what would be causing my headlight to do this?

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-25-2010, 08:24 AM

car has been in the body shop for 2 months and the driver headlight will not go up..the lights in it work, it just doesnt go up when they're turned on, but the passenger side works fine...the people at the shop (complete dumb asses by the way) said that it could be from the battery being too low and that when they put the battery on the charger for a couple hours, both lights worked fine...well went there and tried it today..and...didnt work..AGAIN..

so would anyone know what would be the issue here?

its just the driver side that is having the problem..

**JustgoFast** · 05-25-2010, 08:31 AM

Have you tried unplugging and waite a few minutes then replug. I had a Mercury Capri and had the same issue with one of the head lights. I unplugged it and waited a then plugged back up and never an issue again. Worth a try.

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-25-2010, 08:41 AM

well my cars still in the body shop..and they obviously dont know what theyre doing..and i cant really look at or work on it while its in there but would i unplug the motor? because that is the only thing that isnt really working..the headlight itself and the high beams work fine, it just doesnt come up on the driver side when i turn the headlights on.

**JustgoFast** · 05-25-2010, 09:00 AM

Yes just unplug the harness from the motor. I can't say it will work for sure but it did work for me on the capri.

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-25-2010, 12:29 PM

ok..ill try it if its still messed up once its done

**Lunatikgixxer** · 05-25-2010, 02:16 PM

its not catching the hood is it? i have a hood stop missing on my drivers side and just recently noticed the driver side head light catching the top of the hood and only coming up half way, and also scraping the shit out of my paint, i doubt its that though bcuz that is very very obvious lol.

**godless-phoenix** · 05-25-2010, 02:19 PM

maybe you just have a dead headlight motor...or the dumb asses at ur body shop unplugged the motor and didnt realize

**carnut7202** · 05-25-2010, 05:48 PM

are u shure its not the plastic gear in the headlight motor itself? if it is it will not allow it to open but then agian if it was there would be a really bad grinding sound if that was the case because the worm gear has stripped the plastic one.

**Y2KPewterSS** · 05-25-2010, 06:58 PM

I am not saying it is the gears, but here is a thread to keep in mind just in case:

http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67554

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-25-2010, 09:18 PM

ya its not rubbing anything on the hood or the body..it just doesnt go up, no noise either. they said when they charged the battery for a while it worked..but i have yet to c it work..theyre dumbasses though so theres no telling what they did.

**Too Fast** · 05-26-2010, 03:33 AM

I've found that body shop people sometimes are not too smart as far as mechanical things go. But, it could just be an almost dead battery. How much longer at the shop?

**JustgoFast** · 05-26-2010, 04:13 AM

Weird they saying one just isn't working and it's a low battery charge. I'd still try unplugging the headlight motor.

**TmaxicanA** · 05-26-2010, 06:42 AM

body shops are notorious for leaving grounds off especially body grounds. if you know how to read electrical schematics find the headlight motor schematic and find where the grounds are at or take it to a dealer and tell them it was at a body shop.
when i worked at a chevy dealer, we constantly had cars from our body shop come in for the most random things...leaving grounds off can really do weird things to a car.

...or it could be as simple as they left the motor unplugged lol

**RedFenix_68** · 05-26-2010, 09:34 AM

ya its most def a dead motor, or the plastic gears took a shit, and or the wiring to the motor is shorted out, happened to my 89 formula. then my dumbass just spliced the drivers side to the passenger side and tht lasted a whole 3 min and i blew the headlight module.

**Packy** · 05-26-2010, 10:34 AM

I would manually dial it up with the round knob behind the headlight cover and then dial it roll it down then try it. Mine sticks sometimes for whatever reason and no it doesn't rest on the hood or anything else. I dial it up a few inches manually and then down again and it works perfect for weeks or until I leave it in storage again for 5 months.

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-26-2010, 12:44 PM

not sure how long it will be in there..seems like they screw something up every time..or dont fix something right the first time i tell them its messed up...ugh!! i will have them check the connection to the motor, try doing it manually, and have them check the ground..thanks

**02TRANS** · 05-26-2010, 09:53 PM

Our cars have always had intermittent headlight issues... If it's not making a grinding or loud clicking noise, and works occasionally, then there is nothing wrong with the gears. My driver side headlight has done the same thing and the car is garage kept and never been outside in the elements. I bought a new motor last summer. In order to get in and disconnect the harness, you have to almost completely uninstall the headlight from its location. I pulled the harness apart and green corrosion dust fell out of the "water resistant" harness. Bottom line... get some good electrical contact cleaner spray and a fine brush and scrub the contacts on both ends of the harness... it worked for me all season last year up until 2 nights ago oddly enough... my driver side headlight is back stuck down again... I am not putting the motor in until it's completely blown... the parts are becoming hard to come by. Just an FYI... My dad is a certified master tech for Pontiac and I get a GM cost discount on parts.

**dbrichrider33333** · 05-26-2010, 11:02 PM

hmm..thats interesting. but ya my light was working fine even before i brought it into the shop..idk what they did but they f'd something up i think...if they cant fix it then i guess ill have to wait another month for them to fix it right or something..idk what to do with it