Trypt

The Car: 1991 Trans Am GTA 350ci L98

Hi, last week I took my car out of storage after 1 year, started up fine (boost), and everything works perfectly, except one little thing that has now become a very big nuisance.. The pop-up lights will not pop up at all. The lights themselves light up as usual and the sensor still works fine, but the lights shine into the engine (lol!). I have to manually put them up with the little **** besides each light at nighttime. I took it to a firebird mechanic and he told me he really can't figure it out. But he didn't even check the fuses! I don't hear absolutely anything (the motor is not even trying to put them up, so this leads me to believe it is not the motor, and both lights won't come up, so its unlikely both motors went at the same time). So this leaves me with the fuse or some other type of problem. Does anyone know the location of this particular fuse so I can check it out? Also, if it is not the fuse, what could it be? I heard something about relays, what is that? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanx in advance! Going to Goodwrench is out of the question, those people have ripped me off twice before, I will not allow it the third time (cost me $2000 to change 4 fuel injectors, then later I found out I could have done it all for just over $500)

Chris

ps, I don't have a digital camera as of yet, but if anyone needs to know how my car looks like, it looks just like this one: http://www.transamgta.com/Random/91GTA.jpg except that it is white.

royleeair

Trypt,
there is a black box on the drivers side firewall.sits beside the brake booster with a plug on each side. power in from switch on the dash, power out to motors on the left. took me bout two months to find that thing on my 91' bird. half of mine didn't work.
disconnect the plugs and slide to the right.

Beefy89

I would suspect either the relay mounted on the firewall, or the light switch in the dash..I had a similiar problem a couple of years ago and it turned out to be the dash switch.

Nightrider350

royleeair had it right. I have the same problem with my lights. The left one never came up and it took me forever to find that friggin' box. Sometimes if you just wiggle the connection they will come up. Try it.

Beefy89

How can you say royleeair"had it right" when niether one has been eliminated. I actually replaced the relay, only to find out it was the switch on the dash. A new relay is around $150, and the switch is around $20. I got my replacement relay at a junk yard for $10..

Trypt

I checked all the fuses underneath the dash inside the cockpit on the drivers side.. There are lots of fuses with different codes, I have no idea what they mean, but I took them all out and checked them, and they all look ok, not burned or melted. As far as the fuses inside the engine compartment, i have no idea.. I found a few, and they seem ok.. Right inside the engine compartment on the drivers side towards the wall (below the windshield) there are two boxes that seem to be connected to the lights, but I cannot open them or check them out at all, could that be it? I am not exactly sure where you guys are telling me to look. The switch seems ok, as I said, the lights work fine themselves, they just won't open or close automatically, i have to do it manually with the screw right besides the lights themselves. I fixed the sensor now so the lights are off in the daylight, but my foglights won't come on unless the main lights are on, does this make sense? I hope I didn't screw something up, but any more info would be appreciated. is there any site with codes of the fuses? Like I said, I cannot take this car to Goodwrench, I don't trust those people. Royleeair, could you please explain exactly which boxes are you talking about? I am not well versed on the lingo (firewall/break booster etc.), but any help would be appreciated!

Beefy89

On my car the lights would come on but one of the headlights wouldn't pop up. I thought for sure it was the relay so I went to the boneyard and pulled one off of a T/A only to find out that wasn't the problem, it was the dash switch..
Do a search and I'm sure you will get lots of results, in fact I think Vader posted a pic of the relay at least once..I'm not saying it's not the relay, but why buy one if you don't need it.

Trypt

I understand exactly what you're talking about, and I really don't think its the relay.. But I don't understand what you mean by the dash switch?

Let me tell you what I mean, the sensor under my dash works fine (lights come on at night, are off at daytime).. the switch on the left of the steering wheel is fine, I can turn the lights on and off (only in daylight, in nighttime, there is no way to turn the lights off while the car is on and the handbreak is not deployed). So this is why I am confused, I am sure you're talking about something other then this switch, because the switch itself is obviously working fine (i've tested all combinations and it works as it should)..

I can't hear the motor at all, there is no power comming to it, so this leads me to believe it is not the motor(s).. I checked the wires, no problems there..

So please explain what you mean by "dashswitch" exactly, and also, if you know where the fuse is for the pop-up lights exactly (or the code for it if it is underneath the dash/steerwheel fusebox full of fuses), that would help a million.. thanx again!

Chris

FOX-GTA_89

but me my car the problem yas 1 flip light engine.i change it without removing the batterie and i did a short since this moment the dont flip togetter? same thing to check???

Trypt

FOX, could you repeat what you just wrote, because I cannot understand what you mean at all.. what flip? As I said in my original post, I believe that it is a short, since my car was in storage for so long and it had to be boosted at least 10 times in the last month (now I drive it daily so no more need for that, and it has a new battery/alternator).. but the lights have not popped up since I first started it in early April.. The last time I parked it (about 1.5 years ago), they worked just fine.. Everything else is working perfectly now.

Trypt

I think I located the relays.. there are two that are side by side, which seem to control one light each, then there is one just to the left (if looking from the front of the car) of the other two, outside the box, but it looks identical.. they all seem exactly the same and have the same diagram on top (something that resembles a wiring diagram, with letters and arrows etc..).. As I said, the three look identical, yet two of them are coupled together whereas the third is a bit (about half inch) lower and to the left.. they are all located at the far top right corner of the engine (if looking from the front of the engine towards the car).. just more info to consider, I think these are the ones, right?! Couple this with my earlier questions and see if your collective brainpower can help me out peeps, thanx a million!! I really appreaciate all the help.. I am full of bruises from working underneath the car today, had to clean everything and looked for all possibilities, and checked all the fuses I could fine.. damn long job, hit my head pretty hard once..

Beefy89

I'm talking about the headlight switch on the left side of the dash that turns the headlights on. Besides sending power to the actual headlights, it also sends power to the relay which pops the headlights up. Although your headlights are lighting up, that doesn't mean the switch is good..

Dynodan

Tyrpt

I believe those two items you see side by side right in front of the steering wheel on the fire wall are relays but not the ones for the headlights. Those if I remember correct are the relays for the fuel pump the furthest one in outer one is for the blower motor. I have a 92. I know thats what they are on my car anyway. Do you have a haynes manual, or chilton? They both should show you wire diagrams and relay location. I remember bringing my car out of storage trying to start it and finding out a squirrel or a chip munk chewed a few of my wires.

Dynodan