Headlamp Weirdness
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 472
From: Newark Delaware
Headlamp Weirdness
Something weird yesterday with the headlamps on my '99 convertible.
Drove it yesterday afternoon and the headlights flipped up and came on when I started it in the garage and flipped closed and went off once I had pulled out, all of which is normal. Then when I was headed home last night after dark, the headlights would not flip up - they were on but would not flip up. So, needing to get home, I cranked them up manually. At home, I pulled into the garage, turned the car off and after the normal short delay, they turned off and flipped closed and now work normally.
I know that retractable headlights eventually have mechanical problems - is this the start for me?
K9Leader
Drove it yesterday afternoon and the headlights flipped up and came on when I started it in the garage and flipped closed and went off once I had pulled out, all of which is normal. Then when I was headed home last night after dark, the headlights would not flip up - they were on but would not flip up. So, needing to get home, I cranked them up manually. At home, I pulled into the garage, turned the car off and after the normal short delay, they turned off and flipped closed and now work normally.
I know that retractable headlights eventually have mechanical problems - is this the start for me?
K9Leader
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
I would have to say seeing that it was both lights you can forget thinking it is a gear, I have seen our cars do weird things, Maybe it was just a one time thing.
Mr.Bill
Mr.Bill
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,341
Likes: 0
From: Colchester Connecticut
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I've seen weird effects when high beam has been selected.
Try turning off Twilight Sentinel for a while and see how you go. At least that way you have "manual headlights"
Try turning off Twilight Sentinel for a while and see how you go. At least that way you have "manual headlights"
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 472
From: Newark Delaware
Has done it two more times since the original post. Crank them up manually and then it is normal . . . for a while. Ah, well, solving problems is half the reason we play with cars.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
Regular bulbs? Because with the HIDs in some cars you do get wierdness (not opening, not closing) due to the voltage difference.
And as always (with this car) hows the battery? Low voltage there also causes random wierdness.
And as always (with this car) hows the battery? Low voltage there also causes random wierdness.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 472
From: Newark Delaware
Okay, well that one is solved - electrical fussiness again. The positive battery contact was loose and now that it is tightened up, the headlights work like they are s'posed to.
I was coming back from the C5/C6 Bash last night (am off to a function in a few minutes here at home that I had to get back for) and after a dinner stop in Winchester, Kentucky, unlocked the car and all seemed right but when I turned the key . . . totally dead. Then I remembered the expert mecanic guy at the Bash noting that the battery terminal connections have to be torqued to 11 ft/lbs or all sorts of funny things happen. So, I managed to get my tool bag out of the trunk through the tonneau cover opening and cranked down on the connections and not only did it start but the headlamp weirdness was gone.
Battery, battery, battery! No matter what problem your Corvette has, always check the battery first. Nail through the tire? Check the battery. Gooey black stuff oozing out of the tailpipes? Check the battery. Rear window separating from the convertible top? Check the battery.
I was coming back from the C5/C6 Bash last night (am off to a function in a few minutes here at home that I had to get back for) and after a dinner stop in Winchester, Kentucky, unlocked the car and all seemed right but when I turned the key . . . totally dead. Then I remembered the expert mecanic guy at the Bash noting that the battery terminal connections have to be torqued to 11 ft/lbs or all sorts of funny things happen. So, I managed to get my tool bag out of the trunk through the tonneau cover opening and cranked down on the connections and not only did it start but the headlamp weirdness was gone.
Battery, battery, battery! No matter what problem your Corvette has, always check the battery first. Nail through the tire? Check the battery. Gooey black stuff oozing out of the tailpipes? Check the battery. Rear window separating from the convertible top? Check the battery.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
Battery, battery, battery! No matter what problem your Corvette has, always check the battery first. Nail through the tire? Check the battery. Gooey black stuff oozing out of the tailpipes? Check the battery. Rear window separating from the convertible top? Check the battery.
..... but true 
And btw, just got back from that c5/c6 bash myself
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
