headlights pop up but wont go down

[Ggstr8]

hi im new to the forum and tr7s and iv just bought 2 lol.my wife asks me why have 2 i think ill need one for parts at this rate lol.the tr8 one the headlights pop up when switched on by dash switch and are working but wont go down ? If you wind down motord and flick switch again they pop up no problem really fast but will not go down unless wound down.If you flick main beam stalk on column nothing happens they dont pop up .is the problem here ?.iv cleaned every earth and plug i can find but nothing any help appreciated

[stevie_a]

possibly the pektron unit, but more lightly the switch its self if you have already done all the earths

If you are careful you can strip and clean the switch.

[Hasbeen]

I had a somewhat similar problem with the 8.

The lights worked OK, & the right light went down as required when switched off, but the left light would cycle down then back up continually. It only stopped when I separated the connectors on that side at the front of the engine bay.

I cleaned all those connectors, & the light worked properly, .... for a few weeks. This fun was repeated a couple more times, before the thing settled down, & have been fine ever since.

Hasbeen

[John_C]

It's the switch. Not an uncommon fault by any means.

[Brianc]

My tr7v8 also has a slight problem of this type.

Put light swich on and lamps come up as expected. Switch lights off and both go down as expected. - but then left one comes up and down once then settles. Not bothered to address this as everyone talks about 'cleaning the contacts'. But they dont say which ones !!!!

Back in the day i had a similar problem to that above and had to replace the limit switch. - you could get them easily back then

Brian.

[saabfast]

When my lights did the dance it was the connectors under the bonnet behind the headlights. Pulled them apart, cleaned up and they have been fine since.
It is also worth pulling the headlight switch, it comes apart quite easily and you will probably find it with green gunge on the contacts. Clean up and cover with silicon contact grease. It is worth taking a few photos as you take it apart to make sure it goes back together the right way.

[littlepippin]

Also, there are position switches at the headlight motor mechanism itself - behind a triangular black cover if I remember.
These have to be clean and operate correctly as they switch over the relays (by the fuse box) at exactly the up position and exactly the down position in conjunction with your dashboard headlight switch position. Remember the switch is never "off" there is always voltage on the circuit but in the lights down position - "on" just switches the voltage to drive the motors to the up position. Off switches the voltage to drive the motors to the down position (using the relays by the fuse box) and those motor position switches i told you about,
Also, the adjustable turnbuckle link must be bolted on tight to the motor drive.
I think the Pektron is a just a timer unit, and all you have to do is check you get a 12v when you pull your stalk - from memory on the blue wire, but check the circuit diagram - it will be the same circuit that goes to your blue high beam bulb, and you can squirt some contact cleaner using the straw on your tin of spray on to the small brass contacts of the high beam switch underneath the plastic steering column cover, and in the connector block to the pektron.
You can carefully clean the contacts on the pektron itself but be care full as they are fragile

Clear as mud 'eh...

[John_C]

Every few years I make sure all the headlight wiring under the bonnet and underneath by the pods themselves are liberally sprayed up with WD40. This seems to keep the usual gremlins at bay.

[Brianc]

Just an observation on this.

I have the symptom where when i switch the lights off using the main switch the lights go down, the left one goes up and down again on its own then settles.
Same think happens with the headlamp flasher - so can the fault be in the master switch ?

Brian

[busheytrader]

I've found the the main culprits for erratic headlamp lifting on my wedge have been the headlamp switch and the red electrical connectors in the front corners of the engine bay.

Both suffer from green powder / gunge on the copper contacts. Cleaning these up has restored operations in the past. There are other connectors between these 2 weak spots. Underneath the fake central speaker on the dashboard are some more and also behind and to the left of the glovebox where there are earthing points.

Don't think about fiddling with the headlamp motors or pods without disconnecting the battery or the red isolation connectors first. If they suddenly burst in to life you risk losing parts of your fingers in the lifting mechanism......

[littlepippin]

Brian C - its missing that trigger point I wrote about. In your case at the up position.
As the symptom is common to flasher and headlight switch,the issue is at the light/motor.
Does it stay up if you get a friend to operate your lights and you gently help if fully up by hand ?

You could check or adjust the turnbuckle if it seems loose - but with the battery disconnected.

As mentioned, be very careful with your fingers when trying this.

[Brianc]

Hello little pippen

It does stay up when the switch is activated. - as normal.

Its when i put lights off - the right goes down and stsys down as normal.

Its the left one that goes down then pops up and down, then settles rather like its giving one wink !!!!

[saabfast]

When mine did that it was the connectors in the engine bay behind the headlights. Cleaned them all with contact cleaner and not had the problem since.

[littlepippin]

Yes, try as Saabfast says - clean those connectors first (as dirty coonection is like a broken circuit), before going any further.

[sonscar]

It has been a long while since I fixed my lights so I could be on the wrong track here.The motor runs in the same direction for both up and down,the limit switches stopping it in the right place.A feature of the design is a circuit which short circuits the motor or relay,I forget which,so that it stops quickly.If this feature is defective it could possibly overrun to the next position and cause the cycle to repeat itself.I think this circuit involves the two single connectors next to the red one.These were particularly troublesome on mine.Hope this is helpful,Steve,