Full Version: Headlight acting up
When I turn my running lights on my headlights will flip up and they used to not do that. Then whenever i put them down my drivers side headlight makes a very annoying noise sort of like a vibration i guess. I looked and the knob that you turn to put them up manualy keeps spinning for about 5 to 10 seconds. Im guessing i need to replace the headlight motor. Does anyone know where i can get one or if thats even what i need? Thanks
Had to replace both moters did same thing as yours, pontiac wanted $345 ea. benett auto supply had the exact same ones but made by delco a american company for $230 ea. Very easy to install
You don't need to replace the whole motor. What the problem is is that the nylon gear is stripped. It's a common problem on our cars. All you need to do is either replace the nylon gear with the brass one that is out there or do the free fix on them.
Here's a link on how to do both:
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/
The free fix is down towards the bottom of that page. The brass replacement gear you can get off that site or you can find it for sale on eBay and similar places.
Here's a link on how to do both:
http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/headlightfix/
The free fix is down towards the bottom of that page. The brass replacement gear you can get off that site or you can find it for sale on eBay and similar places.
Ill try the free one of course before buying anything, Is this going to fix the part where they flip up when i turn my running lights on?
It should fix both of the problems you've been encountering since I'd have to say 90-95% of the problems associated with our flip-up headlights are gear related one way or another.
ill try it thanks
You're welcome.
QUOTE(SassySue09 @ Apr 23 2008, 01:17 AM) 
You're welcome.
idk if its the same on ur car as mine but my cars lights did the same thing...and all it was was the 3 pucks inside the motor that sit in the bottom/ side of the gear... i used a piece of rubber hose to fix it...my car is a 1991 though so im not sure if yours is the same......
3rd gen and 4th gen headlight motors are slightly different. 3rd gen motors use pucks/bearings, 4th gens use a nylon gear. Outside though they look very similar.
What has probably happened, other than normal wear and tear is that the headlight motor ECU (it's located near the air intake on the left fender underneath the fuse box) has failed. It operates like this: Headlight switch on to parking position, headlights stay down, parking lights turn on. Headlight switch full on, headlights come up and turn on, parking lights also on. Headlight switch then pushed to intermediate position, headlights turn off, but stay up and parking lights are on. If anything else happens, replace the ECU.
Now, on to the gears. The free fix -- turn the gear over works! Sue knows all about this stuff. The brass gear also works. Now, here's the rub. Unless you replace the control unit (it's like a programmed brain that operates the logic control circuitry for the headlights), the gear will probably break or wear out again. The ECU also contains a current sensing circuitry that turns the electrical current off as soon as it senses a high resistance in the headlight motor. The headlight motor will generate a high resistance, and thus a high current drain when it is forced to a stop when the headlight pods hit their mechanical stops. IF the current sensing circuit within the ECU is defective, it won't sense the high current draw and it will not turn off the motor--the motor keeps running and tears up the gears.
Hope this helps.
Now, on to the gears. The free fix -- turn the gear over works! Sue knows all about this stuff. The brass gear also works. Now, here's the rub. Unless you replace the control unit (it's like a programmed brain that operates the logic control circuitry for the headlights), the gear will probably break or wear out again. The ECU also contains a current sensing circuitry that turns the electrical current off as soon as it senses a high resistance in the headlight motor. The headlight motor will generate a high resistance, and thus a high current drain when it is forced to a stop when the headlight pods hit their mechanical stops. IF the current sensing circuit within the ECU is defective, it won't sense the high current draw and it will not turn off the motor--the motor keeps running and tears up the gears.
Hope this helps.
I tried the free fix and instead of it happening when i put them down, it does it when i put them up instead. Am i doing something wrong?
You might not have turned it far enough to hit the side of the gear that hasn't been used already. If that's the case it would change when the problem happens. Either that or the person who had the car before you had already done the free fix. If that's the case you'll have to order the brass replacement gear since both sides of the nylon gear have been messed up.
Do you know how much a nylon gear is?
If you are going to buy a gear, you may as well get the brass ones and not have to deal with it again.
BFranker
Matt
BFranker
Matt
Yeah sorry i meant brass. Does anyone know where i can get a brass gear.
Click BFranker link above. He's also offering aluminum ones because of the current price of brass.
QUOTE(Me Too @ May 7 2008, 02:15 AM)
What has probably happened, other than normal wear and tear is that the headlight motor ECU (it's located near the air intake on the left fender underneath the fuse box) has failed. It operates like this: Headlight switch on to parking position, headlights stay down, parking lights turn on. Headlight switch full on, headlights come up and turn on, parking lights also on. Headlight switch then pushed to intermediate position, headlights turn off, but stay up and parking lights are on. If anything else happens, replace the ECU.
Now, on to the gears. The free fix -- turn the gear over works! Sue knows all about this stuff. The brass gear also works. Now, here's the rub. Unless you replace the control unit (it's like a programmed brain that operates the logic control circuitry for the headlights), the gear will probably break or wear out again. The ECU also contains a current sensing circuitry that turns the electrical current off as soon as it senses a high resistance in the headlight motor. The headlight motor will generate a high resistance, and thus a high current drain when it is forced to a stop when the headlight pods hit their mechanical stops. IF the current sensing circuit within the ECU is defective, it won't sense the high current draw and it will not turn off the motor--the motor keeps running and tears up the gears.
Hope this helps.
Now, on to the gears. The free fix -- turn the gear over works! Sue knows all about this stuff. The brass gear also works. Now, here's the rub. Unless you replace the control unit (it's like a programmed brain that operates the logic control circuitry for the headlights), the gear will probably break or wear out again. The ECU also contains a current sensing circuitry that turns the electrical current off as soon as it senses a high resistance in the headlight motor. The headlight motor will generate a high resistance, and thus a high current drain when it is forced to a stop when the headlight pods hit their mechanical stops. IF the current sensing circuit within the ECU is defective, it won't sense the high current draw and it will not turn off the motor--the motor keeps running and tears up the gears.
Hope this helps.
Pardon me for bumping an old thread, but I had something strange happen to my car today, and a search turned up this post.
I'm on vacation in the Lake George NY area and we had some ridiculous rainfall. Besides a tiny bit of water making it in at the forward edge of the t tops, the headlights decided to go on and off by themselves. With the switch off and the ignition on, the headlights flipped themselves on and off. I could hear some clicking going on, sounded like a relay, in the area of the radio. Of course, once I pulled the radio out, it refused to make the noise
As the weather cleared up, I'll also assume as things dried out, the problem went away. I'm still concerned though, as I've not heard of this problem before. Usually just lights won't go up or down, not possessed like mine
So does this sound like an issue with the headlight ECU (which I didn't know existed until this thread)?
Any help is appreciated as this is my first time taking the Formula on any real trip and it's kind of freaking me out that it's got this gremlin.
QUOTE(jedimaster @ Jul 24 2008, 07:17 PM)
Pardon me for bumping an old thread, but I had something strange happen to my car today, and a search turned up this post.
I'm on vacation in the Lake George NY area and we had some ridiculous rainfall. Besides a tiny bit of water making it in at the forward edge of the t tops, the headlights decided to go on and off by themselves. With the switch off and the ignition on, the headlights flipped themselves on and off. I could hear some clicking going on, sounded like a relay, in the area of the radio. Of course, once I pulled the radio out, it refused to make the noise
As the weather cleared up, I'll also assume as things dried out, the problem went away. I'm still concerned though, as I've not heard of this problem before. Usually just lights won't go up or down, not possessed like mine
So does this sound like an issue with the headlight ECU (which I didn't know existed until this thread)?
Any help is appreciated as this is my first time taking the Formula on any real trip and it's kind of freaking me out that it's got this gremlin.
I'm on vacation in the Lake George NY area and we had some ridiculous rainfall. Besides a tiny bit of water making it in at the forward edge of the t tops, the headlights decided to go on and off by themselves. With the switch off and the ignition on, the headlights flipped themselves on and off. I could hear some clicking going on, sounded like a relay, in the area of the radio. Of course, once I pulled the radio out, it refused to make the noise
As the weather cleared up, I'll also assume as things dried out, the problem went away. I'm still concerned though, as I've not heard of this problem before. Usually just lights won't go up or down, not possessed like mine
So does this sound like an issue with the headlight ECU (which I didn't know existed until this thread)?
Any help is appreciated as this is my first time taking the Formula on any real trip and it's kind of freaking me out that it's got this gremlin.
*Tap Tap Tap* Damn man, is this thing on?
Sorry been busy at work.
It could be the "ECU" which is also called the Headlight Door Module or Headlight Control Module (HDM/HCM). It's located in the engine bay on the drivers side near the front where the stock non-ram air air filter is. It's a black box that looks like a box on top of box with two sets of wires leading into the top of it (if I remember right, it's a set of 5 wires and a set of 6 wires). There's a relay inside that box that likes to mess up and when it does it can cause some weird symptoms with the headlights.
It could be the "ECU" which is also called the Headlight Door Module or Headlight Control Module (HDM/HCM). It's located in the engine bay on the drivers side near the front where the stock non-ram air air filter is. It's a black box that looks like a box on top of box with two sets of wires leading into the top of it (if I remember right, it's a set of 5 wires and a set of 6 wires). There's a relay inside that box that likes to mess up and when it does it can cause some weird symptoms with the headlights.
QUOTE(SassySue09 @ Aug 1 2008, 02:33 AM)
Sorry been busy at work.
It could be the "ECU" which is also called the Headlight Door Module or Headlight Control Module (HDM/HCM). It's located in the engine bay on the drivers side near the front where the stock non-ram air air filter is. It's a black box that looks like a box on top of box with two sets of wires leading into the top of it (if I remember right, it's a set of 5 wires and a set of 6 wires). There's a relay inside that box that likes to mess up and when it does it can cause some weird symptoms with the headlights.
It could be the "ECU" which is also called the Headlight Door Module or Headlight Control Module (HDM/HCM). It's located in the engine bay on the drivers side near the front where the stock non-ram air air filter is. It's a black box that looks like a box on top of box with two sets of wires leading into the top of it (if I remember right, it's a set of 5 wires and a set of 6 wires). There's a relay inside that box that likes to mess up and when it does it can cause some weird symptoms with the headlights.
Thanks Sue- yeah, I had pinned it down to that as well. I left it alone though ultimately, as the problem did not return. If it does, I'll pick one up on ebay.
i had the same problem as you, except my motors already had brass gears. i got caught in a very deep river flowing through a parking lot (not supposed to happen) and it fried the headlight control module. now my passenger side headlight is possessed. unfortunately it broke off BOTH the plastic stops, so i have to build new ones. with that said, does anyone have the part number of the headlight control module so i can order a new one? there is no mention of such a device in the haynes manual...oh, and i misplaced my gm shop manuals. its not a good day to say the least 
I know this is an old post but I did the free fix on both my headlights today and it worked perfectly. Thank you for all the info here.
Just replaced both of mine with brass gears (my passenger side was making grinding noises).
I bought mine from the link below (link is for brass, he also sells aluminum):
http://rodneydickman.com/catalog/product_i...products_id=151
I bought mine from the link below (link is for brass, he also sells aluminum):
http://rodneydickman.com/catalog/product_i...products_id=151
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