Headlights

Erratic Behavior

Erratic Behavior

I pulled into the parking lot, shut off my lights and engine and the headlamps kept going up and down. After fumbling with the headlamp switch, dimmer switch and ignition switch, they went down and stayed there. When I parked it last night, the same thing occurred and I stopped it using the same fumbling with the same switches. About an hour later, I looked out of my window and saw that the headlights were down/retracted but still on looking for UFOs in the sky. Again, toggling the same three switches seemed to stop this especially if I put the dimmer switch in the brights position.
Any ideas out there???

Thanks,
Greg Landwehr



I had a problem with my headlights a few months back where they would light up when I turned the switch, but not raise (so they were in UFO hunting position). Sometimes, they would eventually choose to raise later on. What the problem ended up being was a frayed wire going to the headlight motor. You could also first check the appropriate relay, but if nothing else pans out, maybe remove the 3 bar grill at the front of the car to get access to the underside of the headlight motor, which is where the wires come from. They can be somewhat exposed to debris, so perhaps fraying is not that out of the ordinary. May also be a loose/corroded connector, or bad headlight motor? (although the motor is probably not particularly likely to go bad)

Mike
86 5spd



I just noticed yesterday, quite by accident, that if I turn my headlights on without the key in the ignition, they come on in the down position (shooting skyward). This doesn't seem right, and I don't think they used to do that. It seems like they used to have to be in the fully up position before they would come on (which IS what happens when the car is running). I checked through the list archives and in my owner's manual, but I couldn't really find anything definitive. Should I be worried about this condition?

Thanks, Mark
Black 84 S in Atlanta



Since the headlights go up and down normally, the limit switches seem to be OK. So the most likely culprit is the headlight relay (actually three relays and some electronics in one box, and expensive). Maybe you could borrow someone else's to try it out, see if it cures the "problem" ("feature"?).

-John White-
'85 928 S



It's definitely your headlights relay. My car would do the same thing because the relay was sticking. I replaced it and haven't had a problem since.

Eric Van Tassel
Black/Black 86.5 5spd

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