Bought an 85 fiero 2m6 se and it has the generation 2 headlights in it. They shine but only one will come up and neither of them go down. The headlight motor on the drivers side gets really hot while the one on the passenger side stays cool. Both can be manually twisted up and down so I know the gears aren't stripped. Does anyone know how to start trying to fix this?
Common problem for many many years on the 84-86 Fiero.
Working on my kits I can say you can try an additional ground or two. On both of the relays on the headlight buckets there is a black wire in the harnesses. Tap into those black wires, ground them to create some new grounds. That might help.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
Guess I missed it has Gen 2 headlights. Sounds like a low voltage problem.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
My money is on the headlight control module. Normally mounted in the left front fender well. No idea where it was put in yours. The Orge has a pretty good write up on trouble shooting this system on his page. Then comes the issue of fixing the module if it bad. They are hard to find, and if you get a new one let me know before you toss the old one. Thanks
Bought an 85 fiero 2m6 se and it has the generation 2 headlights in it.
How many wires come out of each headlight motor? If they are Gen 2 they will have 2 wires.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
If you bought the car this way the first thing to figure out is if the car has had the complete gen 2 system installed or if it is just a hack job where gen 2 motors were wired into the gen 1 system. If one of the motors is hot it is because it has constant power going to it and is burning up. You should unplug it immediately.
Ya, the gen 1 system applied continuous power to the motor assembly, and the end stop switches were the only thing that disabled current flow. The gen 2 system has no end switches, and relies on the detection of high current (at the end of a stroke) to remove power from the motors at the control module. So gen 2 motors in a gen 1 system is an ouch.. current would be continuously applied. Can you post some pictures of the control system up?
Went out and got some pics of the control system but not sure how to upload them on mobile or if I even can. The drivers side headlight is coming up just fine now, the motor of it still gets hot and the other doesn't come up but they both still shine. Neither go down. Also looked around for the module and it's not in the fender spot and I couldn't locate it, but I also didn't remove the headlights or anything so that's probably why I couldn't find it. Thanks all for replies and help
If the motor is getting hot I would suggest you raise the headlights then disconnect them until you get it sorted out to prevent the possibility of a fire. The lights will still shine because they are on a different circuit.
Look fur Bruce's Headlight relay thread in this section. Gall posted a diagram of the headlight system as it should be in the 84 -86.
[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 05-21-2017).]
Still not sure if the controller is gen 1 or gen 2.. So the location of the Gen 2 module is somewhat obscure, and you need to know the details. It is between the left plastic quarter panel and the metal inner skin. It is not visible without taking stuff apart. Wires go into a hole in the metal skin, and plug into the module. There are two mounting screws that you can probably see coming through the metal. Assuming that it is Gen 2.. which came in in what year? 87?? One way to get to the module is to take the left tire off, and remove the plastic wheel liner. You can then see the module. Probably 7mm at a right angle could then remove it. If you pop it apart, to see the PC board, you might be able to see if it is burnt. When burnt, the area around the two transistors (black rectangle with metal tab) are usually browned or burnt.
If Gen2 then 1. Module WILL shut down for any problem(s) w/ the motor or lift/door assembly. The module contains 2 sections to control each motor separately so one door can work w/ other w/ problems. See my Cave, Gen 2 HL Motor
If door or lift are binding then fix the problem but Do Not lube w/ anything wet. Oil etc can attack the dry plastic bearings and hold dirt too. "Dry" lubes can cause plastic problems too. Spray the steel not others and let it dry. (Teflon types often have strong solvents etc. Aluminum and plastic parts often doesn't like Graphite.) Examples: ~4 Plastic bearings in the lift and 1 or all maybe bad. (2 for bucket. 1 or 2 for link to motor.) 4 Lift holes to mount them are adjustment points to center so HL won't hit the hood edges. Door bearing strips hits 2 bump on back of lift then 1 or 2 more when lift is fully up. The strips or bumps maybe missing or damaged.
If motor has problems... A. Can try to clean lube etc but may not work for long. May look like is a simple design but small errors to fix them can be problems down the road. B. Replace w/ NEW Cardone motor(s) and be done w/ them.
2. Motor's pins, gear and/or output shaft has broken... Best bet is replace w/ NEW Cardone motor(s) and be done w/ them. Read https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/128600.html Is hard because some posts are Gen1 etc.
------------------ 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)
Originally posted by 2.5: The only Cardones I have seen are remanufactured, which is ok.
The new ones I see cost half as much as the remans, they look like this and I wonder about the quality, anyone used some?
I and a few others have New Cardone units. Works well, faster and quiet vs old OE units. Other that is not black fit is same.
Plus No Core charge for them. If you buy Rebuild online the often have to ship them back and hope you get your money. (If you get AZ and some online then I think you can return the core to the store w/ proper paperwork.)
Cardone Rebuild units should be good too but may have same noise level as factory units. Gen2 Noise is still quieter vs Gen1
I have never had problems using anything Cardone but other rebuild companies... Many items don't last and even when have a "lifetime" warranty you have to use them every few years at best. AZ and others have very good warranty systems just using a phone # but Pepboys and others have many ways to say no when you don't have a receipt. (AZ Advance and some others had this long before any bonus/loyalty card programs.)
As a side note: FMVSS 108 says any popup must open in ≤ 3 seconds. OE Gen2 units are ~ 2 seconds and Cardone new units are close to 1 second to open. (If Gen2 is slow first check front grounds to car's body, G101 and G102.)
quote
S12. Headlamp Concealment Devices. 12.5 ... each headlamp concealment device shall, within an ambient temperature range of −20°F to +120°F, be capable of being fully opened in not more than 3 seconds after the actuation of a driver-operated control.
[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 05-24-2017).]
