bcashJMU

Hey guys,
Is it possible to disable the headlight motor during use of only the parking lights and fog lights so that the headlights don't flip up when I am not using the headlights? Sometimes I just want the parking and fog lights on without the headlights popped up.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Sure. The Parking lights already do that & you just have to bypass the 'High Beam Only" relay for the fog lights.

bcashJMU

For some reason, my headlights pop up when i just turn on the parking lights. How do I bypass the High Beam Only relay and where is that relay located? I need to replace the gears in the motors soon anyways, so I may do some sort of headlight mod, maybe a lazy eye mod, haven't decided yet. Do make a kit for any headlight mods for our cars yet?

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

What year is your car? If you fill out your Profile, that info would appear on the left & make it easier/faster to help when you ask such things since we would already have the info. Sounds like you may have a bad headlight switch that is shorted internally. The headlight switch is divided into 3 sections.

Top Left=Headlights & Parking Lights.
Top Right=Parking Lights Only.
Bottom=Off.

My relay was on the drivers side near the bottom of the strut tower towards the front of it. Turning on the High Beams tells the relay to Ground which gave the Fog Lights power. By grounding the relay 24/7, under its own mounting screw, I got the Fog Lights to work when the Low Beams & even just the Parking Lights were on.

bcashJMU

I thought I had already filled out my profile, guess not haha. My car is a '91 GTA. My fog lights already come on without my high beams on. I guess the previous owner made that mod. I know how the switch works, I am just trying to keep the motors from being activated when I turn the parking lights on. They shouldn't pop up unless the headlights are being used.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

I called it 'High Beam Only' when I should have said 'High Beam Off'. Sorry.

The relay mod is to keep them on when the High Beams are turned on. Stock, the Fogs would only turn on with the Parking Lights & Low Beams but turn off when the High Beams were on.

But it does sound like a bad switch, if the headlights come on with only the Parking Light switch on.

Recaro trans am

iTrader: (1)

^^^+1 on the switch, the switch as described is broken into sections, and when you switch just the parking lights on (the small portion) you can turn the fogs on with them.

Are you trying to push the whole rocker switch up. Heres a link to a switch, with the P on only the fogs should come on. On a side note, when i clean my car I turn the headlights on and hold the P down while pulling back on the headlight switch after they go up. This causes the headlights to stay up but the headlights go out.

http://www.am-autoparts.com/Pontiac/...79/321547.html

bcashJMU

I am pushing just the parking light switch, the P section. For some reason, that makes my headlights flip up but or course not turn on. It's activating the motors and it shouldn't be. Anyways, I will take the switch out tonight and look at it to see what I can find. Do you guys know where the cheapest place to find the metal gears for the headlight motor would be? I need to replace those. The cheapest I can find is a $50 kit per headlight.

Recaro trans am

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like the switch is bad, Mine did the same thing.

How much are the motors new? And how the h*ll did you strip the gears?

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Stripped plastic gears in the motor are right up there as a very common failure like headlight relay module going out, if not an even more common failure.

The only replacements I've seen are metal (aluminum i think) & obviously better. A common failure much like the rear hatch pull down motor gears stripping out.

bcashJMU

Okay, I will check it out.
Well, I originally thought it was the gears because the headlights sometimes won't go up or they will bob up and down which sounds like half of the gear is rounded off. So when the good side comes around it picks the light up but then the round side comes and it drops. When the lights don't go up, I just get a clicking noise. I also put keyless entry on the car and so when it tries to flash the headlights which wouldn't be so bad if the motors were in better condition. When I ever I unlock/lock the car now, the headlights make this awful clicking noise for about 5 or 6 seconds.

bcashJMU

But I just read on a website that more often than not for third gens, it's the little bushings that disintegrate that cause our headlight issues. Is that most likely my problem or does it sound like i have stripped the gears from prolonged use without bushings?

bcashJMU

New motors are over $200 new which is insane to me.

Recaro trans am

iTrader: (1)

Thats got to be anoying, unlocking the doors and the headlights wave at you.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

I would wire the headlight flash wire from the alarm to use the Fog Lights instead, not the headlights because of the Up/Down action of the headlight motors.

bcashJMU

Yea, it wasn't that annoying before the headlights got worse. But I had a shop install the keyless entry and so now I need to figure out which wire it was that they used for the headlight flashing. I think the fog lights already flash as well as the markers, so all I have to do is cut the wire connected the headlights from the alarm. Any idea where that would be connected? Can anybody tell if my problem sounds more like a gear or bushings failure?

Recaro trans am

iTrader: (1)

They usually run it to the wire at the switch.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

They should have wired it to the Parking Light wire in the switch, not the headlight side. I'd look into that & who knows? Maybe something they crosswired it & that is why the headlights come up with the Parking Lights......

Recaro trans am

iTrader: (1)

Its probably back feeding into the head light circuit and causing the head lights to come.

bcashJMU

The headlights have popped up when the parking lights are turned on ever since I have had the car. I added the keyless entry after I got it. I will pull out the switch and see what's connected where. I checked the lock/unlock flashing today. It flips and flashes the headlights every time but only flashes the fog lights when the fog light switch is on. If the fog light switch is off, then they don't flash when the car is locked/unlocked. I will track down the wires later and give an update.

Does anyone have a clue what the problem might be in my headlight motors after reading my description of what happens when I activate the headlights? I can provide a better description if needed I guess?

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

Excelent suggestion. I'm just surprised to see you haven't filled out your profile completely.

The weak-link in the headlight actuator and first to fail is not the headlight gear, but is the 3 hard gel bushings inside the triangular-shaped cavity of the gear. The bushings transfer the load from the gear to the 3-lobe cast hub that is staked onto the shaft that raises and lowers the headlight.

It is a common mistake to think the gear is bad because when you open up the headlight actuator side cover you'll find the gear filled with chunks that are the same color as the nylon gear. Clean the gear with WD40 and blow it off with compressed air and you'll discover the gear is perfect and it is only the bushings that require replacement.

If you or the prior owner already replaced the bushings during a previous repair, then the gear may be bad the next time repair is required. At that point both aftermarket nylon gears and CNC machined aluminum anodized gears are available.

Another failure mode I've seen at the time of a second headlight actuator repair is that the hub had come free from the shaft (the spline wears out). I have a repair method for that or you can just replace the hub/shaft assembly with a good used one.

Many retailers (inlcuding myself) sell a repair kit consisting of new machined Delrin bushings. Both my 207280 and 209280 headlight repair kits under the "electrical" category will repair these headlight actuators. I'll also mention that while the OP's problem may be caused by a bad switch, more than one of my customers wrote in their review of the kit that the kit also solved the "headlight pops-up when I press the parking light switch" problem.

I hope this answers some of the questions raised and clarifies any misinformation that has been posted previously.

Lon Salgren

Biggyniner

Did you ever get your headlight fog light issue sorted?

My 92 just started doing a similar thing. Forever the car would just turn parking and fog lights only when P was pressed. I noticed the other day that now my headlights are popping up. Additionally the right side motor keeps spinning and spinning and usually only lifts the light part way. I get if my gear is stripped or bushings are shot, but how would that make the lights start coming up when parking lights are turned on? I replaced the switch too and that had no effect.

Chris

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

If you look through the customer reviews for my TDS 209280 Deluxe Headlight Repair Kit you'll two of my customers solved this problem by repairing their headlight actuator assemblies with the kit.

Lon Salgren
Top Down Solutions
626-369-0040
www.Top-DownSolutions.com