HELP! No headlights
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,444
Likes: 371
From: Maryville TN
St. Jude Donor '06-13,'16-'17, '19
HELP! No headlights
Sometimes my headlights don't come on when I turn them on. The headlights don't light up, nor do the headlight doors open. I can turn the switch on and off a few times and the headlight doors will open and the lights are on. On some occasions I need to wait a couple of minutes before I try again and everything works fine.
So far the problem occurs only after the car has been sitting for a few hours.
ALL the other lights come on normally. The car did this once before about 2 months ago and then stated working perfectly again. Now the problem is back.
Anybody got any ideas? Comments?
Tom
So far the problem occurs only after the car has been sitting for a few hours.
ALL the other lights come on normally. The car did this once before about 2 months ago and then stated working perfectly again. Now the problem is back.
Anybody got any ideas? Comments?
Tom
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 783
Likes: 0
From: Statesboro Ga
Re: HELP! No headlights (TCW)
Sounds like the problem I was having with my '85 RX-7 just as I was getting ready to sell it to my dad and get the Vette. In the RX-7, I had intermittent problems with the bright switch which contained the turn signal, head light on/off, and brights. Sometimes, not often thankfully, I would be driving down the road and the headlights would go off!!! Sometimes I would try to flip on the brights, which wouldn't come on, and when I flipped back down, the low beams disappeared! And then sometimes the low beams wouldn't work at all, but the high beams would work! I felt bad driving around with my high beams on, but otherwise I had no lights. The previous solution was replacing the bright switch. But I just got tired of working on the RX-7.
So, sorry to ramble, I would possibly think that the problem is the headlight control arm/switch. I'm sure it will cost more in the Vette than my RX-7. Good luck!!! :seeya
So, sorry to ramble, I would possibly think that the problem is the headlight control arm/switch. I'm sure it will cost more in the Vette than my RX-7. Good luck!!! :seeya
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 3,326
Likes: 0
From: Taylor TX
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Re: HELP! No headlights (TCW)
well, per the service manual......there are two things that both headlights have in common: the stalk switch and the headlamp door actuator control module.
The switch supplies 12V to the module, and it controls 4 internal relays (1 pair for each lamp. This only opens/closes the lamps. It does not have anything to do with the bulbs actually coming on.
The stalk switch has separate feeds for the bulbs themselves.
So: open the hood and turn the stalk switch on. Do the lights come on even if the doors don't flip open? If so, I would guess the stalk is OK and that pesky control module is to blame.
PS: That module is located on the passenger side below the headlight housing - supposedly :)
Good luck! get back to let us know what happens.
The switch supplies 12V to the module, and it controls 4 internal relays (1 pair for each lamp. This only opens/closes the lamps. It does not have anything to do with the bulbs actually coming on.
The stalk switch has separate feeds for the bulbs themselves.
So: open the hood and turn the stalk switch on. Do the lights come on even if the doors don't flip open? If so, I would guess the stalk is OK and that pesky control module is to blame.
PS: That module is located on the passenger side below the headlight housing - supposedly :)
Good luck! get back to let us know what happens.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 414
Likes: 0
Re: HELP! No headlights (TCW)
Hey TCW,
I seem to be having a similar problem. My headlights sometimes take 2 or 3 tries of turning on and off to get them to pop up. However, when I turn my lights on and they dont pop up, I at least get the lights to be on which is different than you.
My dealer states it imay be either the turn signal switch or headlamp actuator control module that may have a problem, but so far they can't reproduce the problem and won't change anything until they can verify problem.
I seem to be having a similar problem. My headlights sometimes take 2 or 3 tries of turning on and off to get them to pop up. However, when I turn my lights on and they dont pop up, I at least get the lights to be on which is different than you.
My dealer states it imay be either the turn signal switch or headlamp actuator control module that may have a problem, but so far they can't reproduce the problem and won't change anything until they can verify problem.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 842
Likes: 3
From: Las Vegas Nevada
Re: HELP! No headlights (ProDesign)
Hey TCW,
I seem to be having a similar problem. My headlights sometimes take 2 or 3 tries of turning on and off to get them to pop up. However, when I turn my lights on and they dont pop up, I at least get the lights to be on which is different than you.
I seem to be having a similar problem. My headlights sometimes take 2 or 3 tries of turning on and off to get them to pop up. However, when I turn my lights on and they dont pop up, I at least get the lights to be on which is different than you.
More reasons for non-pop-up headlights :eek:
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,444
Likes: 371
From: Maryville TN
St. Jude Donor '06-13,'16-'17, '19
Re: HELP! No headlights (ProDesign)
Thanks again to everyone who has commented thus far.
ProDesign. Check out the other thread you started about this. I posted in that thread that I really doubt that your headlight switch is bad.
Since neither of my headlight bulbs come on nor do the headlight doors open, I suspect that my headlight switch is bad. I'll be checking that out later this morning.
Here's what I've discovered. If I turn on my twilight monitor option the headlights and headlight doors work perfectly EVERY time! According to the elect schematics the twilight monitor system totally bypasses the headlight switch. See why I suspect the headlight switch now? :yesnod:
I'll post later on what I find after I've taken things appart and do some real world checks.
Tom
ProDesign. Check out the other thread you started about this. I posted in that thread that I really doubt that your headlight switch is bad.
Since neither of my headlight bulbs come on nor do the headlight doors open, I suspect that my headlight switch is bad. I'll be checking that out later this morning.
Here's what I've discovered. If I turn on my twilight monitor option the headlights and headlight doors work perfectly EVERY time! According to the elect schematics the twilight monitor system totally bypasses the headlight switch. See why I suspect the headlight switch now? :yesnod:
I'll post later on what I find after I've taken things appart and do some real world checks.
Tom
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,444
Likes: 371
From: Maryville TN
St. Jude Donor '06-13,'16-'17, '19
Re: HELP! No headlights (TCW)
OK. I'm back. It's a bad headlight switch! The reason that the switch works some times and some times it doesn't is because the resistance is varying across the switch.
The resistance is varying from 4 to 45 ohms. Even 4 ohms is to much resistance. It should be around .5 ohm or less. In a DC circuit, voltage is lost at every resistance it encounters in the circuit. (Ohm's law) The amount of voltage dropped is determined by the amount of resistance in the componet.
The high resistance of the headlight switch caused to much voltage to be lost at the headlight switch. There wasn't enough voltage left in the circuit to power up the relays for the headlamps and the headlight door motors.
I'll be ordering a new switch Monday! It seems like the problems never end on this lemon!
Tom
The resistance is varying from 4 to 45 ohms. Even 4 ohms is to much resistance. It should be around .5 ohm or less. In a DC circuit, voltage is lost at every resistance it encounters in the circuit. (Ohm's law) The amount of voltage dropped is determined by the amount of resistance in the componet.
The high resistance of the headlight switch caused to much voltage to be lost at the headlight switch. There wasn't enough voltage left in the circuit to power up the relays for the headlamps and the headlight door motors.
I'll be ordering a new switch Monday! It seems like the problems never end on this lemon!
Tom
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer