bad noise when headlights turning off
01-01-2009, 08:32 PM
#1
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Location: Virginia
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Car: 1994 Firebird ('02 WS6 clone)
bad noise when headlights turning off
Last night when I turned off my headlights there was a terrible sound for a few seconds. The headlight doors closed fine and the headlights turned off fine. The noise seemed to last longer than it took for the doors to close. Noise continued even when I turned off ignition. Happened twice in a row, and I didn't try it again after. This didn't happen in the morning same day. Any ideas?
Dumb question - Should the headlight doors come up when I turn on just the parking lights? Mine do.
Car is a 94 Firebird with 2002 Trans Am front clip.
Dumb question - Should the headlight doors come up when I turn on just the parking lights? Mine do.
Car is a 94 Firebird with 2002 Trans Am front clip.
01-01-2009, 08:34 PM
#2
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Car: 87 GTA
Engine: L98
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: Dana M78 3.27 posi
Re: bad noise when headlights turning off
You'd have better luck asking on a 4th gen site...We deal the 82-92 Third gens..
01-02-2009, 12:04 PM
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Car: 1991 Z28 vert, 1988 GTA
Engine: 305 TPI, 305 Carb-finally runs!
Transmission: TH-700R4/BW WC T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.73 posi 4th gen 10-bolt/BW 9 bolt
Re: bad noise when headlights turning off
The 4th gens have a different headlight motor design than thirdgens, which is why it may help you more to ask someone on a 4th gen site. I know mofbody.com has a lot of 4th gen guys on it, it's the local boards for Missouri but all are welcome.
What I do know about 4th gen motors is they do not have the three little pucks that connect the assembly driveshaft to the internal gear in the motor. The 4th gen gears have slots in the plastic gear where tabs on the shaft assembly go. GM did this to eliminate the pucks which go bad overtime and need replacement, however the intelligent (
) engineers at GM made the gear out of plastic still, which means that now if the assembly gets jammed, it can strip out the gear instead of ruining some .5 cent pucks.
I don't know if the 4th gen system works like the thirdgens, but with the 3rd gens, once the headlight is up, very high resistance is detected in the circuit by the headlight control module, which kills power to the motors. If the pucks are damaged or the gear is stripped, the motor will still turn because there is nothing to stop it, until the timer in the module maxes out and kills power.
I would almost say you need new gears, but again, ask around at a site more dedicated to 4th gens, they may be of more help.
What I do know about 4th gen motors is they do not have the three little pucks that connect the assembly driveshaft to the internal gear in the motor. The 4th gen gears have slots in the plastic gear where tabs on the shaft assembly go. GM did this to eliminate the pucks which go bad overtime and need replacement, however the intelligent (
) engineers at GM made the gear out of plastic still, which means that now if the assembly gets jammed, it can strip out the gear instead of ruining some .5 cent pucks. I don't know if the 4th gen system works like the thirdgens, but with the 3rd gens, once the headlight is up, very high resistance is detected in the circuit by the headlight control module, which kills power to the motors. If the pucks are damaged or the gear is stripped, the motor will still turn because there is nothing to stop it, until the timer in the module maxes out and kills power.
I would almost say you need new gears, but again, ask around at a site more dedicated to 4th gens, they may be of more help.
01-02-2009, 05:53 PM
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Car: 1994 Firebird ('02 WS6 clone)
Re: bad noise when headlights turning off
Thanks very much for attempting to help me, even if I was asking the question in the wrong place.
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