flomaster

First of all I'd like to thank all of you that posted headlight motor issues here. After a lot of searching I've found a lot of useful information that helped me educate myself about how the system is intended to function.

Information about the car:
The car is a 1985 Pontiac Trans Am. This car does not have a control module on the firewall.

Now--on to the problem:
The long and short of it is that the driver's side headlight won't flip up. If I raise it manually, it'll flip down fine. I've eliminated relays (hopefully all of them) and gears. All of these components seem to work fine.

What I've done so far:
--I have 2 spare motors--all of them exhibit the same behavior.
--I have 2 spare relays--all of them exhibit the same behavior. All of them function perfectly when installed on the passenger side.
--I've removed the limit switch, cleaned the armature in the motor, the brushes, and the contacts inside of one of the motors, to no avail.
--Checked condition of all fusible links. They are in working order.
--Drilled out the rivets and inspected the guts of one of the motors. Gears are not chewed up.

What I know:
When I activate the headlights, I do have power to the end of the terminal that supplies current to the motor in order to raise it. This leads me to believe that the electrical system behind the motor is working correctly. I also know that the motor does not attempt to move, and there are no griding or ticking noises with any of the motors I've tried.

Before I go dump cash on a new motor, I'd like to get some input as to what the issue may be. Since I find it unlikely that ALL of my spares are having the exact same issue, I'd like to run this by some of the resident 'experts' here and see if there is something I missed. With all 3 of the motors having the same issue, I'm doubting my troubleshooting skills. With power to the motor when I flip the headlight switch, however, it sounds pretty definitive to me,though.

So, with all that said--what did I miss? Also, if it IS the limit switch, is there a way I can repair it?

I thank you gentlemen in advance for any input you may be able to offer.

punkmaster98

iTrader: (5)

I had this issue and replaced the isolation relay. (3rd relay) There is an aftermarket vendor that reproduces it. I will try to find the link .

flomaster

Thank you, Punkmaster. When this happened to you, did you get voltage to the motor when it was time to move the headlight up? Since I do, I "assumed" that the isolation relay was good. In what way am I wrong?

flomaster

Well, I decided not to fight the power on this one. I'm going to guess that although my headlight motor gets voltage, that it it also not getting the current required to move the motor up. Until I find otherwise, I'm going to assume that the problem lies with the isolation relay, as suggested.

Any more on that link?

punkmaster98

iTrader: (5)

http://rodneydickman.com/catalog/pro...742d84253df9f5

flomaster

Thanks Punkmaster. I have on on order now. I'll post results back after the install--I HATE unresolved posts.

flomaster

OK everyone, I've received installed the new unit from Rodney. Let me first of all say that this is an excellent product and is quite easy to install. Rodney's made it just about foolproof, and it appears that this unit will last well beyond what the stock unit did. It even fixed a different problem I was having, in that I'd have to hold the headlight switch in an "almost-engaged" position to raise the lights. Now I can simply flick the headlight switch to get them to come up.

It was a needed replacement, and a quality item, but unfortunately it did not solve my problem. Driver's side headlight STILL does not pop up.

What am I missing here?

QwkTrip

iTrader: (22)

His name is really Rod Dickman ?

flomaster

I guess he must have been born hung like a baby--8lbs 2oz. Maybe he had a former life as a **** star.

flomaster

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Solution: fusible link on driver's side, just above steering gear had come loose.


The connection for the 3 fusible links is very frail. Apparently I had inadvertently broken one of the fusible link connections while I was digging through the electrical system looking for faults. Since I had this apart previously, and it was connected when I checked it the first time, I'm going to assume that the issue all along was the isolation relay. I believe that the reason it didn't work after I replaced the isolation relay with Rodney's relay is that I broke the connection earlier in my troubleshooting process. Once re-connected, everything worked as it should.

Now it's on to re-calibrate my tachometer. Wish me luck.