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| Noobie - headlight question (Page 1/1) |
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Mmpete0131
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AUG 11, 08:01 PM
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Hello fellow Fiero owners,
I am excited to be a part of this family! I just picked up an '85 GT 4 speed, 24k original miles. The car is beautiful and original...
I have a question regarding the headlights. I noticed that the right headlight is 'slow' to rise. Usually takes about a minute to come up. Any thoughts as to what may be causing this? Thanks in advance for your expertise! Looking forward to this journey, and to keeping this vehicle for years to come!
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Gall757
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AUG 11, 09:09 PM
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Do not play with the headlights with the battery connected......they are 'live' all the time. With the battery disconnected, check all the wiring for good connections, especially to ground. Try running them with the hood up to see if they go faster. If they do, check the door and rub strips on the underside of the door.
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Mike in Sydney
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AUG 11, 09:53 PM
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Agree. Unplug the power before playing with the light buckets. (Ask me how I know!). If your're unfamiliar wit the wiring, disconnect the positive battery cable and place it where it can't make contact with the battery terminal. Clean the connections in the plugs. I find 320 or 400 grit sand paper does a good jot and you can wrap it a round male terminals or role it up to clean the female terminals. After cleaning, use dielectric grease to moisture-proof the connection and to minimise corrosion. Check the pivot points on the bucket assembly. Sometimes previous owners have greased them. BAD IDEA. It collects dirt and dust which can cause binding. Clean these well. I use brake cleaner and a shop rag to get mine clean. Lubricate with spray silicone. I use food-grade silicone because it doesn't have the additives that can attract dust. If the problem persists you may need to look into rebuilding or replacing the headlight motors. '84 thru '86 are notorious for being slow, noisy and failing. I've replace the motors on both of my '86 GTs with the same system used in '87 and '88. Even if you don't need to replace them now, I suggest you keep on the look-out for an '87 or '88 system for eventual replacement. ------------------
Mike in Sydney
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Phosphor_Burn
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AUG 12, 01:26 AM
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Mmpete0131
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AUG 12, 07:08 AM
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This is great stuff,, thank you for your help!
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fierofool
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AUG 12, 09:44 AM
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You can also unplug the single wire (blue) that goes to the headlight. This is your 12v source.
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theogre
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AUG 12, 10:17 AM
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Grease HL pivot points is bad. Most have plastic bearings that oil/grease will wreck them even w/o dirt problem.
If needed and possible take them apart, clean w/ plastic safe whatever then spray metal parts only w/ Dry Teflon.
Brake/carb cleaner and many other will damage the plastic.
Clean/fix grounds next to HL and lube w/ silicone/dielectric or brake grease. Most Every in front uses those. Rad Fan big ground only uses left side.
Most time raise the lifts then disconnect battery to fix them.
Working on Weather Pack plugs needs Weather pack Terminal Tool. Dorman Lisle and others make them. Don't use brake cleaner etc for same reason as pivots.
If by some miracle HL lift have Never been taken out before... Look at and mark nuts holding to tire wall. those holes are "slotted" for a reason and most just ignores that then Lifts hit hood and door in bad ways often causing binding. If lifts have been removed then the slots hit studs at top every time.
Gen1 motors have a lot of issues and yes get power all the time when open or closed and can hurt you. Maybe not cut off fingers but can to major damage in some pinch points.
Gen2 isn't perfect but better then Gen1 plus module kills motor power when not actually being used to open/close the door. You still need to keep hands and everything else away from HL lifts until motor(s) or battery is disconnected.------------------
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)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave
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Mike in Sydney
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AUG 12, 06:07 PM
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| quote | Grease HL pivot points is bad. Most have plastic bearings that oil/grease will wreck them even w/o dirt problem.
If needed and possible take them apart, clean w/ plastic safe whatever then spray metal parts only w/ Dry Teflon.
Brake/carb cleaner and many other will damage the plastic. |
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Ogre is right. (Thanks, O. for pointing this out.) Don't use carb/brake cleaner on plastic parts. They may not disintegrate before your eyes but it will speed up the failure. However, some folks have replaced the plastic bushings with bronze bushings. That's what was in mine. If you're interested in rebuilding the lift mechanism, TFS sells the bronze bushings and Rodney Dickman sells the OEM type plastic bushings and the c-clips.
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Mike in Sydney
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