Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!!
 

I need help....
I decided to put higher wattage bulbs in my 2000 coupe. Never did this before. So I turned on the headlights, then back down to the parking lights so the lights would be off, but the headlamps would stay up. Changed the bulbs (all 4). Turned the headlamps off. The lights folded away but the headlamp motor on the driver side keeps running for about 6 seconds after the lights are fully stowed. This only happens on the Driver side and only when turning the lights off. The second problem is that now, whenever I turn the parking lights on (fog lights only) the headlamps pop up. The headlights don't come on unless I turn the switch all the way, but the headlamps pop up anyway. There are no codes stored in the system, and I don't know what to do.

HELPPPPPPPP
Thanks, Rich :nopity

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

The motor running on is caused by a stripped gear inside the motor :yesnod: Also,the headlamp doors will open when the switch is turned to parking lamps IF you turned the switch on imeddiately after turning them off.If this is not the case,the switch is faulty...

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (C-5 TECH)
 

Thanks for the quick reply. I figured the motor running wasn't going to be good news. I have a feeling my new lightbulbs are going to get pretty expensive.:cry

As for the switch. The headlamps come up even if I have not turned the lights on fully. I can't believe that the switch is bad since it worked fine before I changed the bulbs. That said, it is entirely possible that this is due to something I did. LOL

Do you think that changing the bulbs could cause the switch to short out or fail. I know that there were no sparks, and the bulb change went pretty much without problems.

Anyway, thanks for the information.

:(

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

Read carefully ;) The headlamp doors will open if you turn the switch to the parking lamp position IF you turn the switch to the park position imediately after turning the headlamps off...

If this is not the case,the motor that is running on may be confusing the headlamp door module causing the doors to open when the parking lamps are turned on.

The 3rd senario would be a faulty switch...I would replace the faulty motor and check the operation from there :thumbs:

The bulbs and door motors are on seperate circuits,so highly unlikely that changing the bulbs caused a fault...

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (C-5 TECH)
 

Great, and thank you for your time

I love this forum. It's actually helpful :party:

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

1NYCGUY

Someone on the forum stated that larger wattage bulbs sometimes caused the doors to not work properly. I can not see how they would effect the doors but for the sake of MURPHYS LAW, why dont you take the new bulbs out and reinstall the old ones just to rule that out. If it is still whacked out after that I would change the gear (install a new one) and see what happens after that.

Let me know what you think! :thumbs:

Bill C

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (Bill Curlee)
 

Thanks Bill. I am going to swap the bulbs back first thing in the morning. I will update the forum with my success or failure. Odds are you are correct. Murphy and I are very good friends. Most of his laws were written about me.
:D
Thanks for your help
:flag

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

My headligth motor was running after the door was down and had the same problem with the stalk. Used Eckler's repair kit ($49) and an hour and quarter latter both problems solved. Go from the bottom of the car to do the repair after removing spoiler and splash shield and follow the directions carefully.

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! UPDATE
 

Well I went and bought a headlamp rebuild kit from this guy on Ebay. I wasn't sure if it would work, or if I would be able to do it. But when I got the part in the mail, I was pleased to find that it came with everything I would need to fix it. The directions were easy to follow. Total time was 90 minutes including 45 minutes of drying time for the epoxy. The cruddy Chevy plastic gear had lost some teeth. The new gear is brass. I don't think it will break as quickly. Once I replaced the gear and reinstalled everything the motor worked perfectly and not that I understand it, but now the headlights work properly too. They go up only after turning the switch to the full headlamp on position. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. If anyone wants to check out the guy I bought this gear from here is a link to the ebay page.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2438660499 :hurray:

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

Glad it worked out for you. I have a couple questions for you. What type of bulbs did you put in and where did you get them?

I need to replace mine soon. Thx. :cheers:

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (Chandler)
 

I ordered Xenon Haolgen Bulbs from http://www.jcwhitney.com I put 80W low beams in and 100 watt high beams in. They make a huge difference, and I haven't had anyone flash me yet. I think that the Vette is so low that we can get away with the brighter (non legal) bulbs. Besides my HID's on my BMW are still brighter and they are "legal". Hope this helps. I've always found JCwhitney to have good prices and excellent service. :auto:

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

I did a quick search on the archives and it sounds like the wiring for the headlights may be inadequate for the higher wattage bulbs. Anyone running the higher wattage bulbs with the stock wiring? Had any problems? I'd like brighter lights, but I'm not real keen on rewiring a new car.

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (SA04)
 

I've been using these everyday for the last week and a half. No problems. I don't think the bulbs get appreciably hotter than the stock bulbs. I've changed bulbs on other cars I've owned also and I never had a problem.

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

I used these for the last couple of years. Got them from the same place. Recently I had the driver's side low beam go out. When I removed the bulb I noticed that the outside was very blistered. No broken glass, just very blistered. Obviously heat at work here. What I didn't like even more than that was the socket was definitely showing signs of heat damage. One thing we can't get around here is the fact that 80W puts out more heat that 55W. I didn't see any negative signs from the heat anywhere else, just the bulb itself and the socket. I think it's APC that makes a "high-temp" replacement socket that is reasonably priced. This might be a solution to the overheated socket situation. Don't remember the exact price but I saw them at Pep-Boys.


[Modified by LoneStarFRC, 6:33 PM 10/31/2003]

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

Great news about the bulbs. Lemme axe you something, do the lights still go dim on you when braking? My stock headlamps dim so badly I swear I could drive around with the brights on and noone would be the wiser.

I think I'm going to have to do something about this soon, driving home after work is pitch dark now and I'm having some trouble seeing ahead of me.

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (dads01dream)
 

My lights all dim for a second or two when I first hit the brakes until the electrical system can catch up with the demand, I think that's normal on all C5's.

As far as your lighting concerns at night, check out the tech tip I recently posted. You can add it to your DIY list of cheap mods in your sig.
:cheers:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...=244&TopicID=1


[Modified by markcz, 10:16 AM 11/1/2003]

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (dads01dream)
 

I think that everyone experiences a little bit of dimming whenever the system is placed under load, like stepping on the brakes. However, your problem seems to be quite different. I think you might need to look at your alternator or battery or combination of the two. If you car is still under warranty I would go to the dealer and raise some hell first. I would do this before putting higher watt bulbs in. Your dealer would blame the bulbs when it is obviously something else. Hope this helps

Re: Headlight HELP!!!!!!!!!! (1NYCGUY)
 

If you want GOOD lighting check this thread out!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=578447
:thumbs: