kbcons
07-09-2016, 05:49 PM
A lesson for the ham-handed.
Sorry, but no pics. I didn't think about it at the time and I was running out of daylight.
I had to pull and disassemble my right-side headlight because the white plastic clip for the self leveler was broken. I found that in all the prior wrestling around I managed to break one of the plastic geared adjuster screws that facilitate manual aiming. This can be a real deal breaker for the assembly, not to mention REALLY expensive, because the parts cannot be ordered separately. However, because they're hollow they can be fixed if the parts are still in otherwise good shape. For me, the threaded shaft was broken about 2/3 the distance from the end with the bevel gear and the break was clean, so I was good to go for the repair.
Here's what's needed:
File or fine cut rasp.
Sharp (read that new) 3/32” drill bit.
Sharp (read that new) 7/64” drill bit.
Sharp (read that new) 1/8” drill bit.
Driver drill set to low range.
Painter's tape.
4-40 x 1 1/4” socket head (allen) machine screw.
3/32” allen wrench
CA glue (and accelerator if you have it)
Paper towel.
Moly grease and a toothpick.
With long nose pliers, carefully open the orange retainer that holds the adjusting wheel and pop it up off the housing. Then withdraw the orange retainer and the white plastic screw together. Once out they can be easily separated.
Within the off-white slider that attaches to the reflector you should find the broken off end of the white plastic screw. Retrieve it being careful not to damage the threads.
Carefully file the broken ends of both pieces so that they are at a clean 90 degrees to the length of the screw. They don't need to be particularly smooth, just flat. Remove any burrs.
Using the 3/32” bit, carefully and slowly enlarge the center bore in the piece with the bevel gear. You'll also need to deepen the bore a bit. You can probably hold the piece in your hand. If not, wrap it in a few layers of painter's tape and carefully hold with pliers. Keep the drill's RPM to a minimum.
Wrap the other piece of the plastic screw in a few layers of painters tape to protect the threads. Holding the piece with pliers as lightly as possible use the 7/64” bit to enlarge the bore's diameter. Keep the drill's RPM to a minimum. Do this again with the 1/8” bit. It's important to do this in a couple stages to avoid having the bit grab too big of a bite.
Clean up any burrs, then slide the 4-40 machine screw down the 1/8” bore with the head at the end that you didn't file earlier. Now thread the machine screw into the 3/32” bore of the geared end and run it down until the ends of the plastic screw meet. The machine screw will cut its own threads in the plastic as it goes. Don't use a power driver; work with just an allen wrench. If the ends are square, they should match up nicely.
If everything looks good, back out the machine screw until there is a gap of about 3/16” between the ends. Carefully drip in a small amount of CA glue so that the end of one side is wet. Re-tighten that machine screw as tight as possible, but short of stripping out the threads that the machine screw creates. Wipe off any excess glue with a paper towel (NOT a tissue like Kleenex!). Allow the repaired part to sit a few minutes for the glue to go off and cure. If you have CA accelerator, give it a squirt.
You should now have a repaired and usable part.
Using a toothpick, place a very small mount of grease onto the threads of the female threaded sliders that mate to the adjusting screws. Do this for both sliders. It doesn't take much lubrication to relieve the twisting stress on the adjusting screws. Screw the repaired white adjusting screw into its associated slider for most of its length to distribute the grease and verify smooth operation, then remove.
Assemble the adjusting screw to the orange retainer and insert into the housing. Press the adjusting wheel into place until it clicks.
Carefully reassemble your headlight – you're done!
Oh! There was supposed to be a lesson here. If you turn the adjuster wheel and the headlight doesn't move, STOP and look for the reason. Don't just keep turning because something may break. I was a bonehead and kept turning. I got lucky in this case because I was able to repair the break.
Ken...
Sorry, but no pics. I didn't think about it at the time and I was running out of daylight.
I had to pull and disassemble my right-side headlight because the white plastic clip for the self leveler was broken. I found that in all the prior wrestling around I managed to break one of the plastic geared adjuster screws that facilitate manual aiming. This can be a real deal breaker for the assembly, not to mention REALLY expensive, because the parts cannot be ordered separately. However, because they're hollow they can be fixed if the parts are still in otherwise good shape. For me, the threaded shaft was broken about 2/3 the distance from the end with the bevel gear and the break was clean, so I was good to go for the repair.
Here's what's needed:
File or fine cut rasp.
Sharp (read that new) 3/32” drill bit.
Sharp (read that new) 7/64” drill bit.
Sharp (read that new) 1/8” drill bit.
Driver drill set to low range.
Painter's tape.
4-40 x 1 1/4” socket head (allen) machine screw.
3/32” allen wrench
CA glue (and accelerator if you have it)
Paper towel.
Moly grease and a toothpick.
With long nose pliers, carefully open the orange retainer that holds the adjusting wheel and pop it up off the housing. Then withdraw the orange retainer and the white plastic screw together. Once out they can be easily separated.
Within the off-white slider that attaches to the reflector you should find the broken off end of the white plastic screw. Retrieve it being careful not to damage the threads.
Carefully file the broken ends of both pieces so that they are at a clean 90 degrees to the length of the screw. They don't need to be particularly smooth, just flat. Remove any burrs.
Using the 3/32” bit, carefully and slowly enlarge the center bore in the piece with the bevel gear. You'll also need to deepen the bore a bit. You can probably hold the piece in your hand. If not, wrap it in a few layers of painter's tape and carefully hold with pliers. Keep the drill's RPM to a minimum.
Wrap the other piece of the plastic screw in a few layers of painters tape to protect the threads. Holding the piece with pliers as lightly as possible use the 7/64” bit to enlarge the bore's diameter. Keep the drill's RPM to a minimum. Do this again with the 1/8” bit. It's important to do this in a couple stages to avoid having the bit grab too big of a bite.
Clean up any burrs, then slide the 4-40 machine screw down the 1/8” bore with the head at the end that you didn't file earlier. Now thread the machine screw into the 3/32” bore of the geared end and run it down until the ends of the plastic screw meet. The machine screw will cut its own threads in the plastic as it goes. Don't use a power driver; work with just an allen wrench. If the ends are square, they should match up nicely.
If everything looks good, back out the machine screw until there is a gap of about 3/16” between the ends. Carefully drip in a small amount of CA glue so that the end of one side is wet. Re-tighten that machine screw as tight as possible, but short of stripping out the threads that the machine screw creates. Wipe off any excess glue with a paper towel (NOT a tissue like Kleenex!). Allow the repaired part to sit a few minutes for the glue to go off and cure. If you have CA accelerator, give it a squirt.
You should now have a repaired and usable part.
Using a toothpick, place a very small mount of grease onto the threads of the female threaded sliders that mate to the adjusting screws. Do this for both sliders. It doesn't take much lubrication to relieve the twisting stress on the adjusting screws. Screw the repaired white adjusting screw into its associated slider for most of its length to distribute the grease and verify smooth operation, then remove.
Assemble the adjusting screw to the orange retainer and insert into the housing. Press the adjusting wheel into place until it clicks.
Carefully reassemble your headlight – you're done!
Oh! There was supposed to be a lesson here. If you turn the adjuster wheel and the headlight doesn't move, STOP and look for the reason. Don't just keep turning because something may break. I was a bonehead and kept turning. I got lucky in this case because I was able to repair the break.
Ken...