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1986 Pontiac Fiero Headlight Motor Gear Replacement

The 1986 Pontiac Fiero is known for its unique...

iFixit Library Pontiac Fiero Easy 20 - 45 minutes Guide 182702

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Guide overview

Before you begin

The 1986 Pontiac Fiero is known for its unique pop-up headlights. Over time, the plastic gears inside the headlight motors can wear down. When this happens, the headlights may not raise or lower properly, or could even make a loud grinding noise when moving. Replacing the motor gear is a common repair to restore the function of the pop-up headlights without replacing the entire motor. Before starting this repair, make sure the car is turned off and the headlights are fully lowered. The first step is to disconnect the battery to avoid electrical shock or have the headlights move unexpectedly while working. Try to perform this repair in a space with enough room and light to access the headlight parts comfortably. This guide will walk you through the steps to safely replace the motor gear and get your headlights working the way they should. The photos in this guide show the process of the right headlight being changed, but the same steps apply for the left side as well.

Step 1

Repair step

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Make sure the car is turned off for this process.
Open the hood and prop it open for easy access.
Locate the battery and two terminals, black (-) and red (+).
Use a wrench to loosen the nut and disconnect the negative (black, minus sign) terminal, apply the same method to the positive (red, plus sign) terminal.
Disconnect the headlight from its spot by removing the four bolts connected to it with a 10mm socket and wrench.
There are two bolts on the top and two bolts on the bottom, use the socket to hold one end of each bolt in place while using the wrench to loosen.
Disconnect the headlight power cable that leads to the lightbulb, then remove the headlight from its spot while disconnecting the remaining wires.
There should be a tab or clip to disconnect the headlight power cable that leads to the lightbulb.

Step 2

Repair step

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You should see a blue and red wire connected to the battery.
Disconnect the blue wire that leads to the motor and the red wire harness that leads to the headlight relay.
Now, you can move the headlight to a clean working space for the next steps.

Step 3

Repair step

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Remove the headlight from the housing frame.
Remember or take a picture of the arm orientation for when you need to put everything back in place.

Step 4

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP flathead screwdrivers Referenced by the iFixit guide

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On the motor, there should be three screws securing it to the headlight casing.
Remove the motor from the headlight by removing those three screws around the motor as well as the screws on the motor arm.
Use the 10mm wrench for the screws on the casing and for the nut on the arm.
Use the 1/4" Allen wrench to hold the arm screw in place.

Step 5

Repair step

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Remove the motor from the headlight casing and remove the last connection from the relay.

Step 6

Repair step

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To remove the nut on the arm, turn the wrench counter-clockwise.
Remove the arm with gentle but firm pressure, if the arm will not budge, hit it with a mallet/hammer to slide it off the rod.

Step 7

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP flathead screwdrivers Referenced by the iFixit guide

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Remove the screws around the motor casing using the 8 mm wrench and a Phillips screwdriver.
If the motor is still factory sealed, take a 1/8" drill bit and drill through the rivets holding the casing closed.
Remove the casing.

Step 8

Repair step

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When removing the cover you should see two gears: one metal and one plastic. There should also be a metal lever in between the gears.
Remove both of the gears and the lever.
Remember their orientation or take a picture for when you need to put everything back in place.

Step 9

Repair step

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The plastic gear may have plastic shavings or dried grease on it so you will need to clean out the casing.
The lever may have leftover rubber spacing coating on it, if left unchecked the residue will cause problems so you will need to clean this.

Step 10

Repair step

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Put new grease on a new plastic gear, then replace the old plastic gear in the motor.

Step 11

Repair step

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Put new rubber spacers in the far corners of the inside of the plastic gear.

Step 12

Repair step

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Put in the lever and make sure it fits snugly.
Once that is in place, put the metal gear back on.

Step 13

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP flathead screwdrivers Referenced by the iFixit guide

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Put a resealing agent on the edges of the motor and close the casing again.
When closing the case there is a seal inside the top of the motor casing. Use needle nose pliers or a flathead screwdriver to hold it in place.