Hidden Headlight problem, power only for "open"?

Carmine

Old Man with a Hat
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I have a feeling I've seen this problem before and thought I'd ask before re-inventing the wheel and combing through wiring diagrams. This is a Late B-body, but the wiring and components would be the same on any C-body.

You may recall that my Magnum took a little poke in the front end last fall...

upload_2020-5-28_5-27-43.png


I've since replaced the header panel (heads up, all the metal, center support structure interchanges with a '78-'79 Cordoba, despite not having hidden lights). My headlamps/motor/doors all worked very well before the impact, and they were off when it hit. I was careful not to turn them on until I was in repair-mode.

The motor appears to have come through the crash "ok", it looks fine and turns easily back and forth. Upon reassembly and initial try-out....

upload_2020-5-28_5-33-54.png


... the motor only receives power in the "down" direction (confirmed with a voltmeter). As in, I turn the key on, headlights off, and they immediately open. The correct re-install procedure is to install the motor and doors in a half-way position. This way, there will be no binding, and the doors will fully close (or require some adjustment). Instead, mine fully open.

Any quick ideas here? As I said, the motor leads are only powered through one side (should be both, depending on switch position) so this has to be an electrical, not mechanical issue. If it were a cut wire in the harness, it still wouldn't explain why it does the opposite of what it should... Opens with key on, lights off. I'll go at it again this afternoon and report back if no one has seen this issue.

??
 
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Had no idea your beautiful Magnum got smashed. Glad it's on the way back.
Sorry...I've never run across what you're experiencing with the headlight motor.
 
Had no idea your beautiful Magnum got smashed. Glad it's on the way back.
Sorry...I've never run across what you're experiencing with the headlight motor.

Thanks for the condolences. Consequences of being a summertime daily + poorly thought out road construction projects. I was the last one into a chain-reaction multicar at the top of a hill. Thankfully the fenders were untouched. Hagerty actually totaled it, but let me buy it back for $700.

I guess I'm thinking along the lines of a relay being stuck. I should have taken my service manual to work...
 
I went through this. What happens is that the door relay returns ground to close through the lamp filaments.

If a bulb is burnt out, it doesn't get ground and the doors won't close. In your case, the lamps are missing.

I think Chrysler did it this way so you could change a burnt bulb without having to manually open the doors, but I've never seen it documented.
 
That makes sense to me as well @Big_John as I was just running through all the headlight wiring on my 79 300 and the grounding through the lamps really screwed with my brain.
 
That makes sense to me as well @Big_John as I was just running through all the headlight wiring on my 79 300 and the grounding through the lamps really screwed with my brain.
Yea, at first I couldn't believe that was the way they wired it. I went over and over the diagram and kept saying that couldn't be, but after thinking about it, I could see it made sense that the doors would stay open so you can change the bulb.
 
I went through this. What happens is that the door relay returns ground to close through the lamp filaments.

If a bulb is burnt out, it doesn't get ground and the doors won't close. In your case, the lamps are missing.

I think Chrysler did it this way so you could change a burnt bulb without having to manually open the doors, but I've never seen it documented.

I am gonna go check this out... if you are right and just saved me an hour of combing through diagrams, I'm gonna givea you a big a hug!
 


Well @Big_John, you better hide from me at Carlise.



I knew I'd seen this problem before, but I remembered nothing of the cure, so I'd have been starting from ground zero. For once, the internet solved a problem! I didn't bother connecting the headlights because It's just mocked up before I pull it off to paint it.
 
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