OK so here's the scenario: The right headlight on my Indy has never come up all the way on it's own. I don't drive it much, so I never got around to doing anything to it (including lube - which was my first choice/idea). I would just pull it up the rest of the way when I drove at night. So the other day I finally got around to shooting some lube on it. The very first time I turned them on it came up all the way! Works great now.
The moral of the story is; get out there & lube your headlights. Even if they're working just fine, lube them & take some stress off of the motors. Shoot spray lithium lube on all the pivot points, & smear a little general purpose grease where the housing rubs the doors to lift them. Your Fiero will thank you & run better. Might even save you expensive or time consuming headlight motor work.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

thanks for the tip but i just did this two weeks ago, and low and behold my fiero didnt like that. because the transmission started making weird noises shortly after
jk. but seriously though, good tip!

oil/grease can be a short term solution but in long run can be a big problem...
Oil/grease in there can keep dirt from sticking inside pivot points. If any pivot uses nylon/plastic bearings then avoid using oil/grease that can attack plastic... (Lube should be brake rubber friendly.)

Gm made HL pivots to run w/o lube... Be careful if you're going to use lube and watch dirt buildup.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

quote Originally posted by theogre: oil/grease can be a short term solution but in long run can be a big problem... Oil/grease in there can keep dirt from sticking inside pivot points. If any pivot uses nylon/plastic bearings then avoid using oil/grease that can attack plastic... (Lube should be brake rubber friendly.) Gm made HL pivots to run w/o lube... Be careful if you're going to use lube and watch dirt buildup.

Ogre; a question, (well 2 actually).
Given that oil/grease can grab and trap dirt & grime, would a dry lubricant like powered graphite be a good lubricant for this application/situation?
Also would some thing like a spray silicone lube or a graphite/light oil lubricant like Lock-ease work well in this situation?

~ Bob ~

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"Its nice to be important.
Its more important to be nice."

quote Originally posted by FieroBobo: Ogre; a question, (well 2 actually). Given that oil/grease can grab and trap dirt & grime, would a dry lubricant like powered graphite be a good lubricant for this application/situation? Also would some thing like a spray silicone lube or a graphite/light oil lubricant like Lock-ease work well in this situation?

Dry Teflon (It's wet spray but dries nearly instantly) should work. Many formulas will attack many plastic... Watch product label. Something in there as binder or carrier when wet is the problem. (Teflon is inert to most things.) Spray metal, dry, then should be plastic friendly. Wet & Dry Teflon formulas are sold w/ WD40 etc...

Graphite depend on material and product formula... Graphite can have problems w/ plastic and some soft metals.

I won't use grease. If using oil type lube then use light oil and keep to minimum. Silicon is better then oil... many oil products hate plastic and rubbers parts. Silicon get dirt but usually won't migrate dirt around.

I can't remember if HL lifts has any plastic bearings or not... can be a year thing too...

I use the assembly lube that I also use when installing the spark plugs. It's easier to work with than the heavier grease, does the job, and can also be used on your bicycle gear changers. What a bargain for me!
bb

Lubed my headlights at the beginning of summer and have not had one problem this year with headlights coming up. I second Paul's recommendation.

I used some marine waterproof grease that I have on hand that is plastic friendly. If it gathers dirt, then an annual cleaning/re-greasing may be in order, but compared to the headlight challenges I had before I don't have a problem spending my time doing that. Much easier than rebuilding headlight assemblies. And I have confidence they are going to rise to the occasion when I need them.

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'86 GT 2.8 4spd, a very slow work in progress, but fun to drive