Headlight help...not the usual problem

[pathology knight]

Ok, my driver's side headlight is driving me crazy.

a while ago it stopped working, meaning it quite going up and down. The actual light is fine.
i did some checking and the most common problem is the little gear inside craps out. Mine didn't make any sound or any grinding noise or anything, so i decided it wasn't the gear. I checked the fuses, and everything was good. I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought a new motor. during testing, i could see the new one was getting power and was working. just to be sure, it tested the old one and still nothing. I put the new one in and it was fine...sort of.

Every now and then it wouldn't work. it either wouldn't go down or wouldn't go up. I remember seeing how the terminals were a little corrodid (sp?) when i put the new one in and thought maybe the connection was bad.

All week it's been giving me trouble, not going down, so i finally took it apart last night and "cleaned" the terminals. i checked the fuses again and everything was good. i also noticed that the bottom of the "arm" that connects the motor gear to the headlight assembly was just barely rubbing the bottom bolt that holds the motor in place. i took it out and added a couple washers on teh bolt's head side to "suck in" the nut. It clears it with no problems now.

It still doesn't work right. Today when i got off of work, it didn't come up! I got out and manually cranked it up. when i got home, it went down with no problems.

Any idea what's going on?

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

It sounds more like a bad connection to me still. It may be that said bad connection is not on the motor end of the wiring, though. It even sounds a little bit like the headlight motor itself could have a dead spot in it. This would be unlikely being that it's new, but certainly possible.

[pathology knight]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

where else could a "bad connection" be?

[nascar24jd]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

You really need to test for power when the issue arises. See if you are actually getting power to the motor. The problem could be the motor, the connection at the motor, the headlight module, or the wiring in between.

You did not mention the year of your car, but for reference, the headlight module is located in the left from corner of the engine bay. 93 to 97 is mounted on top of the air intake tubing, 98+ is located just next to the air intake tubing.

My old motor went bad in a way that it was opening and closing the headlight door too far. In other words, the light assembly would not raise or lower unless I turned the manual knob a little bit to help it get going. If you try this be careful of your fingers, when the motor kicks in that knob spins VERY fast.

[pathology knight]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

sorry, i have a 2000.

can you post a pic of what to look for? how would i know if the module is bad?

if i turn on the lights, and the headlight door doesn't open, what do i need to check? if i have to open the door manually, does that screw any readings up?

[pathology knight]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

it happened again!!! urrrrhhhhhhh WTF???!!!!

it won't go up, but down is fine.

this starting to drive me nuts! plus on my way home, my check engine light came one. it cam on (blinking) last week and i had a misfire in #6....with a brand new plug from summit. i told them about it and they sent me a new one which showed up today.

[pathology knight]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

problem still exist.

can someone post some pics of what i should be looking for (to test)?
i don't know what else to do!!

[pathology knight]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

Figured it out (for now)

it appeared to be a faulty wire (pin connector) on the harness at the switch.

[fishin]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

Lately, I have had to cycle the headlight switch for my headlight doors to come up. What is the most likely culprit, the switch or the module? Thanks.

[GaryDoug]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

Lately, I have had to cycle the headlight switch for my headlight doors to come up. What is the most likely culprit, the switch or the module? Thanks.

What year is the car? Before 98 the mounting position of the module was allowing water intrusion into the connectors. Try unplugging them, and drying and cleaning the pins. Use the dielectric grease to keep out the water. This is the module with two connectors, one 4-wire and another 5-wire.
Other than that it could be that the mechanism is sticking at the motor actuator arm and linkage. The module cuts off power to the motors when resistance to movement is sensed in order to detect the stops. Sometimes they stick enough to make them fail to start. A binding worm gear inside the motor gearbox is possible also, cause by loose tabs fastening the motor to the gearbox.

[fishin]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

1997. I'll check the connections. Thanks.

[2.8 Bird]

Re: Headlight help...not the usual problem

If you hear a grinding noise when your headlight either open or close it is more likely the gear inside.