Headlight ring removal HELP!!!

[woodkeeth82honda]

New guy here. I am repainting my windjammer 5 and I am stuck trying to remove the headlight ring. Try as I might I can't seem to budge the tab that I am suppose to push in. The ring will turn about a millionth of an inch. I am afraid I will break something. I want to remove it to repaint the fairing , but I have to remove it to fix the headlight adjuster which has popped off of the headlight bucket and won't adjust anything.

It might help to see the pieces but I can't find any pics. Anybody have any words of help?

The instructions I found here say to push the tab in? I tried pushing up, back, forward, side to side nothing works.
Keith

 

[brianinpa]

It's been a while since I removed mine, but I remember the tab had to be pushed pretty far to get it to release the ring. If you can only turn the ring as little as you say, that tab is not releasing. I'll take a look at my spare tomorrow and see what I can see.

 

[woodkeeth82honda]

SUCCESS!! I drizzled some wd40 around the ring, and worked back and forth. I put on my mechanics gloves for some added grip (and because my fingers were hurting from pushing the tab) and the tab started to move a little bit more. I then felt the ring start to move. I could also hear and feel the tab sort of ratchet on the ring (I guess that's how it holds the ring in place). Finally it turned off and I was looking at the nude headlight.

I can see the attachment dealy that allows the headlight to adjust was totally off and laying inside behind the headlight. I took a break and shared my success here. Now I will finish and document my progress with some pictures so others will understand what's going on in there.

BTW it was on the Vetter site I found the headlight removal procedure, in the owners manual section. Certainly glad I didn't break anything.

Thanks for your response Brian but I got it.

 

[steppenwolf]

Good news for sure...I had to do about the same thing for mine...took a lot of muscle.

 

[brianinpa]

I don't think the WD-40 did much as it is plastic and since you heard the ratchet sound, I think the plastic just isn't flexible enough to move far enough to release correctly. That can occur from not being used/moved over time. That is kind-a how I feel after crawling around the garage floor all weekend!

 

[Kynan C.]

I had the same thing with one of mine. It took a ton of muscle to get the thing off. However, on a less used looking Jammer it came right off. I think age does have a bit to do with it.

 

[Terraplane Tom]

Most of the time it's just that stupid little tab is hard to push in.