I just installed a gen 2 headlight motor upgrade into my 1985 gt. I installed the motors, harness and module. When I have the hood up. The motors work fine and bring the headlights up all the way. But when I shut the hood, the motors a dont have enough strength to push against the headlight doors and they only lift up 2 inches. When I lift the hood, turn on the headlights and just gently touch the headlight as its rising, it will stop. Has anyone her had this issue and can please give me any possible remedy? I cleaned up the grounds and tried again with the hood open and they work fine but with the hood closed, the motors are still not strong enough to push the headlight door open and raise The headlights more than two inches. Please help!! Thank you, Louis
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keeip it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
There's a circuit in the module that senses the amount of current flowing through to the motors. When a certain limit is reached, the module turns the power off to the motors. By the sound of things, if you can stop the motors from rising with just a finger touch then it's most likely the module that's defective.
Since I don't know how to test the module, I'm going to jump the motors and see if they can lift the hood flaps. This way i can rule them out and see if its the module. Since they both go up exactly the same amount before stopping i dont think its the motots because they woudlnt be equally weak most probably. do they get a full 12volts? If I wire them directly to the battery is that too much amperage, maybe I could wire them from a fuse in the fuse panel? Could it be the relay? Thanks
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keeip it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
[This message has been edited by Lou and Blue (edited 08-18-2014).]
The relays are built into the module... there are no separate relays in the gen 2 circuit.
As for testing them, you can indeed run 12V to them directly, but just make sure you take the battery leads off as soon as the motors hit their stops or you will burn the wires and/or the motor windings. To spool them up you'll need to apply 12V to the gry/blk wire on the LH motor and the grey wire on the RH motor while grounding the green wires.
Thanks man, the direct battery amperage isnt too much for the Motors? The person I bought the setup from is sending me a different module. Maybe I should just wait and try that first so as not to risk damaging the motors.
If you have another module on the way then wait! No sense taking the chance of buggering up your motors.
I agree. Thanks to all! Ill post results when I install the module.
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keeip it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
If you're doing this with the engine off and a weak battery, then it's quite possible for the headlight motors to not get enough power to open fully. Try it with the engine running and/or a charger attached to the battery, if you haven't already.
If the battery is fully charged, and the motors are still too weak, you can try "hot-wiring" them with direct battery voltage, as mentioned above. It won't damage anything, as long as you kill the power when the motors stop moving.
Battery is new, the motors drive the headlights up all the way unless there is pressure on them from either the headlight covers or placin a hand on them as they are rising. Ill jump the motors today to make sure, ill cut the power once I see them get even 3/4 up. Because with them hooked into the module they only come up 1/4 travel.
Any binding then the module WILL shutdown the motor(s) mean the Module is doing it's job.
Binding could be: Motor(s) w/ issues link and hinges for lifting the HL Plastic "bearings" on door are bad door hinge/spring are binding Any or All of the above and likely others I've forgotten.
Battery new/charge mean little. Many reasons the HL motor system can see low volt. Fixing iffy grounds is a start. See my Cave, Electric Motors
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
I didn't know there were plastic bearings on the headlight doors, but the gen 1 motors lifted them fine. I switched because I had a limit swotch issue in the pass side gen 1 motor.
I oiled and used white lithium grease spray on the headlight door hinges and now the motors can push them about halfway up. The motors must be weak. Even jumping the motors direct from the battery they only go up a small amount. I know the headlight doors aren't binding. The lights went up fully with the gen 1 system. How can the gen 2 system be weaker? Since they won't push up the headlight doors even directly connected to the battery I am 99% positive it's the motors that are weak and not the module. Or maybe it's a combination of both. I asked the seller to send me a set of motors that have been tested with the hood down and are strong. This sucks, I had one good headlight and one I had to manually raise and lower with the gen 1 and now that I went to gen 2 I have two headlights that raise almost halfway. This is so frustrating, I am sorry I switched to gen 2 , I should have just got a gen 1 rebuilt motor for the pass side and I would have been fine. Instead I spent more than two e the money to "upgrade" and I'm nothing but frustrated without working headlights. This "quick swap upgrade" has turned into three days of frustration and it still doesn't work! I'm so bummed.
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keeip it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
Make sure you lubricate both ends of the pushrod that attaches the motor to the underside of the pod too. There are little nylon bushing in the ends of the pushrod that can wear out and cause binding if they're dry. Can you wind the motors fully up by hand? Can you feel an increase in resistance through part of the travel suggesting they're binding?
Where can I buy those nylon bushings? I don't remember having them in my gen one or this gen 2 pushrods. It can't be binding if its pushing the headlights up when the hood is up right? But ill buy those nylon bushings if you can point me in the direction of where to source them. I don't understand why now even with the good up the pass side doesn't want to go down completely It will only go down if I toggle the headlight switch on and quickly off once it Stops.
Are the motors making any kind of noise or hesitating? It almost sounds like the bump stops are starting to break down.
BTW, I know your frustration, I had a lot of problems when I upgraded to a Gen 2 system but I now think it was one of the best upgrades I've done, next to the 3800sc of course.
What are the bump stops? Are they in the motor.or part of the headlight assembly? I wish I could post the video of mine on here. The seller is sending me another pair of motors that he is gonna test with the hood down before sending. I'll post results when I have them. I lubricated absolutely every moving part of the headlight linkages and the headlight doors, but it didn't help.
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keep it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
Bump stops are the 3 small plastic 'stubby' cylinders inside the motor, without them your motor will just spin and never catch. That's why I was wondering if there was any noise when raising them. They will sound like the first video I posted if they're totally shot. If they're half gone, they could cause the issue you're having.
In this picture you see what mine looked like. The bump stops go in the corners of the 'triangle' part of the gear. The crumbs to the right are what was left of mine.
This is what they should look like (this pic has the metal gear) -
Oh those are what I was calling dowel bushings. The seller said he rebuilt the motors with those from Rodney before he sent me the motors. I think he is installing Rodney ones in the motors he is sending me this time around too. The motors work fine with the hood up but don't have enough strength to push up the headlight doors of the hood is Closed.
With mine, the seller said he rebuilt the motors using Rodney's bushings right before sending the motors to me. The motors don't spin and spin, they stop at the slightest pressure, like the headlight covers or even just lightly touching the headlight assembly. The motors stop spinning. Wouldnt they keep spinning if the dowel bushings/bump stops were bad?
depends on the design. i am not familiar with headlight motors or these in particular. my mustangs window motors have same design in gears but motor has no "safety" and will just keep spinning doing nothing at all. can you manually raise and lower lights?
The motors do manually raise and lower, they also move the headlights Fine up and down if the is no pressure on the assemblies, but with the slightest pressure they can't push the headlights up. I don't think it's the dowel bushings/bump stops, I think the motors are weak. Even when given Direct voltage from the battery they can't raise the headlights with the hood down. They are not spinning and spinning they just stop.
i would wait for the replacement motors to see. i the mean time i think you can raise lights and unplug motors to keep them raised so at least you dont have to manually raise them every night.
I haven't recieved them yet. The seller sent a video of a pair lifting the headlight doors and then tracking info so I'm just waiting on them to arrive.
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keep it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
I don't think so because they worked fine with the gen 1 motors and they work fine as long as the hood is raised. I got the replacement motors Today but it won't be till Friday earliest that I can swap them out and try it.
I don't think so because they worked fine with the gen 1 motors and they work fine as long as the hood is raised. I got the replacement motors Today but it won't be till Friday earliest that I can swap them out and try it.
I'm telling you I had the EXACT same issue. Take a look at your headlight assemblies. You should have R upper and R lower piece. I bet you assembled the R upper and L lower.
I had the Headlamp Connector (metal bar) on wrong side. One bar goes on Drivers and the Other goes on Pass Assembly. The parts should be marked with a R or L unless yours is painted over.
I never took the hinging headlight bucket apart though. Unless you are just referring to the linkage bar. Ill have to check again this weekend. I labelled pass and driver side as I removed the buckets but all I did was swap the motors and the linkage. The "Headlamp connector" in the diagram you posted shows the electrical connection .
I never took the hinging headlight bucket apart though. Unless you are just referring to the linkage bar. Ill have to check again this weekend. I labelled pass and driver side as I removed the buckets but all I did was swap the motors and the linkage. The "Headlamp connector" in the diagram you posted shows the electrical connection .
Yes, the linkage Bar. I had it on the wrong side. It fit fine on the wrong side but I experienced the exact same problem. The headlight would go all the way up with the hood open and 1/2 up with it closed.
Sorry this isn't gonna be much help , but I was in a rush so I replaced both the module and the motors with the ones the seller sent me at the same time and it works fine now. So I don't know if it was the module or the motors but I'm still guessing the motors because they didnt work right with the direc tbattery connection. Upon swapping the motors I did notice the linkage , but not the straight bar, said L linkside on one side and R linkside on the other, but I can't tell if I swapped them or not. At least it works now.
------------------ ===Always trying to find time to work on cars=== Louis Duet Baldwin, Long Island, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Blue" <= '85 Fiero GT Stock V6---Stock everything. Trying to keep it 'mostly' that way. But I just got the 3800sc to swap into it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Boo" <= '81 Delorean DMC-12 VIN #5835 "Don't hate ... Carburate!" Stock PRV engine Robertson Equipped Neiland/Delman Engineered Peugot 604 Intake manifold Exhaust headers Anti-3rd brake light
[This message has been edited by Lou and Blue (edited 09-08-2014).]
