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> HEDALIGHT Disperate faulty, Unexpected fault
searunner
post Jan 4 2026, 12:23 PM
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yesterday coming into my garage, I hear one ritming song- under the cover of my 914 2.0 1974, one strange movement, the LEFT Headlamp go UP and DOWN
The RIGHT Headlamp stays in the closed position.
Normally, I detach the battery of the car when in the garage, but I forgot this time.
The car was without a KEY IN - the Light switch was off -
The last trip with the car ALL was regular, and the headlamp was in working condition.

I can STOP the movement, detaching the battery- but this NO was the solution,
Then I searched for a better solution.
Extract completely the Light switch -(with the BATTERY connected and KEY ON) I have the two headlamps is up and in stable condition - also when I START the engine and move the car, and make a long trip

But if I return the light switch to the POSITION light, the LEFT Headlight return to UP_DOWN movement.

Is clear that I have one short- Or one Relay issue - BUT 914 was full of relays
Can someone help me, to return to a normal 914 ??
I am not a native English so overlook my errors
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Spoke
post Jan 16 2026, 01:00 PM
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@emerygt350
@Superhawk996

Here is the basic schematic for the headlight motors. This is from a Haynes manual. Not sure I understand how the switches in the motor are configured. Are they switches riding on a cam or slide contacts on a PCB wheel?

The headlight switch is shown in the PARKING position where both UP and DOWN contacts are open. The headlight position is 1/2 up/down and both switches are closed. Both motors are off.

If in the DOWN position, the headlight switch provides power to the DOWN switch which is closed and the motor cycles until the cam/PCB wheel opens the DOWN switch.

If in the UP position, the same thing happens except the motor stops in the UP position.

Notice the headlight switch is not fused according to Haynes. Yikes!

For the life of me I can't figure out what the diodes do. Assuming they minimize interaction between the 2 motors but I can't figure it out.

For the issue for @searunner where the motor stops at UP but cycles up/down on DOWN, the switch in the motor for DOWN is not opening up. If the relay was sticking on, it would stick on for UP too.

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Superhawk996
post Jan 16 2026, 05:58 PM
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QUOTE(Spoke @ Jan 16 2026, 03:00 PM) *


For the life of me I can't figure out what the diodes do. Assuming they minimize interaction between the 2 motors but I can't figure it out.


Not sure what you mean. You have it correct.

Since the headlamp motors cannot be synchronized, the diodes block current flow between the UP & Down circuits during the period when the rotary switch would otherwise allow continuity between those circuits when they are between fully up or fully down.

The way the Haynes manual shows the rotary switch matches its physical layout.

Picture below ( @georgekopf ) photos
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Posts in this topic
searunner   HEDALIGHT Disperate faulty   Jan 4 2026, 12:23 PM
TheCabinetmaker   I've had this exact problem. Mine happened in ...   Jan 4 2026, 04:17 PM
emerygt350   You mean the relays in the frunk? What a crazy is...   Jan 4 2026, 07:26 PM
ejm   Inside the headlight motors are switches that stop...   Jan 5 2026, 10:23 AM
Maltese Falcon   Inside the headlight motors are switches that sto...   Jan 5 2026, 06:03 PM
searunner   Good point ! I have cleaned these (internal di...   Jan 7 2026, 01:02 PM
emerygt350   Good point ! I have cleaned these (internal d...   Jan 7 2026, 02:00 PM
Spoke   Good point ! I have cleaned these (internal d...   Jan 17 2026, 01:41 PM
emerygt350   You can find these relays under the protective pla...   Jan 5 2026, 11:36 AM
930cabman   :idea: Gremlins :idea:   Jan 7 2026, 02:07 PM
searunner   :idea: Gremlins :idea: YES is a gremlin - I ha...   Jan 9 2026, 12:43 PM
searunner   The car photo was before the gremlins appeared The...   Jan 9 2026, 12:48 PM
Superhawk996   I’m afraid I’m really struggling with the lang...   Jan 9 2026, 01:35 PM
searunner   Many Thanks for the precious suggestion - I have n...   Jan 10 2026, 05:32 AM
searunner   One more understandable 914 GREMLINS FRAMEWORKS   Jan 11 2026, 04:16 AM
sixnotfour   https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/9...u64T...   Jan 11 2026, 09:57 AM
searunner   Thanks - actually, I dismantle the Passenger Headl...   Jan 12 2026, 06:07 AM
searunner   The DIODE APPEARS good. (I test the PASSENGER SID...   Jan 15 2026, 12:35 PM
Superhawk996   The DIODE APPEARS good. (I test the PASSENGER SI...   Jan 15 2026, 07:59 PM
searunner   The DIODE APPEARS good. (I test the PASSENGER S...   Jan 16 2026, 05:56 AM
searunner   I forgot that in this condition, the TRIPLE Connec...   Jan 15 2026, 12:47 PM
Superhawk996   I forgot that in this condition, the TRIPLE Conne...   Jan 15 2026, 08:03 PM
Superhawk996   How about post #20 What happens removing the rel...   Jan 16 2026, 09:07 AM
emerygt350   How about post #20 What happens removing the re...   Jan 16 2026, 09:53 AM
Spoke   @emerygt350 [b]@[url=http://www.914world.com/bbs...   Jan 16 2026, 01:00 PM
Superhawk996   For the life of me I can't figure out what t...   Jan 16 2026, 05:58 PM
Spoke   For the life of me I can't figure out what ...   Jan 17 2026, 12:11 AM
Superhawk996   Question is would a dead or shorted diode cause t...   Jan 17 2026, 07:44 AM
Superhawk996   . Back to the original up/down issue, what are the...   Jan 17 2026, 07:58 AM
Superhawk996   What else could cause the down to skip right throu...   Jan 17 2026, 07:59 AM
searunner   [quote name='Spoke' post='3241147' date='Jan 17 2...   Jan 17 2026, 10:54 AM
Spoke   [quote name='Spoke' post='3241147' date='Jan 17 ...   Jan 17 2026, 01:04 PM
BeatNavy   FWIW, I had strange headlight behavior for years. ...   Jan 17 2026, 06:43 AM
Spoke   Changed the wheel to look a bit more like the actu...   Jan 17 2026, 10:52 AM
Superhawk996   Not sure I see a way to backfeed to the passenge...   Jan 17 2026, 12:48 PM
Spoke   [quote name='Spoke' post='3241215' date='Jan 17 2...   Jan 17 2026, 01:13 PM
searunner   I hypothesise that if I connect the LOT of the red...   Jan 17 2026, 12:11 PM
Superhawk996   I hypothesise that if I connect the LOT of the re...   Jan 17 2026, 12:49 PM
Superhawk996   So from post #32 we know that removing the passeng...   Jan 17 2026, 01:14 PM
Spoke   3) We need to figure out why the passenger side r...   Jan 17 2026, 02:26 PM
Superhawk996   Now do the the same with the headlamp switch in th...   Jan 17 2026, 01:19 PM
searunner   Now do the the same with the headlamp switch in t...   Jan 21 2026, 06:00 AM
searunner   After the last post, I never touched my 914. Yest...   Feb 9 2026, 05:19 AM
searunner   ONE MORE DEVELOPMENT After a lot of days of raini...   Feb 19 2026, 01:21 PM


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