c4 Headlight
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 415
Likes: 1
From: Nj
c4 Headlight
I have a 1987 c4 corvette and the headlight does not flip so I change it. Then about two weeks later it broke it made a grinding noise. The headlight has a 6 mouth warrenty so I got anther one ship then I put that one in and it broke too.both headlights turn when I hook them up to power . the new one turns when it wants to and the other one does not. The new one trys to close and does not stop turning and makes a grinding sound too. I want to find out if its the headlight is broken or if its the car that is braking them?
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: Las Cruces New Mexico
just had basicly the same problem on my 96. it turned out to be the headlight actuator relay. i ordered a new one and it should be here tomorrow. mine would not open or close all the way but worked fine when i powerd them with a jumper wire. good luck
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 214
Likes: 0
From: Las Cruces New Mexico
thats how mine started first the rh side then the left was not to far behind. corvette central lists the same part for 88-96 so im not sure about the 87. it looks like you have a headlight actuator isolation relay, tap on it and see if it will work.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Fort Knox, KY
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Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Vero Beach Florida
On your 87 the relays are located in a box with 2 bolts holding the cover on which is on the driver’s side inside front of wheel well. Remove cover to access relays there are 3 left, right & isolation. Any grinding noise is the gear your relays maybe bad causing the polarity of the motor to not reverse or the motor it's self.
Last edited by floridamale; Jun 15, 2009 at 03:26 PM.
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6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
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85-87 reversed headlight issues
Ok I have a 85 vette and just finished putting new gears in the headlight motor, no problem. I put it all back on the car and now the lights are reversed, one goes up while the other goes down. There is only one way for it to go back together. The motor is not the same as newer 87+ vettes and cannot be flipped etc... I can see in this forum that this is a common issue. It seems like the polarity has changed on the electric motor and now it runs backwards. The newer vettes are not the same so there is no way to flip the motor etc.... Someone on page 2 of this forum said they reversed the gray and green wires and that fixed the problem, so I tried it, and it went the right direction 1 time and then the wires started melting so I unpluged it and reversed it back.. I am positive that it has been re-assembled the right way because it will only go back one way. Does anybody have the answer to this problem? Is there a way to switch the polarity back?
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