Headlights will not open but turn on. Motor or something else I should be looking for. Thanks

Could be the motor.

could be the plastic gear in the gear-drive system has finally failed, they all eventually will do that

could be a bad limit switch by the radiator

could be a bad headlight motor relay or it’s wiring

could be a bad headlight switch

this can turn into a bitch of a troubleshooting exercise. I did this a few months ago and finally traced it to the motor, which I do not believe is as common as some of the other failure options

Larry

Thanks for the quick reply.Mark Brandreth

On Monday, November 22, 2021, 01:50:05 PM EST, The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:

[New Reply] Headlights will not open but turn on. Motor or something else I should be looking for. Thanks
| == To reply by email, write above this line. == |
|
New Reply By lf-tp2511
|
| Headlights will not open but turn on. Motor or something else I should be looking for. ThanksReply by lf-tp2511
Could be the motor.

could be the plastic gear in the gear-drive system has finally failed, they all eventually will do that

could be a bad limit switch by the radiator

could be a bad headlight motor relay or it’s wiring

could be a bad headlight switch

this can turn into a bitch of a troubleshooting exercise. I did this a few months ago and finally traced it to the motor, which I do not believe is as common as some of the other failure ops

Larry
This post contains 2 images.
[ View Reply ]
|
| The De Tomaso Forums
You received this based on your notification settings. You can adjust your settings or unsubscribe anytime.
|

Start by unplugging the wires off the micro switches jump a hot and ground down to the motor. Reverse them try again.

Another way s putting the car on a lift unplug the motor wires and supply a hot and ground briefly to see f they move up. Then reverse the wires.

Another way send power out from the relay.  Still need help?

Call the Pantera troubleshooting hotline 305-322-9108

Thank you , will try again tomorrow.
Thanks
Mark

On Monday, November 22, 2021, 05:39:25 PM EST, The De Tomaso Forums <alerts@crowdstack.com> wrote:

[New Reply] Headlights will not open but turn on. Motor or something else I should be looking for. Thanks
| == To reply by email, write above this line. == |
|
New Reply By sharkey
|
| Headlights will not open but turn on. Motor or something else I should be looking for. ThanksReply by sharkey
Start by unplugging the wires off the micro switches jump a hot and ground down to the motor. Reverse them try again.

Another way s putting the car on a lift unplug the motor wires and supply a hot and ground briefly to see f they move up. Then reverse the wires.

Another way send power out from the relay.  Still need help?

Call the Pantera troubleshooting hotline 305-322-9108

[ View Reply ]
|
| The De Tomaso Forums
You received this based on your notification settings. You can adjust your settings or unsubscribe anytime.
|

You can also try raising the headlights by the hand crank, it's a low gear so takes forever, but if you get resistance then the plastic gear may be the issue. If you raise them and then when you turn on the ignition with light off they go down the limit switch is likely the problem.

I just had the same problem on my GT5S. I took the relay cover off, there are 2 sets of points in there. I took some fine sand paper and ran it over the contacts. Problem was solved.

Because we are sharing our personal experiences and solutions I have my recent event to add to the pile.

I started having intermittent headlight motor problems. I did a lot of troubleshooting and continuity testing and found nothing out of place. It got to the point where I would raise and lower the headlights 10 or 15 times before going on a drive. Which it did without any major problems. but that didn’t mean things were really OK.

If I had been driving during the day and wanted to turn on the lights, no joy. Conversely, if I started a drive during the evening, upon coming home the lights would not go down.  🤬

what I finally deduced was that after a period of driving, the heat from the radiator was enough to render a 50 year old motor totally inoperable.

When that motor was removed from the gear drive assembly and on the workbench with a low amperage 12 V supply source, it just barely managed to turn over. Pretty sure the added radiator heat and thermal expansion was enough to seize the motor. The same power supply saw the replacement motor freely spinning as one would expect.

replaced the motor and no troubles since then. 🤞

Larry