Headlights will close but not open
#1
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 2.8L V6
Transmission: Standard
Headlights will close but not open
Hello! I just bought a 1986 Pontiac Firebird a few months ago. The headlights would open and close normally until like a week ago. The passenger side stopped opening one day, and then the driver side a few days later. I replaced the relays, but nothing changed. They both close easily, and the headlights do shine, but do not open up. Any ideas about how to fix this? Also I'm new to all this self car-fixing (FYI). Thanks!
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Car: '91 GTA, '92 T/A Convertible
Engine: GTA: 350 w/Vortec heads, T/A: 305
Transmission: Pro-built 700R4
Axle/Gears: GTA: 3.27, T/A: 2.73
Re: Headlights will close but not open
It's most likely the "bearings" inside the headlight motor. They're very easy to fix. Look up headlight repair kit on Top Down Solutions. He sells replacement kits that should fix your issue.
#3
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
I have that problem sometimes too. Mine is an issue with the plug in the headlight controller on the firewall. If i unplug it and plug it back in. It will work for a few months. I've thought of soldering the wires into the controller and bypassing the plugs
#4
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
It's likely the actual pins inside the module. The solder joints break and lose contact. Plugging and unplugging is probably just shifting them around. It's easy to sort out, just open it up, reflow the solder on the pins, and put it back together. Mine was doing the same thing when I got it, spent 10 minutes fixing this, hasn't been an issue since. There's a sealant on the edges of the module, I just cleaned it out and replaced it with RTV when I put it back together.
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kmactwin (02-01-2023)
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Car: 1991 BandittII Firebird
Engine: 5.7 HSR
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.27 9 bolt
Re: Headlights will close but not open
The problem could also be in the Isolation Relay that's on the firewall, as this does have separate circuits for open and close.
The links below are some good reading on trouble shooting
Does anyone repair headlight motor modules? - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards
Headlight Control Module Fix? - Page 2 - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards
TopDown Solutions repair kit
Deluxe headlight repair kit (top-downsolutions.com)
There some direct replacements for the headlight motors just don't have any personal experience with them.
2X Headlight Headlamp Motor For Pontiac Fiero 87-88 And Firebird 87-92 LH RH | eBay
The links below are some good reading on trouble shooting
Does anyone repair headlight motor modules? - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards
Headlight Control Module Fix? - Page 2 - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards
TopDown Solutions repair kit
Deluxe headlight repair kit (top-downsolutions.com)
There some direct replacements for the headlight motors just don't have any personal experience with them.
2X Headlight Headlamp Motor For Pontiac Fiero 87-88 And Firebird 87-92 LH RH | eBay
Last edited by 91banditt2; 01-30-2023 at 11:50 AM.
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 2.8L V6
Transmission: Standard
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
Thanks! I tried unplugging them and plugging them back in. No change though
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
If you look at the diagram that 91banditt2 posted in post #6, you will see that 1986 does not use the black module next to the brake booster, that module wasn't used till the 1987 cars. The OP's 1986 should have the three relays shown in the diagram, one "Isolation Relay" and a "Left actuator relay" and a "Right actuator relay"
#13
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
Ah I didn't know that. Mine is an 88 so that makes sense that I have it.
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 2.8L V6
Transmission: Standard
Re: Headlights will close but not open
If you look at the diagram that 91banditt2 posted in post #6, you will see that 1986 does not use the black module next to the brake booster, that module wasn't used till the 1987 cars. The OP's 1986 should have the three relays shown in the diagram, one "Isolation Relay" and a "Left actuator relay" and a "Right actuator relay"
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Re: Headlights will close but not open
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Car: 1986 Pontiac Firebird
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Transmission: Standard
Re: Headlights will close but not open
Hi kmactwin, here is a quote of 91banditt2's post, which is post #6 in this thread. Do you see the diagram here? You will need to do a search on the isolation relay, I seem to recall that relay being no longer available, but that there is a workaround for it. Both of my third gens have the module, so I haven't had to get into the 3 relay system enough to be able to tell you where exactly the isolation relay is located.
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