Generation 1 Headlight motor overheat!!! (Page 1/1)
cvxjet AUG 09, 10:55 PM
A few years ago I gave away some of my (Un-needed) Fiero stuff to a couple of Fiero guys...One Be-rated me for not having switched my Generation 1 headlight motor system to the gen 2 system- I stated, "I've really never had much trouble with them- One stripped a gear and I got Rodney's gear/Bumper replacement and that fixed it".....

So I finally decided to change out the gear and bumpers on the driver's side motor....Reinstalled it, and it worked, but the motor would stick sometimes...Had that problem before and just jiggled the knob a bit and the motor would go....I had heard of fires, so I was planning on installing a 30 amp heavy duty relay on the main power to the motors so the power would only be on when the key is on.....

This morning at 9 am I went out and tested them again- the Driver's side hung up and would not go down- jiggled the knob and down it went...a few minutes later I was working on the wiring set-up for the relay and happened to touch the driver-side knob...HOT! 120 degrees.....a few minutes later it was at 160...In a panic I pulled the headlight and got the motor out.

So I was going to have a friend who lives in the central valley go to the Stockton P&P and get a couple of F-bird control modules (Same as 87-88 Fiero modules) because I was thinking of switching to the Gen 2 system. I was showing him how to get the bracket for the headlight motor out (It was damaged during my frantic removal) and as we turned away, I heard a sound from the passenger side...walked around and felt the knob- It was at 110 degrees and rising! I removed the motor and tossed it out of the garage!

I want to make this clear- It was OFF and at 72 degrees this morning at 10 am.....at 6:30 we were LOOKING at it- Never turned it on- suddenly it did something and started overheating....I will NEVER trust these motors ever again- even if I had the relays in place! If you do keep these I would install the relay, but not on "Keyed power" but on a switch- You want to raise or lower the lights, turn it on, and then back off as soon as the lights have moved to the new position.

I converted my car to dual driving lights/turn indicators, so I don't use the headlights very often- but technically that is illegal....(Check out Fierosound's dual light system)

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 08-10-2019).]

Patrick AUG 09, 11:44 PM

quote
Originally posted by cvxjet:

In a panic I...



...disconnected the single wire connection to each headlight motor and the great melt-down was avoided.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-09-2019).]

cvxjet AUG 11, 02:01 PM
Patrick- I didn't know that single wire would do it- I actually un-bolted the whole assembly and pulled the connectors out of the relay- then that one.

I just noticed that my battery is low...I wonder if that thing was running off and on at night......I actually had a "Mystery dead battery" incident a month or two ago- never could figure out what drained it...I wonder now if one of the headlight motors was draining it over night that time.........

Speaking of Headlights; I worked for the Coast Guard from 1998 to 2015. When I first started I had to go to Elizabeth city, NC for a class on their parts tracking program....There were a bunch of fellow civilians learning the new system there- One guy, from Hawaii was so far out of his time zone that he would just mumble in the back seat of the car we were riding in...He kept saying "The guys back at Barbers Point told me about >>Head Lice<< in E-city" I got an itchy feeling and started checking my pillow every night.....Towards the end of the trip, he said it again, and I turned and asked him, "Are you saying "Head LICE" or "Head LIGHTS"..? To which he replied "Head LIGHTS!" I stated that I thought he was saying "Head Lice" and the driver turned and said "I thought he was saying head LICE also!" Turns out that "Head Lights" in E-city was a strip club!