wierd 308 headlight function???????? | FerrariChat

wierd 308 headlight function????????

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by groovzilla, Mar 17, 2004.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. groovzilla

    groovzilla Karting

    Nov 28, 2003
    117
    seattle, wa.
    Full Name:
    william
    when i turn off the headlights on my 79 308GTS the passengers side headlight opens and closes several times (4-5)before finally stopping and comming to rest in the closed position...the drivers side works fine and stays closed while the passenger light is doing it's thing..

    any ideas???

    thanks...william ceriale
     
  2. Ira Schwartz

    Ira Schwartz Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    May 20, 2003
    1,961
    Brooklandville, MD
    Full Name:
    Ira Schwartz
    I've found that weird headlight behavior is often cured by liberally spraying contact cleaner on the relays.
     
  3. groovzilla

    groovzilla Karting

    Nov 28, 2003
    117
    seattle, wa.
    Full Name:
    william
    ira....

    a few weeks ago when my mechanic tried troubleshooting the problem with my front right radiator fan he pulled the relays and i think even swapped them with the headlight relay to see if the relay was the problem..

    i bet when doing this the relay didn't seat propely when re-installed..

    i will spray them as you suggest..

    thanks for the tip..

    william
     
  4. Ira Schwartz

    Ira Schwartz Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    May 20, 2003
    1,961
    Brooklandville, MD
    Full Name:
    Ira Schwartz
    Good luck, William- hope it's nothing more than that.
     
  5. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,648
    Land of Slugs & Moss
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    I seem to recall an older Fchat thread that points to a bad diode on the headlight motor that can cause this anomoly. If checking the relays doesn't flush the problem then the diode might be it.

    DJ
     
  6. Chiaro_Slag

    Chiaro_Slag F1 Veteran

    Oct 31, 2003
    7,789
    CA
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    My headlight's stopped coming up due to the the low beams relay not fitting properly.

    There are relays for each side - So check the one that is giving you problems.
     
  7. 4re gt4

    4re gt4 Formula 3

    Apr 23, 2002
    2,279
    Roseburg, OR
    Full Name:
    Hans E. Hansen
    Bad relay or bad connection in the relay socket. Swap LH and RH relays and see what happens.

    This exact thing happened to me last summer. While waiting for a new relay (I live in a really small town....), I took apart the old one. The movable contact (armature?) was permanently bent from 30-odd years of being mostly in one position. Some tweaking with needle nose pliers got it working again. I'm still using this crudely repaired relay. The new one is in the glove box.
     
    Bo Loof likes this.
  8. Drew Altemara

    Drew Altemara Formula 3

    Feb 11, 2002
    1,504
    Tuscaloosa, AL
    Full Name:
    Drew Altemara
  9. CarlH

    CarlH Karting

    Feb 5, 2004
    81
    MD
    Full Name:
    Carl H.
    I have not had this problem on my 308, but had the exact same thing on its baby brother X1/9. In that case it was a bad ground connection at the headlight motor. Itialian engineers are world class when it comes to body, engine and suspension design.....but they could not find solid ground if they fell out of a tree!
     
  10. zebra308

    zebra308 Formula 3

    Jan 14, 2004
    1,336
    All Flimmits
    Full Name:
    Ruffis Leekin
    Had the same problem, ended up being the relay. Hope you get it sorted out.
    There's nothing like waiting for your car to stop winking.
    Will
     
  11. Verell

    Verell F1 Veteran
    Consultant Owner

    May 5, 2001
    7,017
    Groton, MA
    Full Name:
    Verell Boaen
    I'm betting it's 1 or both of the motor diodes per the thread below.
     
  12. Bernardo308

    Bernardo308 Karting

    Jun 15, 2004
    53
    Virginia Beach
    Full Name:
    Bernardo Sa Nogueira
    Thanks for the replies! I have a feeling it is the diodes that got humid, are old and are causing the lights to fail...

    I will try to fix them this week and let you know the end result.

    Thanks again!
     

Share This Page