What are the first things to check when one headlamp doesn't come up or down without turning the manual knob? The bulb works and the other goes up and down with the switch.

Thanks,
Jay

Relay

yupp, if you don't have the plastic relay covers anymore make sure the relay didn't fall out the socket.

replace relay with the one from the other side and try again,
Andy

For the 914 impaired, where exactly is the relay? Right at the headlight motor?

yup.

There is a black plastic cover behind the headlight (in the front trunk) and beside the headlight motor. Take it off and the relay is under there. The round black knob on the back of the headlight motor is for manually raising the motor. Good luck.

black plastic cover for the headlight motor relay ...

remove 2 screws on top, remove cover and you'll find a round relay (just like the ones on the relayboard) ...

one relay for each motor ...

Andy

Thanks everyone, I will check later tonight. And yes, I would have looked at the fuse box for the relay!

Hey! wait a minute. That picture looks just like my old car's front end! The guy I bought it from said it was like the 5th 914 ever made or something, yeah right. It was parted out long ago.

hey what about one thats alot slower than the other

not enough juice to the motor ...

clean the grounds!

if that doesn't help, replace the relay. make sure the contacts on the socket are clean.

if that doesn't work, try a new motor ...

Andy

I have a similar problem, only mine both come down, but the right one goes down, up, and then down again. Like clockwork, every time. I have never been able to figure it out!! Any suggestions? Sorry about the hijack!

I had a similar problem with my left front light. It drove me nuts and it turned out to be a corroded ground just behind the headlight. On my car, there are 2 brown ground wires connected to ground. I cleaned the ring connectors and the posts with contact cleaner and it took care of the problems. Good luck.

Watch your fingers! (And tools). The motors are always hot, even with the key off and if you have a stray pinkie in the rotating linkage (it is normally covered by the relay cover) or even the headlamp housing it'll get caught. The motors are really fast.

You already know how I know.

best way to work on the headlights is by taking the relay OUT before you work on them.
that way, the motor doesn't have any juice.

they do like to eat fingers ...
Andy

Yup!

I had a flakey left headlight that eventually wouldn't go up or down unless I drove over a bump. I pulled the relay, used a Swiss Army Knife to open up the posts on it a bit. (There are "X" shaped cuts in the relay posts, you can stick a knife into the two cuts and open them up slightly.)

I should have also used a wire brush and contact cleaner on them, but I didn't have any handy...

--DD

I have a radiator in the way of the relays, so it is a bit of a pain to get to them. On the non working motor I hear the relay click and I measure a switched (by the position of the motor and relay) 12v on the black with red stripe wire going to the motor.

I also measure the 12v with the meter in series to the motor. But there is no current draw by the motor.

What do the motors cost, are they rebuildable?

Here's a picture I used for an insurance claim after working on my headlamps for the first time..


M