73 Imperial hideaway headlight covers do not go up or down

[wizard]

73 Imperial hideaway headlight cover do not go up or down. Has electric motor that operates them. It used to work, then it did itermittenly, then sometimes you had to help it a little to work, and now it doesnt at all. Time to rebuild the electric motor? Anyway to take apart and look at it myself?

Wizard

 

[1978 NYB]

You can check the motor with a jumper wire to the door motor terminal to see if the problem is the motor or the wiring/switches. Check the motor operation in both directions. There's a procedure to mechanically crank the doors open and closed. Rotate the hand wheel located at the lower end of the motor clockwise, until headlight doors are fully opened. Rotating the hand wheel after the doors reach end of travel will damage the motor. Unless you know how to rebuild the motor I would take to a shop that rebuild electrical motors.

 

[Big_John]

Make sure the motor is grounded well and that the bracket it is mounted has a good clean connection to ground.

A lot of electrical problems are caused by bad grounds.

 

[commando1]

Unless you know how to rebuild the motor I would take to a shop that rebuild electrical motors.

It's usually not the motor. It's mechanical the majority of the times.

 

[Mr C]

Inside the motor is a nylon gear that probably has stripped teeth. If you turn the knob on the motor and it turns freely but the torsion bar doesn't rotate, then you know for sure that the gear is stripped.

 

[wizard]

Gear is not striped. Manualy turning knob causes doors to go up and down. Its electrical somewhere.

 

[1978 NYB]

Gear is not striped. Manualy turning knob causes doors to go up and down. Its electrical somewhere.

Try operating the motor in both directions with a jumper wire. If the motor works, it's a switch and/or other wiring.

 

[commando1]

Don't forget it's self grounding. Ground wire to the unit and the hot wire to one of the terminals. Then to the other terminal to go in reverse.

 

[Mr C]

Like Commando says, check grounds first. Then if the problem persists, I'd check the relay as my first suspect.