troubleshooting my headlights

[rangerrick]

Well finally healed from my hernia surgery 4 weeks ago, so I decided to tear into the head lights and stop my whineing. I found that someone had been into the drivers side headlamp and broke the plastic 3 prong connector on the back so he just soldered the yellow wire to the lamp prong Muther Fargen Ice hole (hope I'm allowed to say that on the forum? Geez lucky the ling didn't vibrate off a short out or just left me without head lights on my trip bringing her home from Texas! I Robbed the connector from one of the parts cars and fixed the plug in! Yeah!!! still got it, sometimes although the back is killing me, damn small cars! Think I might have fixed my no head light problem, but lights don't seem to lacth and unlatch the way I like so I'll tear into the actuator plates another day, oh yeah they looks fun to remove, Not! Leave it to a German to over engineer something!!!

By the way found that one of the two upper rear nuts to the swivel plate is a real PITA!!! It's the INBD one you can't get a wrech on, so I got the dye grinder out and cut a slot accross the bastard so I could stick a small flat blade srew drive in it while I turned it with a end wrench! Hate to do it, but I don't see why I can't JB Weld that bolt in place and make a stud out of it!!! see enclosed pic. it's the one on the right. Haven't seen anyone mention this little P_ _ck before before!!!

Now as for lubing the cable, I've seen where everyone swear by WD40. I've used it, like for door hindges on my home. I never use it on cables, why it gets gummy; I don't even have a can of this around the house didley dee 40 We use to use a penatrating oil called Mouse Milk (brand name)
on airplanes that have like 8-15 feet of cable. Anyway we would put a peice of rubber hose over the end of the cable and clamp it, put some penatrant into the hose the take an air nozzle and blow air into it to push it down the cable. Pic attached.

Saw in OGTS catalog where they used to offer a kit for electrically controlled headlights from a switch inside the car, discontinued now it says!

Regards,
Rick

[soybean]

Rangerrick, check out this thread on linear actuators http://www.opelgt.com/forums/showthr...near+actuators
Sometimes Surplus Supply Center http://www.surpluscenter.com has some deals on 12volt actuators. Hth, Jarrell

[simplemind7]

the headlight buckets aren't actually that hard to get out, i got each of mine out about a month ago in a couple minutes with nothing more than a ratchet and a couple wrenches, can't remember exactly which bolts i took out, but i'll take a look tomorrow at school... unless its an ice day again... fun driving lemme tell ya

[rangerrick]

Minutes eh? I think your'e talking about the frogs eye light covers when the lights are up, 3 screws and it's off.

These are the two rear that have nuts and bolts the other 3 are just bolts!
One nut and bolt you can get to the back side of the bolt when you break the nut loose with the bucket in the mid travel postion, the other is at the lower side of the bucket and also recessed so ther's no way to get a wrech on it!!! So Once you break the nut loose the the bolt & nut just spin together, tightening or loosening. Thus thus cut a notch for a flat blade screw driver with a cut odd disc and dye grinder (or dremmel) and you can hold the bolt from turning as the nut is removed. Can't show a pic of the back side of the bolt and its recess unless the geared actuator plate is removed to see the switches.

Regards,
Rick

[simplemind7]

no no, i am talking about the whole bucket, not those covers, theres a way to do it without having to play with those damn nuts, i tried that at first, then once i figured my way out it was so much easier, i remember the front you had to take out 3 bolts, then pull out the... i guess you'd call it the adjuster? i don't know. and the back was i think 3 bolts too, but i can't remember exactly, i'll take a look today and post once i get home, i'm just leaving for school now. i'll take a pic of one while i'm there, i would say it might have been modified by one of the POs, but judging by the body work they started i wouldn't think they'd have the skill to do more than hit it with a hammer

[simplemind7]

i bring easy headlight removal pics! only have to undo 6 bolts.... no ****ing nuts! first take out the bolts shown in the pics in the front, then the back, then if my memory serves me correct i basically slid the whole headlight bucket towards the front of the car as far as i could, pulled the back up, then pulled it right out, it was actually really easy... did i mention i didn't have to mess with those nuts?

hope this helps everyone with the gts horrible headlights

PS: i have a terrible camera and i'm a terrible photographer and i know it!

[nobody]

As listed in the work station handbook. Remove cover, 2 10 mm head bolts for lower adjustor and adjustor itself. Remove the 3 8mm headed bolts in the center of the rotator and the 3 10mm ones that attach the upper bracket to the light bucket. Rotate the bucket 90 degrees for easy removal. It's best to tape the flat outer edge of the bucket and the surrounding edge of the bodywork first. Work the bracket through the opening in the light bucket top. It's done like this so you don't have to cut and splice the headlight plug. Not that I've done it so many times I can do it blindfolded or anything. Or learned to read German since the only workstation handbook availabe wasn't in English. The realignment is odd too. It helps if you can think backwards. Best discription is like a rubics cube, working on the top to adjust the bottom on an opposing plane. It's best to remove the clip and cable so you can rotate them by hand when adjusting them.

[rangerrick]

Ok guys, thanks for the input! Gil at OGTS said the same thing about removing those 3 (8mm) bolts in the swivel strips (the ones that usually shear the heads off) Then you have to use Kwilfords retractor rebuild instruction to drill these rock hard bad boys out.

I used the following for my reference material before taking on this project (see attachment) and both say to remove the 5 10mm bolts on the swivel plates to remove the buckets (housings) I can see how your method would be easier (providing you don't snap the 8mm bolts)

1972 Opel Service manual (General Motors Corp 1971)
Those #*#$%*&#*# Headlights by Wayne Torman from the Yahoo Opel forum site.

If you can read these two thumbnail attachments you'll see I followed these
inscructions? Don't understand why these two references don't say to remove the 3 (8mm) bolts to swivel strips, but they don't!!!

(DAMN THUMBNAILS TOO HARD TO READ) Beleive me guys it shows arrows pointing to the 5 bolts on the swivel plate!!! And this is the factory service manual!!! Oh well I and everyone else who reads this knows now!!!

Regards,
Rick

[rangerrick]

As listed in the work station handbook. Remove cover, 2 10 mm head bolts for lower adjustor and adjustor itself. Remove the 3 8mm headed bolts in the center of the rotator and the 3 10mm ones that attach the upper bracket to the light bucket. Rotate the bucket 90 degrees for easy removal. It's best to tape the flat outer edge of the bucket and the surrounding edge of the bodywork first. Work the bracket through the opening in the light bucket top. It's done like this so you don't have to cut and splice the headlight plug. Not that I've done it so many times I can do it blindfolded or anything. Or learned to read German since the only workstation handbook availabe wasn't in English. The realignment is odd too. It helps if you can think backwards. Best discription is like a rubics cube, working on the top to adjust the bottom on an opposing plane. It's best to remove the clip and cable so you can rotate them by hand when adjusting them.[/QUOTE]

There's no need to cut the plug to the headlamps unless rewiring. All you need do is slide a thin flat bladed screw driver into the front side of the small slot along side the connector in the 3 bladed plug to release the catch inside and tug on the wire at the same time from the rear, and it comes out. Once out the 3 headlamp wires with connectors attached will slide through the center of rotators with no problem.

Regards,
Rick

Regards

[rangerrick]

Oh yeah, the lights rotated however didn't seem to lock in place in the open or shut postion! Ok called OGTS, Great people and good source of info as well! Gil said to soak these babies in Deisel or solvent, so their soaking over night and have been brissel and brass brushed. Last time I checked they click open & shut like a semi auto rifle breach! This seems to be working!!! Don't use gasoline, not the same and a spark could prove fatal!!! Plan on lubing with a DuroLube spray around the latches and a LPS 3 waxy film around the rotator gears.

Checked out all micro switches with a meter and they seem to be functioning, one in the drivers side wasn't making full contact so the headlamps were on, but so was the white in transit lamp in the column.
Thanks Kwilford for that info!!! Still learning!!! All I know is I don't want to be in here again for sometime. I plan to silicone the access plates inside the wheel wells as the old sealant turned to stone, also thought to add to remove these panels it's easier to remove the wheel & tire assembly to get at the bolts inside and get your fat head inside for a look. Also I found it was easier to just suck out the brake fluid from the master cylinder resivoir and remove it to get to the one rotator mount bolt behind it.

I marked both actuator rods with a black felt pin before removing their small circlips (good luck with these) PITA, need to see if the local parts store has more. Finally got them of with a pair of Atery Hemostats, but slightly bent! Be carefull when removong the rods, I almost touched the battery when removing it from under the hood.

Regards,
Rick

[rangerrick]

The lights work as they should and lock in place when in the on (open) position and firmly locked in place. The only problem is when they are selected to closed they don't go a all the way to the locked position! maybe 1/4 to 3/8" but can be easily pushed shut by hand This must be a cable adjustment, am I correct? Works a lot smoother, but the ol back is sore.

Regards,
Rick

[opelbits]

RR-
I went thru the headlights on a car I sold about 8 years ago, so my memory may be a little faulty.

If I remember right, I left the passenger side rod loose until I had the driver's side light locking correctly in the open and closed positions, then attached the passenger side rod and adjusted it until everybody was happy. Basically, mess with one adjustment point at a time.

I'm not sure if this will help you..

[rangerrick]

I wondered if one would be what we would call a master of the two, once one is rigged perfectly the other could be rigged to follow! I've noticed they do seem to have a bit of coast from one end to the other, must be the chamfered teeth in the rotators at the one end combined with the momentum thing of aprox. 8 lbs. each with head lamp in transient. Havent worked on anything this difficult since aircraft, anyone that wonders what it's like to work on a airplane just has to imagine that 80-90% of everything you work on; is as difficult as the GT headlight system.

It is an engineering Genious that designed this system! Works with a pistol grip and cable, some rods and geared teeth.

Regards,
Rick

[namba209]

Actually Rick, it's the missing teeth on the gear sector that allows the mass to continue to rotate and engage the overcenter locks. Once you have the buckets engaged in the locks you can see if the mechanism needs to be adjusted. I believe there are slotted holes in the mechanism just for that purpose, I think. It's just like adjusting the hydraulic actuators on aircraft. Run the actuator full travel and adjust the rod ends to fit.

[rangerrick]

I actually rigged them both to latch firmly together with the rods and with the rotators in the latched open position, then connected the cable and adjusted from there as running lights on is important! Hits the full open latch every time dead nuts, stops just short of latched closed position about the same distance both side; just a smidgen more is needed on each one to fully latch...push each one slightly and they latch shut.


Regards,
Rick

[greensmurf20]

Rick: are those the stock plug ins for your headlights? all the ones i've seen so far are different setup. probably need to post a picture of them when i get home. anyways, the headlight wires have no ends crimped on them, they simply are held into place with spring loaded clips on the headlight plug.

[Mike Preble]

One of the tricks I used was that I inserted the wires through a fuel line and then pushed the fuel line through the hole that is in the center of the mech. It is a tight fit but it keeps the wires from chafing on the inside of the hole.
Also you mention working on aircraft. There is nothing like hanging upside-down trying to chase a broken wire in the cockpit of an F-111. 20 years of avionics work in the U S Air Force. Comparable to being 200+ lbs now and trying to lay on your back upside-down in the front seat of a GT working on a fuse box.
Mike
70 GT
73 GT
72 Manta Rallye
68 RHD Austin Mini

[rangerrick]

Originally Posted by greensmurf20 Rick: are those the stock plug ins for your headlights? all the ones i've seen so far are different setup. probably need to post a picture of them when i get home. anyways, the headlight wires have no ends crimped on them, they simply are held into place with spring loaded clips on the headlight plug.

I assume they are stock 3 prong plugs, the driver side was broken so I stold one from one of the parts cars and it was the same. Hmm I think I know exactly the spring push in gizmos your'e speaking of with the wire tinned with solder at the end, if not do it!!! Clean the wires real good and heat them up with a solering iron and then hit the wire with the solder and let it wick in.!
They have this on the back of Ryder and Uhaul trucks ( long story, don't ask)

I thinks yours has been modified, unless some are a European style

Regards,
Rick

[greensmurf20]

the 2 GTs i've had to play with headlights on both had the same style, mine i know for sure was origonal, but the other i know was not. maybe a year thing? were there 2 seperate plants GTs were produced at?

[Bo Mows]

I have searched and read but i cannot get it in my head how to get to the microswitches. I can't get the rotator mechanism out. Are there hidden bolts? If anyone has a picture or diagram readable that i can print out, it would be GREATLY appriciated. This is a '69 if it matters.

Bo

[namba209]

Bo, after you remove the headlight covers and lites, there are a couple of bolts under the panels in the front of the wheel well. Also another pair behind the bucket housing on the engine side. Plus a plate sitting on studs under the rotating mechanism. All accesivble after you remove the headlight bucket. I know there is an article on the OANA website by Wayne Torman, on how to remove the whole assembly, if it still up and running under Technical Info. I'll check and see if it's still there and see about putting it somewhere on this website with Gary's help. I know this will come up more than once or twice.

Yes it is there complete with illustrations and a very descriptive how to in a PDF file. HTH

Here's the link to the site: http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?club=oana

[Bo Mows]

Great! Thanks Ron.