Headlight stuck down????!

**speedyWS6** · 11-03-2013, 07:51 AM

Guys,

Over the last few days i have been having battery problems and have been
doing all the recharging and stuff. Just prior to the battery giving out i was
fiddling with the adjustment of the panel gaps around both flip up covers and,
of course... while i was doing this the lights were on and this never helped
my battery so....

..... After doing the recharge and re-installing the battery today everything
electrical seems fine now but the passenger side headlight will not flip up when
i turn on the lights? There are no whirring or funny noises due to a worn gear
and before the battery issue they both flipped up fine!

What the hell is going on? Any suggestions gratefully received!

Trev

**az gt eater** · 11-03-2013, 08:10 AM

Sounds like it is stuck. You prob got the gap too tight on one side. There is a manual raise/lower screw. It is rigth behind the headlight. THere is a large rubber boot protecting it. Pull that off, and manually raise the headlight. Then, remove the cover you have been fiddling with. Then, manually lower the headlight and try the light switch again.

- - - Updated - - -

The headlight motor is not on a limiting switch to stop it. It senses a voltage spike and stops. Therefore, if the motor is stuck, it will not engage.

**speedyWS6** · 11-03-2013, 08:15 AM

Keith,

Do you mean stuck as in the panel gaps too close?

This is not the case... i only really played with the adjustment on the drivers side
and when i held the front of the passenger flap and tried to lift it was nice and free
(but not coming up if you get what i mean) and not seeming to want to work electrically?

It's got dark now but when i get the chance i will do the manual up and down but honestly,
i can't see that helping?!

**az gt eater** · 11-03-2013, 08:25 AM

Is it possible that the connector is loose? You could try unhooking and re-hooking it up. I have ahd problems in the past in other parts of the car in that way. But, honestly, I think that it is stuck. Give it a bang with your bare hand.

**speedyWS6** · 11-03-2013, 08:30 AM

Keith,

Thanks, and i imagine you mean a slap on the outer cover?
I tried that!! Which connector do you mean? I did try and
find a likely connector but i was starting to lose the daylight.

Where am i looking for the offending connector?

Trev

**az gt eater** · 11-03-2013, 09:09 AM

It would be hooked up to the headlight motor. Prob need to raise the cover manually to see it/get at it.

**speedyWS6** · 11-04-2013, 10:45 AM

All good info Keith and thanks!

I will be a bit stuck in getting to the job until the weekend
but i will try all that you suggest.

It can't be anything major as before i started to fiddle with the gaps
it was fine so i expect i knocked the connection or something?

Trev

**az gt eater** · 11-04-2013, 04:00 PM

I am trying to remember, but i think when I changed the gears out, one of them wouldn't light up. I just un and re- connected it, and voila! had the same problem with the harness for the injectors about every other time I have removed the intake.

**az gt eater** · 11-04-2013, 04:01 PM

Possibly you dropped that thick roll of 100 pound notes in there when you were bent over the headlight area. Don't worry, happens to me all the time, too.

**speedyWS6** · 11-04-2013, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by az gt eater

Possibly you dropped that thick roll of 100 pound notes in there when you were bent over the headlight area. Don't worry, happens to me all the time, too.

I WISH!!!! The car has pared me to the bone........

Anyhow.... Just to explain further... even though it is not flipping up it is lighting up
as it should so once again i reckon we'd be looking at the connection to the motor so
i will do the manual raise and poke things the weekend!

Trev

***SMWS6TA*** · 11-05-2013, 08:37 AM

IIRC there is a specific relay/fuse (50amp) for the motors, the lights operate on a different relay. Does the horn work? They are on the same fuse

If it is just one not coming up causes are:

Gap is off/to tight/miss-aligned (You already check this)
Gear wheel is stripped out
Motor is burned out.
Wire harness is damage

Here is a pic of the fuse to look for. Left cover, 50amp, states "H/L DR HORN"

**speedyWS6** · 11-05-2013, 10:42 AM

Thanks Scott!

I will, of course check what you suggest at the weekend.

The things you suggest....

panel gaps all good and no physical binding at all

Gear wheel is fine i reckon. No grinding and worked fine before battery fiddling

Motor burned out... anything is possible i guess but it was working fine the previous day with no hint of a prob.

Wire harness... damaged as in physical damage or "burnt out" damage"?? Again no funny smells and i doubt it but not 100% sure!

As far as the fuse panels you show in the pic... Where am i looking? Under the hood or at the driver side of the dash at the outer end?

Thanks for the valuable input!

Trev

***SMWS6TA*** · 11-05-2013, 11:50 AM

under the hood

and with anything electrical I hate dealing with it. It either works or doesn't, not to mention the damn gremlins that pop up.

**az gt eater** · 11-06-2013, 04:36 PM

It really seems like you messed with the connectors. I am telling you like I had the same problem. That is the second place I would check. After banging the cover.

**024mula** · 11-08-2013, 05:48 AM

Most of the above suggestions are good advise.

But before you do these or anything else, I assume you have the car motor started before you try this.

The reason I say this is because, earlier this year during the summer when bugs were out at night.
I like to wipe the bugs off the front of the car that includes the headlights. Getting home late one night I decided to wipe the bugs off the next morning. So the next morning I turned on the headlights without starting the motor so the lights would flip up and the drivers side headlight didn't flip up. After turning the lights on and off several times I still couldn't get it to pop up. After thinking about it I then decided to start the car and then I tryed the headlights and they both popped up.

**speedyWS6** · 11-08-2013, 08:49 AM

Wow...

Dale... i hope you are right!! I have to say i did all of this without the
motor running. I would never have thought it would have mattered
but maybe you have given me an easy solution? Hope so! I wonder why
this could happen this way?

I have been twitchy all week not being able to get the cover off due
to our sh*tty weather. been doing all of the research for the sail panel
work.

Thanks all and i will report back.

Trev

**speedyWS6** · 11-10-2013, 05:40 AM

Well,

Just been out fiddling with the car and thankfully it was the easy fix!

I found the large hex thing behind the headlight and manually raised it
right up and then switched it on to raise the drivers side... switched
them off and both went down... switched them on and both came up!?

Have to say it does not seem as though i did anything towards a fix
by doing that but hey.... all working

Still crappy weather though so no drive in the old gal.

Trev

**024mula** · 11-10-2013, 07:01 AM

Glad to hear you got her fixed Trev.

**az gt eater** · 11-10-2013, 07:11 AM

Good deal. Everytime I see a TA driving down the road with one or both lights up even though they are off, I cringe. Makes me want to pull over and see what the problem is. I know that before I changed the gears in mine, it sounded and looked like ass when I parked, hit the alarm, and they went up, then down, then RRRRRRRRRR for a half a minute. If all you did was manually raise, then hit the light switches, sounds like you used up the only remaining good half of your nylon gears. You most likely will need the brass gears soon. It is not that hard to do. You unbolt and pull out the motors, then follow the instructions on how to split and reseal the motor cases.