headlights will go down but not pop back up - F-Body Online

daveconner1984 · 04-05-2008, 07:08 PM

I have an 88 Firebird with a TBI 5.0L... when i got the car the headlights were stuck up.. i repaired the motors with a repair kit that i got, and they worked great for the first few days... now they wont pop up.. if i manually lift them up, and then turn the headlight switch to off, then they go back down just fine.. also, if i turn them on, and slam the door real hard, or hit a bump going down the road with the switch on, they pop up.. also, it seems that once you get them popping up and down after slamming the door or hitting a bump, they continue to work just fine and pop up with just the button for the remainder of the day... i would assume theres a short somewhere but i dont even know where to begin looking.. if anyone else has had this problem and can help me out in any way, i would appreciate it.. thanks

badbird5.7 · 04-06-2008, 12:27 AM

start at the switch,it almost sounds like a loose conection or if it is a short then the switch is a good place to start and just take your time and trace the wiring to the lights

strc09 · 04-07-2008, 03:55 AM

The switch itself could be bad. I know my wife's headlights are doing something similar on her Formula. She also needs new motors too. I also had some similar with my GTA. I replaced the switch and haven't had a problem since.

daveconner1984 · 04-14-2008, 09:00 PM

thanks for the help... but unfortunately i still havent had any luck.. i replaced the switch and it worked great for the full day after, then it started doing thee same thing as before (going down with the switch but not coming up when switch is turned on)... so i guess my only option now is to try to trace the wiring and see where i could have a short.. i am just curious if its a short in the motors or a short in the dash... does anyone know where i can find a wiring diagram that might help me?

Zachs Bank · 04-14-2008, 09:06 PM

Try google you would be suprised what you can find on there. I also found a complete wiring diagram for my 80 Z on e-bay.

strc09 · 04-15-2008, 08:29 PM

You can always try a Hanes or Chilton's Manual. Your best bet though is going to get your hands on a Service Manual. You can find them on eBay sometimes. Are you sure it isn't just your motors being worn out and in need of replacement? I believe that TDS sells a repair kit whis is cheaper than buy the whole unit.

daveconner1984 · 04-16-2008, 11:55 PM

nah ive already bought a repair kit and repaired them.. today i did some wire tracing, and still couldnt figure it out... since they are a 2 wire set-up, out of curiosity, i connected the gray wire to my + battery terminal and green to the -, and it caused them to go up.. when i reversed it, it made them go down.. so i have a general idea of how they work, but i cant quite figure out how to wire them up considering they both need to be connected to a power and both need to be connected to a ground at a certain point in order for the up and down process to work... so im really at a loss for ideas right now... any ideas?

daveconner1984 · 04-22-2008, 12:17 PM

well ive been working on this wiring for 2 days straight... and now i wired it back up exactly the way the factory had it... now all 4 wires (2 on each motor), are recieving power, when only 1 on each side should get power with the switch "on", and 1 on each side should get power with the switch "off", therefore openning and closing the lights... would that constitute a problem with the relay not openning and closing the way it should?

19Stroked89 · 04-23-2008, 05:17 AM

It could be possible that the relay itself is going bad. I know some people have had a similar problem as yours and after replacing the relay it went away.

daveconner1984 · 04-30-2008, 11:55 PM

After some tinkering and reversing the polarities on the headlight motors, i heard a strange electrical noise coming from the firewall, and i traced it back to the Headlight Control Module located on the firewall that was omitting a burned up smell.. i scoured the internet and found one at Top Down Solutions, replaced it, and they work great now.. thanks to all who offered help..