Head light gets stuck
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: DePere WI
Head light gets stuck
When I turn on my headlights, they go up fine. When I turn them off, the driver's side gets stuck half way down. Is there a way to lube these motors or is the motor messed up or something else?
Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 729
Likes: 4
From: Yukon OK
Re: Head light gets stuck (bigbert)
Since it is pre-88 and problem is only when going down, could be mechanical binding OR the limit switch inside the motor. If it was a relay both sides would have the problem.
Lots of previous posts on this topic for trouble shooting.
Lots of previous posts on this topic for trouble shooting.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,384
Likes: 124
From: Reno/Sparks Nevada
Re: Head light gets stuck (LaVidaLoca)
My '85 experiences a similar problem on the driver's side, but the headlight doesn't rotate from full open to close unless I tease the torque or limit switch inside the motor to activate. I've had this motor apart and can see how this switch operates. When the headlamp hits the stops in the up or down position the motor torque causes the switch to open or close a set of contacts. I've heard of people replacing the gears etc. but I don't think they have anything to do with the intermittent non-operation of the headlight. I just keep pressing on it til it rotates. Sometimes I'll use the manual switch but when it starts to turn it just spins right in my fingertips with some abrasion. Oh well, might just wait til it doesn't work at all before I replace it or open it up again to see why it's not working.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 270
Likes: 1
From: Torrance California
Re: Head light gets stuck (MrRenoman)
My '85 experiences a similar problem on the driver's side, but the headlight doesn't rotate from full open to close unless I tease the torque or limit switch inside the motor to activate. I've had this motor apart and can see how this switch operates. When the headlamp hits the stops in the up or down position the motor torque causes the switch to open or close a set of contacts. I've heard of people replacing the gears etc. but I don't think they have anything to do with the intermittent non-operation of the headlight. I just keep pressing on it til it rotates. Sometimes I'll use the manual switch but when it starts to turn it just spins right in my fingertips with some abrasion. Oh well, might just wait til it doesn't work at all before I replace it or open it up again to see why it's not working.
[Modified by 1SLO POK, 4:27 AM 8/3/2003]
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Re: Head light gets stuck (MrRenoman)
The drivers side light on my '84 is just like MrRenoman's. It happens infrequently, but it is a pain when it does. I turn the **** at the headlight motor and suffer the aforementioned abrasions. The difference in mine and the writers, that mine never starts to move. His stops "half way down". Check this out! My RIGHT headlight started to stop turning in mid travel one day. I assumed it had caught the diesease from the left side. THEN I noticed a small chip in the paint on the rotating assembly. Cut to the chase. I had flushed my cooling system, including removing the overflow resevoir. On installation, I put the recovery hose clamp on the forward tank mounting bolt rather than the rear. Those bolts aren't THAT far apart, and I didn't realize I had moved the clamp. The headlight assy was hitting the clamp. I moved the clamp back to the rear bolt and solved the problem. Who says there is a lot of extra clearaces in these Corvettes? I was dumfounded by the cause, but pleased with the simplicity with the fix. Good luck, and...
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 2,535
Likes: 2
From: Rochester NY
Re: Head light gets stuck (CFI-EFI)
I bet yeah your ground wire are not tight or not getting a good contact. It happened to my car a few yrs ago. It would only go down but it won't go up. I take it to a dealer they told me I need a new hydr pump? I am not sure what it is call. They want $129 for it. But I insisted it is not the pump.
So a machanic friend told me and say I bet I can fix your head light problem. So he disconnect the ground wire and grind off the black paint around the screw, so the screw get a good contact. Guess what he fixed my headlight problem. He says he never seen a pump gone bad on this cars. Mostly is bad ground.
Bruce
Cog set up is coming by next week
93LT1 Conv w/ZF6
Blown D1-SC/N2O
ARE built 383ci/Stage II heads
So a machanic friend told me and say I bet I can fix your head light problem. So he disconnect the ground wire and grind off the black paint around the screw, so the screw get a good contact. Guess what he fixed my headlight problem. He says he never seen a pump gone bad on this cars. Mostly is bad ground.
Bruce
Cog set up is coming by next week
93LT1 Conv w/ZF6
Blown D1-SC/N2O
ARE built 383ci/Stage II heads
1st Gear
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
C4 1984 Corvette- Headlight intermittent
My '85 experiences a similar problem on the driver's side, but the headlight doesn't rotate from full open to close unless I tease the torque or limit switch inside the motor to activate. I've had this motor apart and can see how this switch operates. When the headlamp hits the stops in the up or down position the motor torque causes the switch to open or close a set of contacts. I've heard of people replacing the gears etc. but I don't think they have anything to do with the intermittent non-operation of the headlight. I just keep pressing on it til it rotates. Sometimes I'll use the manual switch but when it starts to turn it just spins right in my fingertips with some abrasion. Oh well, might just wait til it doesn't work at all before I replace it or open it up again to see why it's not working.
Abrasion city!
It is only on the passenger side (RH) of the car and gets stuck in both directions, up-and-down, Intermittently.
Any advice would be welcome. Thanks, Doc
7th Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 7
Likes: 2
make sure your relays on the driver’s side of radiator housing are not loose. I had that happen to mine and hung up the driver’s side headlight when it would retract and get stuck on the loose relay hanging off radiator. Snapped the relay back into radiator housing and it works great.
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1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Bethessa
I think you are right about the relay causing the problem but am keeping my fingers crossed that it wont come back.