GREENJOE

I hadn't driven my '01 vert for a while and the battery had died. I charged it and it started right up. Except, my headlights did not pop up. The lights came on but they were not visible. I've heard of this problem here from other owners. What do I need to do ? I know I can get good advice here. Thanks. Joe

dblerman

Could be a few possible things.
Multi-function switch...headlight motor fuses....headlight motor gears....grounds.
First thing I would do is inspect/clean ground 102.

From there I would get a voltmeter and start troubleshooting the circuit.

Sinister-one

do you hears the motors run ??
If they run and then stop. you may have a worn gears and will need to replace them.

egrand333

I had the exact same problem you are having and after changing the multi-function switch (turn signal lever) and the headlight module with no results, I bent the pins slightly on the connections on the headlight module and then they worked fine.

guido7834

I recently had issues with my headlights not opening. It would 2-3 tries with the switch. After researching on the forum, I checked the battery cables. While they weren't real loose, I did tighten them a couple turns. Well, coincidence or not, I haven't had any issues since. I also was getting "service active handling" message occaionally when making a hard turn out of my garage, and haven't seen that since either. Since you just changed your battery, it might be worth a shot.

GREENJOE

Thanks. I jumped my battery again. Vert started right up and while I was disconnecting the cables, I noticed my headlights were on and up. I drove about 20 miles on the Interstate to "charge" my battery and when I tried the next morning, nothing. do I havae a bad battery ? Alternator ? Anyway, the good news, my headlight problem seems to have gone away. At least for now. Of course my car won't start.

MSG C5

Sounds more like a battery/connection issue than a light gear issue. Plus, it's highly unlikely both light housing gears would have failed at the same time.

The C5 features are all electrically connected, so lack of voltage could have subsequent impact on various components.

mtndv8

^^^

My guess would be that a new (or fully charged) battery (and checking grounds and torquing the terminals to 11 lbs) would get you to the point where you'd know whether or not the light was in fact acting up.

Any other electrical issues/weirdness...?

runner140*

The alternator is not for "charging" your battery....if your battery is down or bad, driving it will take down your alternator. If your alternator is bad, it will take down your battery.

Why not check both at an auto parts store and correct the problem?

Johnz02Z06

I have a 2002 daily driver. I was having this porblem but only once in a while. I took the connectors apart and sprayed contact cleaner in both ends dried it with compressed air and pluged it back in and has worked every time since

fishbust

A 20 minute drive is not going to charge a battery.

Use a battery charger to charge it. Check cells with a hydrometer, they are cheap and easy to use.

With it running, check your voltage with a DMM or your dash voltmeter gauge, you should see 14+ volts to know your alternator is trying to charge it.

A fully charged battery with the motor not running should be well over 12 volts.

An easy diagnosis, just process of elimination if it is cables, battery or alternator.

If you do not do your own work, a shop will tell you what is wrong in 10 minutes. They can also load test the battery.