Headlights only work when they feel like it, any idea why?
 

My left headlight used to work sometimes, but now it doesn't work at all. My right headlight works all the time though. Is this a problem with the motor for the left headlight, or the wiring. I have two motors that I could replace for the left headlight, but I don't want to replace it if that's is not the problem. Could it be the switch for the headlights?

Define "work". Does the light turn on but not pop up or does it not pop up or turn on? If the light turns on, either the gear guides inside the motor are stripped or the gear itself is stripped out (nylon gear driven by a steel gear doesn't last for that long). If you have other motors you can change out to test for a busted motor, then by all means do so. Have someone turn the lights on without the engine running as you stand by the light. If the motor turns but the light don't go , then the gear is stripped. If the motor doesn't turn on but the light does, check the wiring for the motor. If neither the light itself or the motor work, then it may be something else in the wiring, but I am not sure if the switch would be at fault or not.

both lights come on, but the motor doesn't turn.

http://www.transamtemple.com/modific...ght_repair.htm

I did that and my lights work fine.

lonsal from Top Down Solutions also sells a kit that fixes it for $10 or so.
Click on the banner on the top of the page and look for his headlight motor repair kit.

Forget buying the kit. You already have the motor, replace the whole thing. Another fix is to take the unit apart and turn the nylon gear 180*. That is what I did when it was beginning to slip, and it still works great.

yep, 89V6FBIRD.....his trick works quite well!

Oh, and if you look around on the internet, you may come across a headlight repair kit that contains two of those larger gears. But these are NOT factory pieces-they are made of BRASS instead of NYLON and will last longer. Maybe all of us shoudl buy a set and reassemble the motor like the above link says to with .40 ball bearings. Then we wouldn't have to go through the trouble of stripped gears and bad stops ever again!

i have my driver's side motor apart right now following the instructions on that link. my gear is fine but what i need is the ball bearings. anyone know where i can get some? i tried parts stores, different hardware stores, lowes and home depot with no luck

You happen to have a Chase-Pitkin near you? I know you can get them there, I know that is where I got some a while back.

dont think we have it. i just went to their website and their locations are only up north.

it's gotta be the wiring because there's no noise coming from the motor like it might be attempting to turn on. The light turns on but the motor does nothing. Where might the possible foul be in the wiring? Should I just check the entire wiring all the way to the switch?

it's possible you have a bad headlight door module. pretty common problem on these cars. but i would check the wiring first.

I had a problem with my one headlight on my 85 Firebird earlier this summer. It turned out that one of the fusible links that was poking out of one of those plastic wire looms had corroded. The wire just felt spongy. I just shortened the fusible link wire to fix the problem. I believe your 88 has a little different wiring for the headlight doors if I remember correctly, but it is still something to keep an eye out when you check the wires.

If you happen to have them, wiring diagrams and a multimeter are very usefull when trying to troubleshoot the headlight motor wiring.