They go up and down when the key is in the "run" position, doesnt amtter if the car is started or not. its an s5 so i tried removing the connector at the cpu to disable the alarm..no help there. which relay up under the hood by the coolant resevoir is the proper one for this (if any) and any other suggestions to trace down tihs electrical gremlin? it just started happening, i got home from work. parked it, left the key in run with the car off to cool the engine off before i hit the dyno, hood open but nothin else. and i come downstairs and its doin this crap

 

I'd have to guess headlight switch for starters...

On an S4, the headlight relay is second from the right (as viewed from the driver's seat).

 

update: unplug all the relays up front, no change. if i unplug the headlight switch they stay up. if i turn the car off they go back down.

 

and the horn does not go off nor does it prevent me from starting the vehicle

 

Just for $hits and grins, are they haunted even with the 30A retractor fuse pulled?

Still think it's a bad cluster switch....

 

nah i pull the rectractor fuse and their ok. ill try swapping out the cluster switch tomorrow.. but thats very odd since the "stay up" switch on they will stay up, and with the car off they go down.. or up and down with the stay up switch

 

Intermittant headlight relay. I think it's builtin on those later cars, unlike early 86-88 where the relays were extermal to the headlight assy's.

Intermittant as in a *chattering* relay. Possible bad ground could cause that. I *think* the retractors grounds are under the trail coil assy. Memory here. Check the fsm wiring for the proper location.

I know a simple thing I might do if that happen to me. I'd get under the headlight assy and turn the MANUAL up/down **** a couple of turns in one direction or the other and see if the problem is solved.

 

no chattering under the hood unfortunately..

 

do both headlights do it? or just one?

any bumper damage? ie front end collision that would push it in at all?

there are rubber stoppers under the headlight mechanism that kind of tell them when to stop moving down, if it doesn't sense them it will just keep "winking"

my car does it, too...screw the stoppers out a little bit and see if it helps, it worked for me for a while...but all the bumpy roads around here seemed to jar it back

good luck

james

 

Try what is described in the above post. Each headlight assy has a manual up/down **** under the headlight assy. Turn each a couple of turns and see if the problem abates.

Or try this. Unplug just one headlight/retractor assy at a time and see if it makes a difference.

The manual up/down **** lets you raise and lower the headlight assy from full down to full up. Just FYI.

 

ya i know, but like i said, all i did wa park the car and leave the hood open with the key on to run the e-fan so im thinkin its alarm related but unplugging all the cpu stuff doesnt do anything

 

update: tried a new cluster switch, same problem. altho i notice if i unplug it while the headlights are mid-movement it still finishes to the up or down position so i believe the problem is before the switch?

 

Get under the car and raise/lower the headlight assy as described in my other posts.

 

did that. start rotating it and it finishes off the motion (cycles it up then down or vice versa)

 

also if i unplug the "wiper" fuse they stop as well

 

Does the 15A "illum" fuse have any affect when pulled?

Also, pull the plug on one of the retractor motors- does this affect anything? Try the other one's plug also (while the first one is reconnected). Any change?

 

i tried that wayne, no change. just stops that motor, so i have narrowed it down between the wiper fuse and the cluster switch i think.

 

now to add insult to injury the car refuses to turn off when i remove the key. the radio turns off normally but the guages still function and the car still runs. somethin in between the battery and the ??. the haltech pulls its power from the green plug up by the battery so it has power as well.. disconnected all of the wires for the ignition, no change, stays running.

 

Crossed alternator wires?