TA Passenger Headlight Problem
08-27-2010, 06:45 PM
#1
TA Passenger Headlight Problem Hey, guys.
My passenger side headlight doesn't seem to want to flip up. I know there are no obstructions to its movement path because of the strange fact that it sporatically works every now and then: like once out of every 10 attempts. And when it does work, it goes all the way and all the way back down, no problem. Upon visual examination, I can find nothing out of order in comparison to the driver side except for the two connecting arms being a little loose at the bolts; having a play as I slightly move the light by hand, but everything's still attached and seemingly secure. Also, it could've been my imagination, but when I had my face close for a look, I thought I smelled hydraulic fluid... I ignored this because I thought these motors didn't use hydraulics, but when I recently saw a picture of a spare motor, there appears to be a hydraulic canister attached.
Can someone please point me in the appropriate direction for investigating this problem?
(Oh, not sure if this is relevant, but shortly before this happened, I had pulled the fuel pump fuse to prime the motor after a period of storage. The turn signal lights would always not work for the first few attempts after I do the fuse, so I don't know if the headlight is going through something similar.)
My passenger side headlight doesn't seem to want to flip up. I know there are no obstructions to its movement path because of the strange fact that it sporatically works every now and then: like once out of every 10 attempts. And when it does work, it goes all the way and all the way back down, no problem. Upon visual examination, I can find nothing out of order in comparison to the driver side except for the two connecting arms being a little loose at the bolts; having a play as I slightly move the light by hand, but everything's still attached and seemingly secure. Also, it could've been my imagination, but when I had my face close for a look, I thought I smelled hydraulic fluid... I ignored this because I thought these motors didn't use hydraulics, but when I recently saw a picture of a spare motor, there appears to be a hydraulic canister attached.
Can someone please point me in the appropriate direction for investigating this problem?
(Oh, not sure if this is relevant, but shortly before this happened, I had pulled the fuel pump fuse to prime the motor after a period of storage. The turn signal lights would always not work for the first few attempts after I do the fuse, so I don't know if the headlight is going through something similar.)
08-27-2010, 09:28 PM
#2
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There is no hydraulic fluid in the headlight motors they are electric. Check the sticky at the top of the firebird section it deals with all the headlight issues
08-28-2010, 01:52 AM
#3
Most likely cause for the problem is the nylon gear wearing out. The other common problem is the HCM (headlight control module). Both of these items are some of the most common problems with pop up lights.
08-29-2010, 05:02 AM
#4
Thank you both for the clarification.
I checked out the video in the sticky thread and I can say that my headlight hasn't made any grinding sound. The thread mentioned about the hardness developing corrosion which can occasionally interfere with it functioning, so I'll check that out first.
96silverram,
Can you tell me where the HCM is located?
Thanks again.
I checked out the video in the sticky thread and I can say that my headlight hasn't made any grinding sound. The thread mentioned about the hardness developing corrosion which can occasionally interfere with it functioning, so I'll check that out first.
96silverram,
Can you tell me where the HCM is located?
Thanks again.
08-30-2010, 04:52 AM
#6
bigj2717,
Is the HCM visible in either of these pictures?
By the way, would you happen to know how to manually raise a headlight? Being that the harness is below the bulbs, I'll have to manually flip it up if it doesn't work.
Thanks very much for the help.
Is the HCM visible in either of these pictures?
By the way, would you happen to know how to manually raise a headlight? Being that the harness is below the bulbs, I'll have to manually flip it up if it doesn't work.
Thanks very much for the help.
