• Headlight Problems

My Headlights are Stuck Up!

Sheen S. Levine writes: My headlights were stuck in the up position, even when they are turned off and sois the engine. Ever faced something similar? What did you do?

Answer

There is that pesky light switch on the left side of the steering wheel. If you push it, your headlights will go up and not turn on. In your case, try pushing it and seeing if it makes your headlights go down. If not, here’s what the manual says:

Manual Operation of Headlight Doors:

1.- Turn OFF both headlight switch and retractable headlight switch.
2.- Disconnect the battery negative terminal.
3.- Look for the motors that drive the headlights. They're round and tucked up against the front of the engine compartment and next to the headlight
4.- Remove the motor shaft cap.
5.- Turn the motor counterclockwise BY HAND until the headlights open or close.
6.- Reinstall the motor shaft cap and connect the battery cable.

Let us know if this gets your headlights closed. There is not much involved in this system. It's either the motor, the linkage, or the switch.

Regards,
A&W
'91 s13

Question:

My passenger side flip up headlight flickers and sometimes just doesn't work. I have checked to make sure the connection to the headlight is OK and best as I can tell the filament is OK. Is this a common problem and what can I do to fix it?

Answer:

There are two headlight retracting relays, one for each headlight. One of them may be defective causing your problem. The relays are located on the driver's side of the engine up front under the air filter air box. You might try swapping them to see if the problem goes over to the other headlight.

Rogoman