C5 Headlight - Operation Sequence ?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 246
Likes: 2
From: Elk Plain WA
St. Jude Donor '11
C5 Headlight - Operation Sequence ?
When I trun on my "Parking/Running Lights" the headlight doors open. I don't think that should be the case. I don't even think that has always been the case?
Do other C5 owners have headlight doors that open when headlights are not turned on, only yhe Park Lamps?
Do other C5 owners have headlight doors that open when headlights are not turned on, only yhe Park Lamps?
Last edited by tdf; May 1, 2018 at 11:14 PM.
Instructor
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 128
Likes: 7
From: SW Virginia
Headlight operation
my lights worked correctly and then began doing what you described. However at the same time that was occuring one of my gears went bad and the light would fall down with the bad gear. I took the housing out disassembled the motor replaced the gear and put back, and now the parking / fog lights can turn on without the lights flipping up again.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 3,638
Likes: 245
my lights worked correctly and then began doing what you described. However at the same time that was occuring one of my gears went bad and the light would fall down with the bad gear. I took the housing out disassembled the motor replaced the gear and put back, and now the parking / fog lights can turn on without the lights flipping up again.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 246
Likes: 2
From: Elk Plain WA
St. Jude Donor '11
Bingo. I have a failed gear (grinds when it reaches the down position) on the right side. Gear is ordered.
Thanks for the help guys. I didn't know whether the two issues were related!
Thanks for the help guys. I didn't know whether the two issues were related!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,258
Likes: 543
From: Appleton WI
Hopefully the gear replacement is the fix.
As info, a correctly operating system will allow the headlights to be up and off with he parking lights on. To accomplish this, you turn the headlight switch to turn on the headlights then quickly turn the switch back to the parking light position.
If your gear replacement doesn't work, you may have a worn out multifunction switch.
As info, a correctly operating system will allow the headlights to be up and off with he parking lights on. To accomplish this, you turn the headlight switch to turn on the headlights then quickly turn the switch back to the parking light position.
If your gear replacement doesn't work, you may have a worn out multifunction switch.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 353
From: Little Rock Arkansas
The Twilight Sentinel feature typically accompanies the head lights actually turning on (that's part of their function actually; to operate headlights automatically). As the OP is describing a situation where the multi-function switch is turned to parking lamps with accompanying flipping up of the headlights but them still off suggests Twilight Sentinel is not the immediate issue.
However of concern is the aforementioned action of turning to parking lamps but only getting headlights raising but not turning on. Myself personally that seem to suggest a multi-function switch issue. I'll detail.
The internal headlight gears themselves are all mechanical; there's nothing electrically that tells the headlight motor "if" and "when" a headlight has been turned on or off sans the main headlight relay. The on/off function is controlled directly by the wiring going into the headlight bulbs themselves. If the headlight switch (multi-function) switch is being turned to parking lights but then the headlights raising up without turning on then that tells me that the contacts inside the multi-function switch are having issues.
It is an extremely common issue with C5s and eventually what will occur is that there will be a situation where something won't operate at all because the contact(s) will be too far worn. Ex: cannot flip the headlights up electrically, no on/off function, etc.
However of concern is the aforementioned action of turning to parking lamps but only getting headlights raising but not turning on. Myself personally that seem to suggest a multi-function switch issue. I'll detail.
The internal headlight gears themselves are all mechanical; there's nothing electrically that tells the headlight motor "if" and "when" a headlight has been turned on or off sans the main headlight relay. The on/off function is controlled directly by the wiring going into the headlight bulbs themselves. If the headlight switch (multi-function) switch is being turned to parking lights but then the headlights raising up without turning on then that tells me that the contacts inside the multi-function switch are having issues.
It is an extremely common issue with C5s and eventually what will occur is that there will be a situation where something won't operate at all because the contact(s) will be too far worn. Ex: cannot flip the headlights up electrically, no on/off function, etc.
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