RobzWorkz #6(66)c: Ferrari 328 Electrical Demons: Headlight /Lifting Motor Inspect .

Hello FChatters!

Continuing with more demoniacal electrical stuff for the 328, I now give you a process for cleaning/inspecting/refurbing the headlight and lifting motor area. This thread will be suitable for those wishing to replace the headlight bulbs with any light system designed for OEM installation. Also, this thread will show one how to remove and install the lifter motor, including minor lubrication and adjustment of the lifting shaft. The procedure is completed without removing the wheel wells nor the front lid (bonnet). Just be careful not to fall on the lid (it's made of aluminum and will bend easily under the weight of the shadetree mech).

All that is needed prior to getting into the headlight area is to disconnect the battery at the disconnect. Be sure the car is parked and in a stesdy position (upside down is bad).

Pic 1 shows my working headlight in need of some TLC. It makes a noise when lifting, indicating a need to inspect.
Pics 2 and 3 show disconnecting the battery.
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To effectively clean and inspect the headlight, it is necessary to dismantle as follows:

1. Remove the 4 screws holding the headlight bezel (pic 1). Keep track of the screws.
2. Remove the bezel. Be careful not to scratch the vehicle. Removal should take a soft approach. Clean the bezel as desired (I use WD-40, especially underneath--it will protect the area after cleaning; the outside will be washed later and buffed). See pic 2. Pic 3 shows the headlight w/o the bezel.
3. Loosen the headlight retaining ring screws (three small Phillips screws only; avoid the adjusting screws---slightly bigger and there are only two). Pics 4-6 show the screws. The screw on the bottom left of Pic 4 is one of the adjustment screws (not removed).
4. Rotate and remove the retaining ring while holding onto the headlight bulb (to prevent from crashing down (and exploding...hahaha)). See pic 7.
5. Disconnect the headlight. Pics 8-10 show the removal...the connector was very dirty.
6. Clean the retaining ring with WD-40 and 000 steel wool until shiny. Clean with more WD-40 and let sit long enough to coat. See pic 11.

BTW, WD-40 should only be used as a temporary lubricant...it can help to free stuff. It's great for cleaning, too. Use it to 'coat' metals to minimize corrosion. WD means water dispersement. When lubricating, I actually use designated lubricants.
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We are fortunate that Ferrari's EEERIE Engineeres, included a short pigtail connector harness that can be removed from the main front electrical harness. My guess, from reviewing the parts diagrams, is that the pigtail was implemented to allow for the various headlight configurations (US vs Euro models: US used a sealed bulb, while Euro uses a separate bulb positioned into a 7" fixture) while keeping a single main front harness.

My pigtail harnesses needed some cleaning...so did the terminals on the headlight.

Steps:
1. To remove the pigtail harness, pull the connector apart with the protection rubber in place. You can try to pull the protection back, but it can be a PITA compared to simply pullung the connector apart while enclosed.Pic 1 shows the protected connector. Pic 2 thows the pigtail connector harness. Pic 3 shows the connector on the main front harness.
2. Clean all the area inside the car fender with WD-40.
3. Clean the connector in the main front harness. I use electronic parts cleaner. Brake cleaner would likely work as well. Insulate the connector with dielectric compound to prevent corrosion.
4. Clean/Rehab the pigtail: I first clean with WD-40 or electric parts cleaner and an old shop towel; I then clean with rubbing alcohol until dry using clean paper towels. Afterwards, working with one terminal at a time, I remove a terminal of the headlight connector, clean it well and cover-solder the wire to the terminal at the crimp to enhance connectivity (re-solder and re-clean as often as necessary until shiny). I also clean the connector body with alcohol until bright with no crud. After all three terminals are improved, I generally clean the whole pigtail. For the other, unprotected, connector, I only cleaned until shiny and the body was clean (if the protection on yours was ineffective, consider deep cleaning and re-soldering as well). See pics 4-11. Pic 10 shows the first terminal and body section cleaned next tw the other two, being dirty. Pic 11 shows all cleaned. Sorry for the blurry pics here.
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The Rear support ring is the shiny ring just behind the headlight itself. It is supported by the two adjusting screws and a spring. To remove this, simply remove the spring (I used pliers...be careful; you can consider placing a towel around the area to prevent scratches/bumps). The piece will then come right out. Clean the devil out of this thing with WD-40 and steel wool. Be sure to remove and clean the little screws used for retaining the headlight. Also clean the spring (The spring, when installed should be fixed, so no need to lubricate; just clean well with WD-40 and elbow grease).


NOTE: The condition of the black support structure just behind the (silver) rear support ring was in good shape, so, all I needed to do was a thorough cleaning with WD-40 and shop towels. Also, clean the headlight bucket area behind this assemply (mine had collected a lot of grunge). Any repair/replacements should be straight forward.

Pic 1 shows the spring holding the rear ring to the headlight support assembly.
Pics 2 and 3 show views of the removed, and still dirty, rear ring with spring.
Pic 4 shows one of the little screws removed for cleaning.
Pic 5 shows me cleaning the spring (inside and out) with electrinic parts cleaner (and WD-40, of course).
Pic 6 shows the freshened and re-installed rear headlight support ring.
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Now, just reinstall everything and test. This should be straight-forward, and here are the steps (pics should be self-explanatory):

1. Place ample dielectric on both connectors of the pigtail.
2. Install pigtail into the front harness.
3. Position protection around this connector.
4. Clean residual dielectric, etc from the area.
5. Connect (new or reused) headlight to the pigtail. Keep headlight supported.
6. Place headlight into the rear support ring and hold there (for US version sealed headlights, there are indents in the headlight bulb structure in which to set the bulb as a unit. The brand name of the bulb should be on the bottom front of the outer lens and level for reading).
7. While holding onto the headlight, position the front (silver) retaining ring onto the rear(silver) support ring, using the screw access points. For mine, the word CARELLO was the uppermost word engraved on the ring when in proper position. Rotate the ring to set into the narrowing grooves at the screws. Tighten the screws hand tight with a Phillips screwdriver. The headlight should feel like it is permanently attached with no wobble.
8. Reinstall the front (painted) bezel on the headlight bucket with the 4 Phillips screws.
9. Recconnect Battery and test the light. Last pic...nice and clean, ready for night.
10. If you will be working on the lifting motor, disconnect the battery again.

TIPS FOR HEADLIGHT ADJUSTMENT:
1. For each headlight, only the two adjusting screws are used to align.
2. Use a Philips screwdriver; place tape on the shaft to prevent scratching the bezel. Better yet, keep the bezel off untill headlights are adjusted.
3. Park flat in front of a flat surface (garage door is good).
4 Follow steps in the Owner's Manual. Note there is an asymmetry in the beams by design. This is usually more of an art for each driver to optimize for him/herself.

Done with the headlight portion; now on to the lifting motor.
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Thanks, ME308 for the kind words.

Now to clean up the area arount the lifting motor (this can be considered a separate effort from the headlight work above...I just decided to include both in this thread). For my 328, the driver's side motor sounds fine during operation (cleaned it up anyway). However, the passenger side made undesired noise. When I first got the car, the motor needed some connectivity rework; I did a quick fix to get it working. That lasted a couple of years until the noise showed up. Now, I will be making an effort that should last longer (until I decide to cave and buy a new motor).

This thread will show someone how to remove, clean and lubricate a headlight lifting motor and hardware. For those needing to replace the motor, this procedure will accommmodate adequately...just substitutute a new motor on reassembly. I will not be dis-assembling the motor itself (this would entail a lot of work which would not be a cost-saver when compared to replacement). I will, however, be re-doing the connections because one of the connector sets, the black one, was useless on both the motor and the harness, and the white connectors needed a good cleaning.

To begin, raise the headlight, then disconnect the battery as shown in the pics (reproduced below).

The last pic shows the lifting motor as it should look (this is after the cleaning was done...the black connector set was replaced with my individual-line blue connectors).
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The operation shaft consists of two polymer endpieces connected via a turnbuckle with a metal lever attached to the motor drive. The shaft is held in place at the headlight with an E-ring. At the motor, the shaft is coupled to a steel lever, which is bolted to the motor. To remove the shaft, first remove the E-ring with a small screwdriver (see Pic 1). While the shaft is still on the headlight bar (or pin attached to the headlight bucket), loosen the nut holding the shaft lever on the motor with an open-end wrench (Pic 2). As the nut loosens, softly pry up the metal lever from the motor drive (effectively the bolt), while lifting the plastic part at the headlight end. After some iterations, the nut should come off (mine also had a washer) and the shaft with the lever should come off. Try not to lose any hardware. Pic 3 shows the Operation Shaft remoded from the headlight and motor. My car also had a thin flat washer at the headlight end between the shaft anf headlight bucket.

Now clean the shaft as a unit. I used whatever works (409, WD-40, alcohol, laquer cleaner...just abot anything with effort). You may choose to remove the E-ring which holds the metal lever to the plastic shaft: if you do, keep track of the orientation, clean it well, and lubricate the lever shaft pin at the plastic piece with grease (I used Lithium grease), re-install the E-ring and save for later installation. Clean all the hardware as well.

BTW, the headlight should say in place; mine did (this imples the headlight can rest in the up position...you can freely move the headlight up and down by hand. If necessary, hold it in place with a towel or something soft for the rest of the procedure).
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The motor is easily removed. Just try not to lose hardware.

The Steps:

1. Disconnect the connectors of the motor from the main harness.
2. Disconnect ground terminal from the pertinent motor mounting bolt.
3. Unbolt the motor (three bolts).
4. Lift motor out from behind the headlight assembly.

Pic 1 shows the connectors disconnected. You can see that the black connector is damaged. You can also see the clear heat shrink tape I used at the time of the quick fix (it held fine).
Pic 2 shows the terminal I had installed two years ago, having fallen apart (quick fixes last only for quick time period).
Pic 3 shows disconnecting the ground terminal.
Pic 4 shows unbolting the motor itself.
Pics 5 and 6 show views of the motor, having been removed.
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(For those replacing their motor, this is just information)

After removing the motor, clean it well. When I cleaned mine, the part# tape came off; I didn't care since we have a lot of info on replacements. Also, my lifter motor came self-protected, meaning that the entire motor, wiring, gearbox, coil and all were coated in a rubber-type material to protect from the elements...looked like a gray version of undercoating. Other cars, like the earlier 308's, had a clean-looking motor with protection shields (probably rubber) placed over them. The connectors may also have been different. Replacement and re-installation, however, should be very similar for the 308 (single headlight in bucket) and 328.

My motor operated fine, but needed connector rework at the motor and the harness in the car. Basically, I had to re-do the connector comprising the black connectors with single-line terminals (I used bullet male and corresponding female connectors). I used heat shrink tubing where I could to provide protection and stress-releif where I could. The pic below is my completed work, ready to install.
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Re-installing the lifting motor can be a challenge...that is, until I figured how to do it.
For some, removing the wheel well liner may be a good idea: to do that, decide first if you want to remove the wheel first (ensure car is stable and parking brake set; lift the car a little so as to facilitate placing a jack stand under the car; place jack stand; remove wheel). For me, I did remove the wheel liner at the front without removing the wheel, however, I had minimal success because my arm was too big to control the installation. I also chose not to remove the wheel.

So, I deciphered a method of placing the lifting motor into position without having to gain access from the rear:

NOTE: Be careful not to position yourself so as to cause damage to the front bonnet lid (it is made of aluminum and will be damaged if you fall on it).

1. Place lifter motor into a rough position, with the drive shaft sticking through the large hole (Pic 1).
2. Position a spacer thick enough to provide resistence to hold the motor in place with the original nut installed on the drive shaft (Pic 2 and 3...my spacer consisted of an oversized nut with two washers between the nut and the wall of the headlight bucket).
3.Tighten the spacer hardware enough to hold the motor snug enough to allow to position it so one of the mounting bolts can be installed WITHOUT hardware (no washer,etc.).
4. Install one of the three mounting bolts. This can also be seen in Pic 3.
5. Position the motor to allow the other two bolts to be installed WITH hardware (washers and ground terminal as sppropriate). Install the two bolts (I used a little Blue Locktite on these...See Pic 4).
6. Remove first bolt and re-install with hardware included (I used Blue Locktite). See Pic 5.
7. Torque to wrist tight (estimated at around 10 ft-lb).
8. Connect electrical connectors, using dielectric material to insulate well. Pic 6 shows final connections made (if you motor is normal, the blue connectors will be replaced with black connectors as are the original; those with different connectors should know theri own configurations as well).
9. Clean the area so as to remove excess dielectric, etc.
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Now, re-installation is fairly easy:

1. Lubricate (Lithium grease) and install thin flat washer onto pivot oin on headlight bucket.
2. Lubricate (Lithium grease) pin on headlight bucket and slide on plastic shaft part WHILE placing metal lever part onto motor drive gear.
3. Position plastic shaft and lever as it was when removed (headlight should be up as before) and hand-start the nut (with washer as appropriate...I used a little Red Locktite on the nut as well) onto the motor drive shaft.
4. Reinstall E-ring onto headlight bucket pin.
5. Tighten nut to push down on metal lever on the motor drive shaft. Note that there is a spring loading felt when installing. Actually, it is a spline section that grabs the lever in its hole. You will need to iterate torquing the nut until there is no play between the lever and motor drive. Tighten to wrist tight (about 10 ft-lb).
6. See Pic 1 for final look.
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Now to test the motor for operation:

1. First re-connect the battery (check that light switch is still in a position to cause lifter motor to be up). See Pic 1.
2. Manipulate switch and verify that motor operates properly (mine worked very well).
Troubleshoot any electrical discrepencies.
3. Set switch so as to close headlight.
4. Look closely at the headlight bucket to see how well it is aligned when closed.
5. If necessary, adjust the turnbuckle portion of the operating shaft (with plastic ends) so that the headlight bucket lies flush with the rest of the fender when closed. Tighten the turnbucle when properly adjusted. I needed a small adjustement for mine (on the passenger side only).

SPECIAL NOTE: If you review the 328 Owner's Manual, it discusses manual operation of the lifting motor by turning the actuator on top of the motor itself to raise the headlights for operation. I did this as part of my testing and I GOT A SHOCK! It's thus my impression that manually rotating the motors to raise the headlights should be done after disconnecting the motor connectors.


Enjoy FChat!

Rob H.
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