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Headlight-level stepper motor

matthewb

matthewb

New member
Hi all

I've ordered the T-LIGHT HID conversion kit and decided to check-over the headlamp assemblies before its arrival to make sure everything's ready.

I tested the headlight-level adjuster (the 1/0/-1 'dial' next to the light switch) and noticed the light on the RHS didn't seem to change height (I was shining onto the garage wall). So I popped-out the headlight assembly and to my surprise noticed the protective back-cap was missing. I couldn't believe my eyes - there was definitely one there when I installed the Ring Xenon bulbs way back in Nov 2011. Can't believe I didn't refit it then, so it appears someone's nicked it [:mad:] I've ordered a new one for £9.

Despite the lack of back protection, the inside of the headlight looks spotless - and I've driven the car in some awful conditions.

It's obviously something to do with the stepper motor itself (the little black box?) or the power to it. The male/female connectors both at the back of the headlamp assembly and in-car seem fine. A new motor costs about £120 apparently.

Has anyone got any thoughts or had any experience with this situation?

Thanks
M
 
As a first step I would check that the connections into the back of the headlamp assembly are all good. Sometimes the blades can bend and prevent good contact. I would also check that the reflector assembly is actually free inside the headlamp unit - it is very easy for the internal wiring harness to obstruct the beam adjuster motion. The renewal of the motor has been covered on Rennlist some years ago and is a bit complex.....

HTH

P
 
The pins and sockets all seem fine. It would have been useful to have an extension/break-out cable so that I could operate the lights out-of-body (so to speak). Being able to swap-over left and right headlamps using such a cable would've greatly helped with the process of elimination.

My indie has found a replacement motor from Euro Car Parts - which is returnable should this prove not to be the problem. After 15 years of almost zero use I guess it's likely the poor thing just decided it wasn't needed anymore and gave-up the ghost.

One last thought - fuses. Do the height-level adjuster motors have a fuse? If so, where? I can't find them.

M





 
I have had exactly the same problem with my RHS headlight motor. Reading these posts prompted me to take a closer look. I could see nothing out of the ordianary and put it down to a poor connection between the headlight and the connector mounted on the bracket inide the RH wing. I released the connector from the bracket and plugged it directly into the headlight, a little tricky as the cable is not that long, and hey presto all was working. When I replaced the connector into its bracket and replaced the headlight in the normal way, NOTHING. Figuring it may be the friction of the bellows style water seal around the connector causing the poor connection I removed the headlight and smeared both halves of the connector seal with a little washing up liquid, replaced the headlight and all is now working as it should.
May not work for you but has to be worth a try.

Steve
 
Brilliant. This was exactly the problem. I took the car round to my indie and we followed your instructions - removed the headlamp assembly, detached the connector from the bracket and pushed the connector firmly into the back of the headlamp. The motor worked fine.

But lubricating the connector did not help - we think the bracket has become flexible over time, preventing the connector from being pushed in firmly when the headlamp is re-fitted. So we removed the wheel, detached the wheel-arch lining and pushed the connector in firmly from behind. Success.

We've ordered a new bracket. The unneeded replacement headlamp motor is being returned to ECP.

Thanks.
 

Happy you got to the bottom of the problem. I think I may follow suit and order up some new brackets too.

Regards Steve
 
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