Yesterday afternoon, I took apart the drivers side headlight motor on the Corvette and repaired the motor by swapping out the nylon gears with new ones (that came with the car courtesy of the previous owner). The old gears were certainly ground down to the point they weren't functional so I pitched them since they were horked. My labor took a total of 2 hours, but it came back altogether and both headlights now work and it didn't cost me anything to do but my time. I then took the Corvette to Delta Sonic for a $5.00 exterior brush wash and $5.00 Interior clean (plus $3.00 hand wax). For $13.00, it was essentially "detailed" and the car was sparkling when it was done. It is amazing to drive a Muscle Car V8 again after 30 years........ and it is surprisingly comfortable regarding the Leather Seats. The future owner of the car will certainly be a happy camper.

|UPDATED|9/15/2013 2:41:30 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

I also just repaired my headlights recently with only needing the nylon pins replaced on both driver and passenger sides.  It was a very satisfying job as not too horrible to do but once done they work great!  No excuse for sleepy eyes on the C4 Vette!

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Looks like you guys are talking about the same parts, with different terms, but you are not. The 84-87 motors, and the 88-96 motors are different.  The early motors have nylon gears that wear out. Replacement bronze gears are available. The 88-up motors have the 3 nylon pins or bushings. I make new bushings out of delrin rod-stock. A 3' piece of delrin from McMaster Carr costs less than a set of 6 bushings from CC, and will service 6 cars.

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Another difference in the early/late headlight motors is in the way the control circuit and motors are wired.

The 84-87 system has a 3-wire motor, and 3 mechanical relays on the forward side of the LH wheel well. There are switches within the motor assemblies that switch the relays to start/stop the motors. 

The 88-96 system has a 2-wire motor, and a solid state module mounted in the same location, front side of the LH wheel well. The later system module has circuitry that senses the current flow to/from the motors, and when the door hits the stop, current increases, the module senses this, and turns off the power to the motor.

My '94 motors seem just fine but what do I look for to see if they will last a long time or will give me trouble down the road? Is there slack, play, or looseness somewhere in the housing that may manifest if something is amiss?

I've heard so much about the popup motors needing this and that and now I have some to look after.

Mine is a '94 with about 25k miles (40k kilometers) and has had what appears to be excellent care.

Thanks,
 Colin.