Warning to all 928 owners! - Check your headlight clips, upgrade solution post #119
03-20-2006, 01:38 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Warning to all 928 owners! - Check your headlight clips, upgrade solution post #119
Dear All, (1985 928, 5.0, 32v, Auto)
This warning should be right up there with the TBF check as one of the highest priorities on owning a 928. My radiator just acquired a recent inpact that was caused by a 3 cent e-clip. The rotating arm on the headlight motor is connected to a 4" or so arm that connects to the rotating shaft for the headlight assembly. If the arm pops off of the light rotating assembly, the arm will literally punch a hole right through the radiator as soon as you turn your headlights on. Many many thanks to Stan Shaw
for being able to score me a radiator that he had laying around.
It would not have been so bad if it would have happened to me as I turned on the lights, but I was trying to put the arm back on the rotating headlight asesmbly by turning the wheel on the motor to get things to allign correctly(because i noticed that it had come off). Well note to self, if you turn the wheel on the motor top far enough, it will automatically activate itself and go through the cycle of operation to flip the headlights up. This will put the arm and/or the bracket right through the front of the radiator in about 0.22 seconds. Now granted I had the engine running while doing this and that is my fault, but damn it still super sucks knowing that a 3 cent e-clip just cost me senceless dollars for nothing.
After I put in the new radiator (thanks again Stan!!!), I am going to permanently solder the e-clips into position to prevent one of them from falling out. I would suggets all do the same. Take care
This warning should be right up there with the TBF check as one of the highest priorities on owning a 928. My radiator just acquired a recent inpact that was caused by a 3 cent e-clip. The rotating arm on the headlight motor is connected to a 4" or so arm that connects to the rotating shaft for the headlight assembly. If the arm pops off of the light rotating assembly, the arm will literally punch a hole right through the radiator as soon as you turn your headlights on. Many many thanks to Stan Shaw
for being able to score me a radiator that he had laying around. It would not have been so bad if it would have happened to me as I turned on the lights, but I was trying to put the arm back on the rotating headlight asesmbly by turning the wheel on the motor to get things to allign correctly(because i noticed that it had come off). Well note to self, if you turn the wheel on the motor top far enough, it will automatically activate itself and go through the cycle of operation to flip the headlights up. This will put the arm and/or the bracket right through the front of the radiator in about 0.22 seconds. Now granted I had the engine running while doing this and that is my fault, but damn it still super sucks knowing that a 3 cent e-clip just cost me senceless dollars for nothing.
After I put in the new radiator (thanks again Stan!!!), I am going to permanently solder the e-clips into position to prevent one of them from falling out. I would suggets all do the same. Take care
Last edited by RngTrtl; 03-20-2006 at 02:34 PM.
03-20-2006, 01:44 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Might want to just safety wire it. I popped my hood at a show last year and the car was running. After Frenzy. Suddenly, several people started yelling to kill it!! I had no clue my clip had popped off. Luckily someone there had a "spare", I could'nt believe it.
03-20-2006, 02:01 PM
#3
Captain Obvious
Super User
Super User
Yup, this has been going around for years. A lot of 928 owners had the same thing happen to them. Both my ’85 and the 86.5 has the lower C clips missing. I replaced them before they had a chance of coming off the rotating arm. If the engine is OFF and you are hand turning the headlight motor, the lights will not cycle up on their own.
03-20-2006, 02:31 PM
#7
Three Wheelin'
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I'm going to check mine as I just installed a brand new C&R Radiator. I've not looked yet, but is there a possability of adding a safety wire to the arm so if the ring does come off, the wire won't let it stray too far? Just a though as I have not looked yet.
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03-20-2006, 04:24 PM
#13
928 Engine Re-Re-Rebuild Specialist
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Two per headlight...one on each end of the arm.
Wally P noticed this was missing on my 928 at last year's SITM. His recommendation is that if you're missing the top clip, you should immediately take the bottom clip and put it on the top. His feeling is that it's better to have your headlight flop down than to have the headlight arm punch a hole in the radiator. Obviously it's better to have both clips in place, but the top one is the higher priority.
Wally P noticed this was missing on my 928 at last year's SITM. His recommendation is that if you're missing the top clip, you should immediately take the bottom clip and put it on the top. His feeling is that it's better to have your headlight flop down than to have the headlight arm punch a hole in the radiator. Obviously it's better to have both clips in place, but the top one is the higher priority.
03-20-2006, 04:43 PM
#15
Drifting
Sure you can replace the missing e-ring(s). But it was a poor choice by Porsche engineers.
A better solution would be a circlip that requires circlip pliers to remove.
http://www.rotorclip.com/products.php
A better solution would be a circlip that requires circlip pliers to remove.
http://www.rotorclip.com/products.php