few times and it raised and lowered properly. But the problem I now have is that when it lowers I hear that grinding noise for about 6 seconds then it stops. Both headlights function well it is just the grinding noise on the drivers side when it lowers. Any ideas out there on what might be the problem? I have tried readjusting the manual headlight control knob without success. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[link9]

Probably the driver side need fix ...there is parts for that ..

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Think you can get brass gears to replace the nylon ones. Believe they are widely available.

Good luck.

 

[Vettester]

Thanks.... I will order a set.

 

[rfh928]

Hello All, I hope you are all staying safe & healthy. I have read quite a lot about the notorious C5 headlight issues but I have not come across my problem or its resolution. I have an '02 Vert and the other day my drivers side headlight would not go up. It was not making that grinding noise like it was trying to go up indicating worn gears in the motor, it just stayed in the down position. So, I manually raised it using the manual control knob. Turned the lights on and off a few times and it raised and lowered properly. But the problem I now have is that when it lowers I hear that grinding noise for about 6 seconds then it stops. Both headlights function well it is just the grinding noise on the drivers side when it lowers. Any ideas out there on what might be the problem? I have tried readjusting the manual headlight control knob without success. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi...I sold my C5 after 15 years last summer & bought a C7...but during the time I had the C5 I had to replace both headlight motors, a few years apart.

 

[Vettester]

Sounds like that is what I have to do also. It is just weird that both headlights go up and down and I only get the grinding sound when they are lowered. Just on the drivers side.

 

[rfh928]

Sounds like that is what I have to do also. It is just weird that both headlights go up and down and I only get the grinding sound when they are lowered. Just on the drivers side.

They're not catching on the body are they? My C3 had a vacuum based headlight system, and twice in those 15 years the metal brackets holding them in place corroded enough that I had to get my body shop to weld them so that they sat properly and didn't stick when they were raised or lowered. I have to say that after 2 gen's of Vette's with hidden lights I'm just as happy with the fixed lights on the C7.

 

[Vettester]

Nope.. not catching on the body. Thanks for your reply though.

 

[Vettester]

Thanks for all the responses. I just ordered a set of brass gears for the headlight motors and will be installing once received. I have watched a few YouTube videos and it doesn't look like it is hard to do.

 

[Riley P]

Good to hear! Let us know if that is the problem. I'm just trying to think of what tells the motor that the headlight is in the lower position so it stops sending power to the motor. Fortunately or unfortunately I swapped out my pop-ups for fixed headlights to avoid the mechanical issues and to also be able to see on the highway! I realize saying that I moved to fixed headlights does nothing to solve your problem, sooooo, feel free to ignore that last part.

 

[2KforeverC5]

Hello All, I hope you are all staying safe & healthy. I have read quite a lot about the notorious C5 headlight issues but I have not come across my problem or its resolution. I have an '02 Vert and the other day my drivers side headlight would not go up. It was not making that grinding noise like it was trying to go up indicating worn gears in the motor, it just stayed in the down position. So, I manually raised it using the manual control knob. Turned the lights on and off a few times and it raised and lowered properly. But the problem I now have is that when it lowers I hear that grinding noise for about 6 seconds then it stops. Both headlights function well it is just the grinding noise on the drivers side when it lowers. Any ideas out there on what might be the problem? I have tried readjusting the manual headlight control knob without success. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Most likely the gears are beginning to go.