cupofresh

So I have an 89 FC GTU and it has a bone stock 13b.

My headlights are stuck up, and yes I have turned the **** on the headlight switch to the up and down position, it still stays stuck up.

I was given 2 extra headlight switches when I received the car so I unplugged the current switch in the car and tried out both switches. In both cases with the other switches it turned the headlights on even thought both switches were in the off position. When I turned the headlights to the running lights, the interior lights came on as they should, and then when I turned it all the way on nothing else changed, but the headlights would go off.

So I am curious if someone did something to the current switch or wiring so the headlights switch works, but for some reason the headlight motors still think the headlights are on and thats why it isn't going down? It just seemed weird that both switches that I had extra would have the same issue (turns the headlights on and can't turn them off).

Any help would be great. I am not too good with electrical troubleshooting, so so layman language, along with technical language so I can learn would be great.

I have also looked at the retractor fuse and doesn't seem to have anything wrong with it. So I am not sure of what else could be wrong.

I did do some searching before and all the headlight threads I found didn't really help me, maybe due to my inability to understand some more of the technical language.

Thanks in advance for any help.

satch

iTrader: (1)

At the harness connector the Red/White wire from the switch should mate w/the White/Blue wire of the front harness. So, when there is a ground on the R/W wire which connects to the W/L wire this causes the headlights to turn on, but this should only occur when the switch is turned to the second position. W/the switch in the off position there should be voltage on the R/W and W/L wires and not a ground.

cupofresh

Well i dont have a multi meter to check anything but i bought a new switch and it has the same problem. Lights turn on and off but the middle **** does nothing. Checked the wires and nothing looks burnt or anything. Any ideas?

cupofresh

and by "new" I bought it from a guy who claimed it worked. And he also sold me a headlight switch because mine only worked on 1 speed and it worked just fine. So I am thinking it isn't the switch but something else??

pkneeland

The motors just might be shot, in which case, the manual controls are located underneath.

cupofresh

So, when I manually put them down, and leave everything plugged in, it goes down and back up. I can unplug them and manually put them down. so would the motors still be blown in this case? I didn't think they would move at all if they were blown.

pkneeland

Pretty sure. If they were working properly, the motor would fight you when trying to operate them manually.

cupofresh

Really? Hmm anyway i can verify that it is the headlight motors?

pkneeland

Other than seeing that they are hooked up, and yet still not moving.. Can you hear the motor running? Trust me, if they are running, you'd hear it. Check fuses and relays.

cupofresh

i replaced the retractor fuse in the engine bay, it isn't the switch because it worked in the car before me. I am unsure about the relay, where is that located at?

pkneeland

I just double checked.. Just the fuse. If the manual operation works with the fuse and/or the battery connected, either the wiring is faulty, or the motors are not getting power, or they are shot.

cupofresh

Alright. So when the battery is connected and the fuse is in i try to put the headlights down manually and when it starts to go down by tuning the **** manually it automatically shuts and goes back up all the way. Im thinking it is possibly wiring, but idk a single thing about trouble shooting wiring.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

did you buy an s4 switch or an s5 switch?

cupofresh

That i dont know it was from a gsxl

satch

iTrader: (1)

If you do as suggested in post #2 you'll be able to tell if your switch is the correct one.

cupofresh

I checked the wires and they connect, but I don't have a multimeter check for voltage.

satch

iTrader: (1)

The lights couldn't turn on if they weren't connected. The key is what is being sent through the wire. You need a meter.

cupofresh

oh. got ya, well in that case IDK what that is or how to use one. Pardon my ignorance... I will do some research and check it out.

So once I get a meter exactly what am I looking for? That there is a ground on the r/w wire when there is no power and when there is power there is voltage going through from r/w to w/L?

satch

iTrader: (1)

The lights turn on when there is a ground or very low voltage on the W/L wire. If this wire had appreciable voltage, such as 12 volts, the lights could not turn on because the Headlight Relay needs to see very low voltage on the W/L so the relay can 'basically' send voltage to the headlights (voltage goes to the Dimmer Switch before finally reaching the headlights).

You can take the measurement at the switch or relay. Red meter lead to the wire being measured, Black meter lead placed on a suitable ground like the negative battery terminal which is about a foot or so from the relay, and w/the meter set to DC volts you should see voltage on the W/L wire w/the headlight switch in the down/off position ( as well as the first position). If you see the opposite then the switch is the likely cause.

cupofresh

Okay, so testing all this is basically to verify that it is the switch that is faulty? If so, I am pretty sure that the switch I bought is good, and probably even the switch I had is good. I might try throwing on my friends working switch from his s5 to verify, but I am leaning towards to motors or the wiring somewhere. I just am hesitant about it being the motors because the headlights go up automatically they just won't go back down.

satch

iTrader: (1)

The lights should not turn on just because a switch is plugged in. This is not normal. If you're not willing to spend the time or effort to travel down a logical road to narrow down your problem then you'll just be spinning your wheels.

cupofresh

Okay, I think there was a miscommunication. I had previously said that I had 2 switches that came with the car that when I plugged them in they both turned on. But I bought a switch from a guy that was parting out his 7 and his headlight switch worked i.e. headlights went up and down, rear defrost worked and lights turned off, parking and headlights worked. So, now I am trying to figure out why won't this working switch work in my car. I plug it into my car and it is fully functional except the headlights don't retract down, they are stuck in the up position. I can unplug them from the harness and manually put them down, and when I plug them back in and turn the lights on they pop right back up. Also if i try to manually put them down with the harness plugged in they go down automatically then right back up. So I am now trying to diagnose if that could be bad headlight motors of if indeed there is something faulty in my wiring like you were saying satch. I am unsure.

I think you were trying to refer to the initial 2 that I plugged in, but idk. So I have 4 headlight switches, 2 of them are fully functional but don't retract the headlights, and I have 2 that just turn the lights on no matter what position the switch is in. However, the switch would still control the interior lights and the defrost worked on these 2 swtiches. So hopefully that clears it up, sorry for any miscommunication. I would really like to figure it out. So Satch if what you are saying is still applicable with this verification I will do that.

satch

iTrader: (1)

At each headlight motor there is a plug w/four wires. Black is ground, White/Green is constant voltage, Red/Yellow should have voltage w/the switch in the down position and thus the Red/Blue wire would have no voltage, when the switch is in the up position R/Y has no voltage but Red/Blue would have voltage. You should disconnect these plugs and place the switch in the up position and read the two wires (R/Y and R/L) and compare to spec and then place the switch in the down position and measure the same two wires.

cupofresh

So, when i checked it, the red/ blue wire had voltage regardless of the position of the switch. Which makes sense, the correct voltage isnt getting to the other wire. So what can i do now? Or what does this result mean?

satch

iTrader: (1)

Was the four wire plug to the retractor motor unplugged when you tested for voltage?

If you unplug the connector can you jumper voltage from the wire which has voltage (Red/Blue to the wire from the motor that would normally be connected to the R/Y wire) to the wire which does not to see if the headlight actually retracts.