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Background: Original owner of 02 Z06 with 65,000 miles. 6 months ago a deer ran into the left front corner so the left fender, hood, front bumper cover and left headlight assembly were replaced. Left headlight worked fine for several months but now every few weeks the left headlight doesn't go up when I turn on the lights. If I turn the lights off and then on again both headlights open. I don't hear any unusual noises or grinding when this happens.
This happened to me a couple years ago on my 02 with about 65,000 miles at the time. Soon after, I got the dreaded grinding noise when the left one would close. The plastic gear was stripped and I had to replace it. Not saying this is your problem, but something to keep in mind. The gear could be going south causing it to not open.
There is a great chance that it is the headlight controller. If the gears aren't slipping and the motor works., intermittently.
The controller is behind the right side headlight. You can get the from the catalog dealers or from vendors on this fine website. I got mine from EBAY for 1/3 the price. Solved that lucky, unlucky switch flipping on dark mornings.
I was able to replace mine without removing the headlight assy.
Good luck.
I had the same problem on my 02 DD a year ago. I seperated the connector and cleaned it and have not had the problem since. That is where I would start