One of the head lights is failing to open/close on the first attempt. Basically it "bounces" several times before opening or closing. I'm afraid the motor is going to burn out. Is there a quick adjustment I can preform or does have to go to the shop? thanks
Problem w/ pop head lights on 456
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I'm not a 456 owner and frankly haven't been under a hood of that magitude however, My experience with Pop Up headlights, power door locks, power windows and anything else servo or solenoid controlled is that the "dance" usually takes place when improper feed back is recieved by the controller. That is to say that the operating mechanism, like a garage door opener, needs to know when the device has reached the appropriate position. Another switch someplace in the system should be sending a "the light is open" indication. When the operating mechanism does not receive that information or recognizes some other issue (overtorque), it assumes a fault has taken place and reverses its instruction. The issue can be caused by mechanical interferance (something is in the way), improper adjustment (It thinks something is in the way) or electical malfunction (take me to a mechanic).
1) Look closely for mechanical interferance. It is the usual suspect.
2) Look for the "I'm Open" switch. It may not be obvious. I could be on a tether and not immediately recognizable. It can also be internal to the pod servo in which case you can't fix it.
3) Look for electical issues such as loose connections, chaffed wires or harnesses, bad fuses, etc...
If you can't find an issue, schedule an appointment or stop driving at night.
You say it only does it some times...that suggests improper adjustment of the "I'm Open" switch. Do you notice it happening more or less in warm vs. cold, wet vs. dry, or any other condition? I might suggest "helping" it realize its fully open. It when it starts to dance, grab it softly and try to push it slightly more open than it actually going. DON'T FORCE IT. just try to see if a little effort helps it see the open indicator. If this works then switch adjustment is your problem.
1) Look closely for mechanical interferance. It is the usual suspect.
2) Look for the "I'm Open" switch. It may not be obvious. I could be on a tether and not immediately recognizable. It can also be internal to the pod servo in which case you can't fix it.
3) Look for electical issues such as loose connections, chaffed wires or harnesses, bad fuses, etc...
If you can't find an issue, schedule an appointment or stop driving at night.
You say it only does it some times...that suggests improper adjustment of the "I'm Open" switch. Do you notice it happening more or less in warm vs. cold, wet vs. dry, or any other condition? I might suggest "helping" it realize its fully open. It when it starts to dance, grab it softly and try to push it slightly more open than it actually going. DON'T FORCE IT. just try to see if a little effort helps it see the open indicator. If this works then switch adjustment is your problem.
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Let me know how you made out.
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Bump : Auto Headlight problems
I had this problem the first day I owned the car returning from San Diego and making way to Sonoma.
While exiting the Freeway for a quick soda, in LA, I hit a typical rut in the LA's finest offramp seam. Immediately the headlights started to open, close rabidly BUT in opposite cycles. Sort of like blinking: when one went up, the other down.
I could NOT stop it for the life of me, so opened the hood and just unplugged the motor plugs to each. Temporary solution. We were staying in Santa Barbera that eve and is was JUST staring to have the Sun go down so I started to get really worried about cops etc.
Just made it to the inner city [very nice digs] hotel: Name escapes me.
Next day, drive to the Solvang and wife decides we need to diagnose this now. She pull books, then fuse panel and we go throught the relays for the lights and bingo. Replacing the rear defroster relay [why it has a relay I don't know] with the headlight relay make them functional.
As I think of it now, we probably just loosened the relay and could have re-seat it for a solution, but our heads were elsewhere and just left it to be addressed later.
SO:
Check the relay. It might not be the motor but more
a. loose plug to motor connection
b. fraying wire especially if only one motor
c. if both are affected, then circuit inbetween or possibley the relay.
2 cents.
I had this problem the first day I owned the car returning from San Diego and making way to Sonoma.
While exiting the Freeway for a quick soda, in LA, I hit a typical rut in the LA's finest offramp seam. Immediately the headlights started to open, close rabidly BUT in opposite cycles. Sort of like blinking: when one went up, the other down.
I could NOT stop it for the life of me, so opened the hood and just unplugged the motor plugs to each. Temporary solution. We were staying in Santa Barbera that eve and is was JUST staring to have the Sun go down so I started to get really worried about cops etc.
Just made it to the inner city [very nice digs] hotel: Name escapes me.
Next day, drive to the Solvang and wife decides we need to diagnose this now. She pull books, then fuse panel and we go throught the relays for the lights and bingo. Replacing the rear defroster relay [why it has a relay I don't know] with the headlight relay make them functional.
As I think of it now, we probably just loosened the relay and could have re-seat it for a solution, but our heads were elsewhere and just left it to be addressed later.
SO:
Check the relay. It might not be the motor but more
a. loose plug to motor connection
b. fraying wire especially if only one motor
c. if both are affected, then circuit inbetween or possibley the relay.
2 cents.
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My understanding is Dave's gold kit addresses more the engine connectors and not the peripheral do-dads. That is the bit up to firing and that which controls such: ECUs
Dave should be contacted to address that more: He posted here quite a bit up to about four/five months ago, then probably got busy if not that that 'dumb' dissing thread we all read from elsewhere
This sounds more like a bad wire to me or slow corrupting motor. That area is sealed in a rubberized material from the common wet elements, and seems to be the only flex part that didn't go over time. Ferrari seemed to spec that item well, where the other soft bits in the engine bay, guaranteed, will toast within 10years +/- [shoot, pick any soft like part]. Heat and lousy rubberized boots about the electrical in the bay was a short term solution if not a shortsighted Ferrari [accountant] cost savings approach. Ferrari never expects a long term ownership but rather in terms of long term cash cow --- er, cash horsie
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I noticed exactly the same problem on mine the very first time I popped the lights......never recurred. I put it down to the fact that at 9 years old with 3k miles on the clock they probably hadn't been used in over 5 years! Haven't missed a beat since.
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Oh yes....RAIN...had to drive through a day of torrential rain a week ago.....never realised quite how much a ferrari leaks. At least if I have to end up (god forbid) scrapping the car I'll be able to use it as a colander!
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You've got to feed all that Ponga!! :grin:
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Dave- Definitely a rain forest. No wonder the trout love it down there.
Our average annual rainfall is ~9". This has been a bad year. Worst since they started keeping records in 1892. Not a good year for windshield wiper testing, except with a hose.
Our average annual rainfall is ~9". This has been a bad year. Worst since they started keeping records in 1892. Not a good year for windshield wiper testing, except with a hose.
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