kparta00

So I purchased a nice 89 iroc 5.7 hard top on Friday. Everything works on the car except the headlights. I have marker lights, dash lights, turn signals, break lights, interior lights. I mean everything works on the car down to the A/C and the fog lights work as well. I wouldn't think all four headlights would be burned out. The guy i bought the car from said it was just a headlight switch. Thanks for the advice on that LITTLE project from thirdgen.org. would not have made it without you.

So I installed the new headlight switch this afternoon. After successfully getting the headlight switch installed, breaking the little plastic nut that holds the dang thing to the dash, and running to the hardware store and finding a small brass plumbing fitting that worked like a charm to hold the switch in place at the dash. I hook the battery back up, throw the headlight switch, and bam dead as a door nail. At this time it was getting dark and i was pretty frustrated. I left it at that. steering wheel still hanging down and tools scatter on the floor board. I have read the forums up and down, and cannot seem to find anyone that has had this particular problem. all lights on the car work except the headlights. I have read there is no relay, no main fuse for just the headlights.

So any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

kparta00

Going to head out and work on the headlight. Couldn't sleep all night thinking about this. I will update if I figure it out. If anyone has any suggestions, please post and I will check back throughout the day.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

A multitester (volt ohm meter) is your best friend when you are tracking wiring issues. Pull the pigtails off the headlights and probe them for hot and ground. If neither high nor low beams work but all the other lights do, I would start looking at the dimmer switch.

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Yes, diagnosis is the key here.
Replacing parts at random will only cost you money and time and cause frustration.
Since you already have the dash opened up, you can just grab a test light (even a lightbulb with a few feet of wires) and trace the wires.
All wiring diagrams here.
Headlight diagram here.

Let us know what you find.
Lou

kparta00

I just put the dash back together today. I needed to move the car out of the driveway where i was working on it yesterday. I was called into work so I didn't get any further than that. I am going to get a multimeter tomorrow. Start testing some wires. I will look into that dimmer switch as suggested.

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

A test light (or bulb with wires) will work as well for tracing power wires.

kparta00

Didn't get to work on the headlights any today either. I did manage to get a couple of pics though.

cwad8505

I'm curious to see what you come up with here. I have a similar situation going on. I just picked up an '85 Iroc in beautiful condition. There were a couple of lights burned out in the rear, so I just bought all new bulbs. After replacing them, my headlights were intermittently working. Starting bouncing on and off. I pulled every new bulb in the rear to see if would fix it and the problem still existed for about 5 minutes, now, no headlights whatsoever, low or high beams. All other lights work fine. I suspect my problem is in the headlight switch, but I can't be sure. I did hear it clicking with the lights coming on and going off. I'm not very handy with automobiles and this is about to drive me crazy.
Chris

kparta00

I have narrowed my problem down to the dimmer switch. It is located under the steering wheel about half way down the steering column. That is the only thing I can think of. I have been installing new interior in the car this week and just haven't gotten around to replacing the dimmer switch. When I do later this week I will update.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Be sure to double check the ground wires,... There's one on each side of the radiator support behind the headlights. If the engine ebay was re-painted then you might need to scratch the paint off to get to bare metal & a better ground.

Here is a Diagram from the 85 Camaro Show Manual.



I would NOT say this is 100% accurate to your 89 because I know that the 85& the 88 use different harnesses,..... but I gotta' believe that most of the 85's headlight wiring is VERY similar to the 89's.

Circuit #1 leading INTO the light switch comes from G5 @ the C100 firewall connector. This RED wire comes directly off the starter soleniod and thru a fusable link. ( BE SURE that the fuseible link is GOOD ! They are prone to deterioration/failure ! ) This circuit also feeds the ACC circuit breaker - in 85 - but you might not notice a problem there if your car has no optional accessories on that circuit.

The Red wire leading to PIN 1 of the Light switch should be HOT at ALL times.

Then check then Yellow wire at the dimmer switch. It should only be HOT when the HEADLIGHTS are active.

If you havn't found a bug by then you'll need to trace the Tan and Green wires for a cut somewhere.

cwad8505

Wow John, great info!! I was actually nearly in tears last night as I continued to troubleshoot. At first, I just wanted to get the headlight switch out. Not sure what to do (and not consulting the forum first), I just started removing parts. As it stands, I have nearly 100 screws laying in the floor board, and parts everywhere. Alas, I finally got that booger out once the gauge cluster was removed. I just hope I somewhat remember how to put everything back when I get a chance to work on it again (which will be about 12 days from now due to vacation). Again, not knowing what exactly to do, the steering column is dropped, fuse panel loosened, dash pad off, the works! I also disassembled the gauge cluster much further than was necessary. It's just as well, it well give me the opportunity to run the speedo/odometer portion through an ultrasonic cleaner and re-lube. Back to the troubleshooting portion, once I had the switch out, I was able to get continuity between pins 4 and 5 in the parking setting, but nothing between 1 and 6 in the headlight setting. Unless I'm reading the schematic wrong, that's telling me the switch is bad, correct? Again, thanks for the awesome info, and say a prayer for me that I can put this mess back together!!
Oh yeah.. might be a good time to say hello to the forum.. complete noob here, and noob to third gen Camaro, or any Camaro for that matter. I've wanted an IROC since high school (20+ years ago) and starting perusing the net in the last couple of months. I finally found a gem nearly 450 miles away. '85 305TPI w/ 74,000 miles in incredible condition and everything worked! I mean everything! Body was great except for a couple dents on the hood. New fuel tank, exhaust, and tires. It sat for 10 years covered in a shed and the tank began to rust. All original. I jumped in it and drove it 450 miles home with no issues! I replaced the rear bulbs and 10 minutes later had this headlight issue. I thought that it may have had something to do with the problem, but I suppose, after a little thought, it was totally coincidental. A new headlight switch is on the way. I'll start there, if the problem still persists, I'll move on to the dimmer switch.. again.. wish me luck!
Chris

**Apologies for thread-jacking kparta00!

kparta00

Thread Jack all you want to!! The more I can learn about the cars the better. I still haven't had much time to work on my car. Mainly because it is so hot outside. This week I have installed a new headliner, new front grill, new face around the stereo and A/C switches. I purchased a whole new hatch pull down assembly. The one in the car when I bought it was not working and was rigged just to keep the hatch down. I wired it up and got everything back together, but the motor doesn't seem to have power to it either. So another job for Saturday. That and the headlight problems. I will update when I get both the headlights and hatch pull-down wiring figured out. I will try to post new picks soon.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

I feel for you guys. Wiring issues are the worst. I'd rather change a motor then track down a mystery wiring problem. At least you know where to start and what you're getting into. I had the guages stop working after I pulled the dash to convert to power windows. Thought for sure I missed hooking something back up or put a plug in the wrong place in the back of the fuse block. Chased it for a week, ready to pull my hair out. Turned out to be a bad fuse that visually looked good.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

cwad8505,... Thanx - and your welcome !

If the RED wire @ Pin 1 is HOT but you don't get (close too) battery voltage on that YELLOW wire when the headlights are turned on then the Light Switch seems to be the culprit. Jst be patient and take your time when re-installing everything and with a little luck you'll have no problems putting the instument panel back together again.

kparta00,..... When the previous owner had troubles with the hatch motor they might have simply removed the fuse when they rigged the original hatch motor. A good fuse might be all that's needed to get the replacement PPD motor working again ! As Joe Pointed out; check the fuse REAL CLOSE to be sure it's still good.

Don't feel bad Joe - I've missed a blown fuse in the same manner myself in the past. Now I'm always REALLY carefull when inspecting suspect fuses !!

cwad8505

Alrighty... here is where I am with this. I found a headlight switch at a junkyard today to do an experiment while awaiting the new one from Summit. Checked pin 1 to 6 with ohmmeter.. and .. voila, continuity. So, with this info, I knew my issue was my headlight switch. I took it apart to see the internal bus bar was melted in half. So, my obvious question at this point is.. is this the culprit or a victim?! I placed the junkyard switch into the circuit and headlights are a go! I ran them for about 20 minutes and the switch got a little warm, but not to the point that it scared me. So, could it have been the switch? Well.. one would think.. until I hit the foglight switch.. then, the same, flickering headlights and the like. I killed them immediately. One part I left out before is that I replace the headlights last week with silverstars AND I put in aftermarket pep boys fog lights due to the fact that the oem lights were trashed. They worked fine for a bit, but seem to have developed a situation. I'll let you know what I come up with. Does anyone see any issue with aftermarket fog lights? Is there something odd about the factory ones?
Thanks-Chris

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

How did you hook the fogs up to the lighting system? If you wired them to the plug by the steering box, thats the problem. That power is only for the power to the solenoid, and wont cary enough amps to run the fogs.

cwad8505

I just used the existing wires from the old fog lights. I FOUND THE PROBLEM!! HALLELUJAH!! I soldered and used heat shrink, but alas, it was not enough. The positive wire on the r fog light rubbed the sub-frame just enough to begin to short. Definite evidence of the wires getting hot. Easy fix! Thanks everyone for the help!

kparta00

Did not get any further on the Iroc. I purchased this over the weekend and it has been taking up all of my time.

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Ditch the Iroc, keep this toy!!!

kparta00

Yes!!! the above IROC will be up for sale once I get the headlights and hatch motor lined out. I will have to force myself to work on the IROC so I can get it listed.