Noob Help with Headlights.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville NC
Noob Help with Headlights.
Hey all,
There seems to be a problem with my headlights not popping up. I know they run using vaccums, when I attempt to turn the lights on, the console makes a hissing sound.
Excuse my terminology, but the "vaccum **** thingy" located under the console seems to be emmiting it and is popped out? Its movable with a touch of a finger.
Now could this mean theres a leak in my lines? Or I need a new Actuator Relay? Thanks for any help given!
There seems to be a problem with my headlights not popping up. I know they run using vaccums, when I attempt to turn the lights on, the console makes a hissing sound.
Excuse my terminology, but the "vaccum **** thingy" located under the console seems to be emmiting it and is popped out? Its movable with a touch of a finger.
Now could this mean theres a leak in my lines? Or I need a new Actuator Relay? Thanks for any help given!
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Originally Posted by Bogey Dope
Hey all,
There seems to be a problem with my headlights not popping up. I know they run using vaccums, when I attempt to turn the lights on, the console makes a hissing sound.
Excuse my terminology, but the "vaccum **** thingy" located under the console seems to be emmiting it and is popped out? Its movable with a touch of a finger.
Now could this mean theres a leak in my lines? Or I need a new Actuator Relay? Thanks for any help given!
There seems to be a problem with my headlights not popping up. I know they run using vaccums, when I attempt to turn the lights on, the console makes a hissing sound.
Excuse my terminology, but the "vaccum **** thingy" located under the console seems to be emmiting it and is popped out? Its movable with a touch of a finger.
Now could this mean theres a leak in my lines? Or I need a new Actuator Relay? Thanks for any help given!
Look in the archives and get a vacuum diagram, this will help considerably in understanding how the system works and assist in fault diagnosis.
Good luck
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 75coupered
Your vacuum **** thingy is probably open , push up/in to close and try again, if it is open your headlights should stay closed causing a bypass of the vacuum signal not getting to the actuators.
Look in the archives and get a vacuum diagram, this will help considerably in understanding how the system works and assist in fault diagnosis.
Good luck
Look in the archives and get a vacuum diagram, this will help considerably in understanding how the system works and assist in fault diagnosis.
Good luck
What's the point of bypassing the vacuum? Is it to turn the lights on without raising them up?
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
What's the point of bypassing the vacuum? Is it to turn the lights on without raising them up?
I can't recall the exact flow but manifold vac should flow from the manifold to the override switch then to the dash light switch and then to the actuators, the override allows you to bypass the light switch and manually redirect the vac signal from the override directly to the actuators to control up-down of the assemblies.
More info on this in the archieves, but if the switch is hissing, it is either open or bad/crack and needs to be replaced.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 75coupered
As I understand it, the override switch allows you to close your headlight doors, in the case that your actual light switch does not do that in the on-off-on settings. The headlights themselves turning on-off is governed by the electric light dash switch.
Hmm...an interesting idea, but if the switch war bad, having the lights up would be the least of my worries.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Originally Posted by Bogey Dope
...when I attempt to turn the lights on, the console makes a hissing sound...
Easiest to check is the override switch.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
Hmm...an interesting idea, but if the switch war bad, having the lights up would be the least of my worries.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 75coupered
true enough, I beleive that this was a carryover from the earlier cars with the wiper doors, and controlled the opening closing of both headlight assemblies and wiper door, so there must have been enough of a concern for GM to have added this, likely wiper door related moreso than headlamps, they at least can still be manually opened and closed at the assemblies themselves.
Yeah. I wonder if there is any arm in removing that backup switch from the system. If it's prone to leaking at all, why not just remove it all together?
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Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Originally Posted by Durango_boy
Yeah. I wonder if there is any arm in removing that backup switch from the system. If it's prone to leaking at all, why not just remove it all together?
Your call
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 75coupered
You could remove it and bypass the switch altogether, but really it's a $7 switch, rarely fails and if so it is cheap and easy enough to replace. Its the rest of the headlamp vac system which is expensive to replace/repair.
Your call
Your call
Lets use that statement as a method of turning this thread into a 'How To' for switching to electric headlight motors. All in favor?
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville NC
Thanks for all the hasty replies, seems that i got the hissing under the console ok'd. but it does seem like there is another hiss from the lightswitch **** itself. Which probably needs to get replaced.
Before I just had them popped up, but latey they come back down when I started the car. Seems like there was more sucking pressure to bring them down then to bring them up.
Hopefully its just what Easy Mike said. Is this an easy enough fix to replace it?
Before I just had them popped up, but latey they come back down when I started the car. Seems like there was more sucking pressure to bring them down then to bring them up.
Hopefully its just what Easy Mike said. Is this an easy enough fix to replace it?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Bogey Dope
Thanks for all the hasty replies, seems that i got the hissing under the console ok'd. but it does seem like there is another hiss from the lightswitch **** itself. Which probably needs to get replaced.
Before I just had them popped up, but latey they come back down when I started the car. Seems like there was more sucking pressure to bring them down then to bring them up.
Hopefully its just what Easy Mike said. Is this an easy enough fix to replace it?
Before I just had them popped up, but latey they come back down when I started the car. Seems like there was more sucking pressure to bring them down then to bring them up.
Hopefully its just what Easy Mike said. Is this an easy enough fix to replace it?
The headlight switch can be a pain. Have you ever removed a **** from a switch like that? That's usually the hardest part for someone who's never done it.
The redundant switch is cake.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Bogey Dope
I tried but I feel like an ogre not trying to break something.
Okay, getting the **** out is easy once you know how. On the top of the body of the headlight switch is a small metal button, spring loaded. If you can reach your hand up there and get a finger on the botton, half the battle is over.
First, extend the light switch like if you were turning on the lights. Then, depress the button, and then finish pulling out the ****. The button will ONLY release the **** and shaft IF the shaft is already extended.
Then, there is a small screw with an alignment bracket that has to be unscrewed, and the switch will come right out. It's better if you have the harness unplugged and the vac lines taken off before this point.