Headlight motor 3 wires then another one with 2 wires?? HELP!!!!
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Headlight motor 3 wires then another one with 2 wires?? HELP!!!!
K have an 86 bird and the head light motors have 3 wires Gray, blue and green. The new used motors assembly I am putting in only has 2 wires Green and gray. What are these wires? What is the extra bluw wire? I am actually gonna snip the old motor wires and then wire it to the new motor, but what should I do with the extra blu wire? 
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 762
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From: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Car: Trans Am
Engine: 350
Transmission: 700R4
In case you didn't see it in the Appearance and Detailing forum. It belongs here anyway.
Your three wire motor is for 82-86 birds. That system uses 3 relays: an isolation relay, and two actuator relays. Each actuator relay is attached to each headlight motor.
The two wire motor is for 87 and up birds and does away with all the relays and uses a headlight module.
I don't know if you can mix and match, but since I redid my entire headlight system on my 83 TA and got them both to work, I'd say that qualifies me somewhat as knowing what I am talking about on the 82-86 systems. This is a simplified version of what happens:
When you turn on the headlight, the yellow wire from your dashboard switch to the isolation relay is power into the isolation realy and the pink wire is power out of the isolation relay. That pink power out, runs to both actuator (headlight motor) relays as a power in and activates the them, allowing power to flow through the GREEN wire into the motor in the three wire set up. The GREY wire acts as ground for the motor. Inside the motor, The High Torque Switch has two contact arms (thin metal springs) that simply touch two contact points. When the motor is actually spinning both contacts are engaged, until a "high torque" causes a little mechanical lever to push up on one of the contact arms, breaking the electrical flow.
When you turn the headlights OFF, The White wire from the headlight switch in dashboard to the isolation relay is powered, The blue and blue with white stipe OUT OF the isolation relay is powered and that goes directly to the motors. (solid blue goes to the right headlight and blue w/stipe goes to left). The GREEN wire now acts as a ground going back into the actuator relay and out the relay's ground. The HTS switch's (inside the motor)contact arms both touch their contacts and the motor spins. The little lever reaches its torque point and physically disconnects one on the contact points and the motor stops.
To test your relays:
HEADLIGHTS ON:
The isolation relay
1)YELLOW 12 VOLTS
2)WHITE 0 VOLTS
3)BLUE w/st0 VOLTS
4)PINK 12 VOLTS
5)BLUE 0 VOLTS
6)BLACK 0 VOLTS
The actuator relay
1) RED w/st 12 Volts
2) PINK 12 Volts
3) BLACK 0 Volts
4) GRAY 0 Volts
5) GREEN 12 Volts
HEADLIGHTS OFF:
The isolation relay
1)YELLOW 0 VOLTS
2)WHITE 12 VOLTS
3)BLUE w/st12 VOLTS
4)PINK 0 VOLTS
5)BLUE 12 VOLTS
6)BLACK 0 VOLTS
The actuator relay
1) RED w/st 12 Volts
2) PINK 0 Volts
3) BLACK 0 Volts
4) GRAY 0 Volts
5) GREEN 0 Volts
Use the schematic below: I'm sorry if it is too small but right click over the picture, click save as, save it on your hard drive and use some photo software of your own to enlarge it.
As soon as I get a digital camera I'll do an extensive How-to on our 82-86 systems. By the way many of the problems we have may just be the interanl torque switches. I followed the most common advice and changed the isolation relay and the actuator relays and the headlight switch AND IT STILL DIDN"T FN work, so I tore into the motors and it was the HTS switches. GM's design is very flimsy and uneccesarily complicated, so I redesigned the HTS switch to be much simpler and less prone to future faliure which can be done for practically free, but without pictures my description won't make much sense. So we have to wait until I get a digital camera.
Your three wire motor is for 82-86 birds. That system uses 3 relays: an isolation relay, and two actuator relays. Each actuator relay is attached to each headlight motor.
The two wire motor is for 87 and up birds and does away with all the relays and uses a headlight module.
I don't know if you can mix and match, but since I redid my entire headlight system on my 83 TA and got them both to work, I'd say that qualifies me somewhat as knowing what I am talking about on the 82-86 systems. This is a simplified version of what happens:
When you turn on the headlight, the yellow wire from your dashboard switch to the isolation relay is power into the isolation realy and the pink wire is power out of the isolation relay. That pink power out, runs to both actuator (headlight motor) relays as a power in and activates the them, allowing power to flow through the GREEN wire into the motor in the three wire set up. The GREY wire acts as ground for the motor. Inside the motor, The High Torque Switch has two contact arms (thin metal springs) that simply touch two contact points. When the motor is actually spinning both contacts are engaged, until a "high torque" causes a little mechanical lever to push up on one of the contact arms, breaking the electrical flow.
When you turn the headlights OFF, The White wire from the headlight switch in dashboard to the isolation relay is powered, The blue and blue with white stipe OUT OF the isolation relay is powered and that goes directly to the motors. (solid blue goes to the right headlight and blue w/stipe goes to left). The GREEN wire now acts as a ground going back into the actuator relay and out the relay's ground. The HTS switch's (inside the motor)contact arms both touch their contacts and the motor spins. The little lever reaches its torque point and physically disconnects one on the contact points and the motor stops.
To test your relays:
HEADLIGHTS ON:
The isolation relay
1)YELLOW 12 VOLTS
2)WHITE 0 VOLTS
3)BLUE w/st0 VOLTS
4)PINK 12 VOLTS
5)BLUE 0 VOLTS
6)BLACK 0 VOLTS
The actuator relay
1) RED w/st 12 Volts
2) PINK 12 Volts
3) BLACK 0 Volts
4) GRAY 0 Volts
5) GREEN 12 Volts
HEADLIGHTS OFF:
The isolation relay
1)YELLOW 0 VOLTS
2)WHITE 12 VOLTS
3)BLUE w/st12 VOLTS
4)PINK 0 VOLTS
5)BLUE 12 VOLTS
6)BLACK 0 VOLTS
The actuator relay
1) RED w/st 12 Volts
2) PINK 0 Volts
3) BLACK 0 Volts
4) GRAY 0 Volts
5) GREEN 0 Volts
Use the schematic below: I'm sorry if it is too small but right click over the picture, click save as, save it on your hard drive and use some photo software of your own to enlarge it.
As soon as I get a digital camera I'll do an extensive How-to on our 82-86 systems. By the way many of the problems we have may just be the interanl torque switches. I followed the most common advice and changed the isolation relay and the actuator relays and the headlight switch AND IT STILL DIDN"T FN work, so I tore into the motors and it was the HTS switches. GM's design is very flimsy and uneccesarily complicated, so I redesigned the HTS switch to be much simpler and less prone to future faliure which can be done for practically free, but without pictures my description won't make much sense. So we have to wait until I get a digital camera.
Last edited by Nightcruzer; Jul 12, 2006 at 10:12 PM.
Member
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 421
Likes: 0
From: coconut creek, fl, usa
hey chief,
I had the same problem in reverse. my motors were 3 wire and my car was a 2 wire. all I had to do was twist the 2 hot wires together, and it works perfectly. be careful the colors are reversed on the 2 different styles. I doubt it will work for you because your deal is different, but take some loose wire and test it out.
I had the same problem in reverse. my motors were 3 wire and my car was a 2 wire. all I had to do was twist the 2 hot wires together, and it works perfectly. be careful the colors are reversed on the 2 different styles. I doubt it will work for you because your deal is different, but take some loose wire and test it out.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Re: Headlight motor 3 wires then another one with 2 wires?? HELP!!!!
hey chief,
I had the same problem in reverse. my motors were 3 wire and my car was a 2 wire. all I had to do was twist the 2 hot wires together, and it works perfectly. be careful the colors are reversed on the 2 different styles. I doubt it will work for you because your deal is different, but take some loose wire and test it out.
I had the same problem in reverse. my motors were 3 wire and my car was a 2 wire. all I had to do was twist the 2 hot wires together, and it works perfectly. be careful the colors are reversed on the 2 different styles. I doubt it will work for you because your deal is different, but take some loose wire and test it out.
I did the same thing with my 3-wire motors and my 2-wire T/A...Saved me from buying two new motors 
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