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Headlight motor questions?

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Old Feb 24, 2008 | 10:35 AM
  #1  
CreepingDeath94's Avatar
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From: Florida
Car: '87 Trans-Am
Engine: LB9 (305 TPI)
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 or 3.73..figuring it out still
Headlight motor questions?

Alright, I did some searching and can't find anything really related or the same as the issue I am having. I put a new headlight motor in on the passenger side and I can get it to turn up and down just fine manually. It also flips up with the switch usually too, but doesn't want to go down. If I flip the switch up and down a couple times, I found it doesn't always go up or down, but did come back down after I flipped it up and down a couple times.

Now I flipped the fog light switch too and tried it and I hear this clicking sound when I flip the switch on and off. But when I turn off the fog lights I don't hear the clicking anymore. No fuses are blown and the headlamp module seems to be ok. But the clicking tells me something isn't kosher in the electrical somewhere. (relay or module maybe?)

My questions are these. Where are the headlight motor relays? Or is it all run through the module? Could it be a bad module allowing it to intermittently work and not sometimes? Could it be a relay issue? Again, the fuses check out ok. If there are relays or a relay for the headlight motors, a location of them alone would help me tremendously. Thanks in advance. I would like to get this fixed today.
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Old Feb 24, 2008 | 10:41 AM
  #2  
CreepingDeath94's Avatar
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From: Florida
Car: '87 Trans-Am
Engine: LB9 (305 TPI)
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 or 3.73..figuring it out still
Re: Headlight motor questions?

Also, I forgot to mention, the headlights come on and go off every time, just the motors are acting up. But could it be a bad switch? Is that related to the motors at all and a possible cause of the intermittent motor problem? Also, the parts I needed had to be ordered, so I have until tomorrow afternoon to get an idea of what the problem is. There will be no fixing it today unfortunately :-(

Last edited by CreepingDeath94; Feb 24, 2008 at 11:47 AM.
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Old May 14, 2008 | 01:38 PM
  #3  
TZFBird's Avatar
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,047
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From: Lincoln, Nebraska
Car: 1988 Firebird, 2000 GTP
Engine: 327
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 9" posi, 4.11
Re: Headlight motor questions?

Sounds like the nylon inserts in the motor are bad. If you can hear the motor turning, but the light will not go up or down, or is very slow and might stop half way. Either that or the motor will keep running once it is up or down, you will need to replace those inserts.

If that is the case, go to your local parts store and look for the 'Ford power window motor bushings' I believe they are. There will be 3 gray things in the package that are about the same shape and size as Dots(gumdrops, whatever they are that they sell at the movies in the yellow box)

Anyway, you take the whole headlight assebly out, take off the motor, open up the large black cover... about 2.5" in diameter, it will have a shaft coming out of it. There will be a bunch of crap in there which is the old inserts that you need to clean out. Put the Ford parts in and you are good to go for about $4.

If the problem is actually with the motor, then I would check the wiring and possibly get a new motor. I would bet money though that the nylon inserts are what is worn out.
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Old Dec 20, 2013 | 12:54 AM
  #4  
Levi_Shears's Avatar
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 16
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From: Keyser WV
Car: 1988 firebird formula
Engine: 305 tpi built.
Transmission: 5 speed jasper
Re: Headlight motor questions?

I know this post is forever ago. But im gonna post this in hopes of someone else searching this problem looking for a fix. I found a Permanent Fix too this or at least i haven't had any more troubles in 6 years. Those nylon inserts are junk and they dry out and break apart. After tearing mine apart and laying it on the table and looking at it i thought to myself what if i put something in there that wouldn't get hard from weather and rip apart easily. So what i did was grabbed some high quality Two sided sticky tape which in my case i had some laying around they use on the road signs. and i rolled it up in a ball around the same diameter and tested manually before i put it back in. Its been 6 years now and i haven't had any problems and it actually made the lights more responsive and quicker to come up. Hope this enlightens someone.
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Old Dec 20, 2013 | 01:16 AM
  #5  
1991sleeper's Avatar
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Car: 1991 firebird
Engine: TBI 305 (built)
Transmission: T5
Axle/Gears: 4.10
I have a ? To go along with this thread ... I bought new headlight motors a few years ago an it didn't fix the problem ... I know the motors work cause u can wire them to the battery and they work ... So my ? Is ... Is there a relay or something somewhere that controls them that coulda went bad ? Thanks ! And yes I checked all the fuses lol
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Old Dec 20, 2013 | 09:23 AM
  #6  
NowhereFast's Avatar
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 653
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From: Long Island, NY
Car: 87 Trans Am, 99 WS6, 16 Mustang GT
Engine: LB9, LS1
Transmission: 700R4, T56
Axle/Gears: 3.42 Posi, 4.10 Posi
Re: Headlight motor questions?

Originally Posted by 1991sleeper
I have a ? To go along with this thread ... I bought new headlight motors a few years ago an it didn't fix the problem ... I know the motors work cause u can wire them to the battery and they work ... So my ? Is ... Is there a relay or something somewhere that controls them that coulda went bad ? Thanks ! And yes I checked all the fuses lol
There is a box on the firewall, next to the brake booster on the inside. This controls the up and down function. Take it out by pulling it towards you, and open it up, the solder joints on the long pins tend to fail.
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