Hi All: I have a 1988 328 GTSi that has suddenly developed a headlight issue. The headlights will either not come up, come up in unison then drop back down or only one (alternately random) comes up and drops back down. I can hear the relays clicking but have not opened the fuse box to check yet. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks
Possibly the column switch. They have large copper contacts with very little spring pressure pressing them together. So they get light surface corrosion from non use then because of their size and the light spring pressure the corrosion is not wiped off from the contacts sweeping across each other. It can be all taken apart and cleaned or you can rapidly flick the lever up and down several times and it will probably solve it at least for a while. Make sure to test the high beams too. Driving on a dark road and switching to high beams and having all the lights go out is not a pleasant surprise.
Yeah going to agree with messing with the column switch first. Personal anecdote: When I first got my 308 a few months back, it had done a less than 2,000 miles in the last 9 years, making me think it probably only got used in ideal conditions. So most of the electrical accessories barely functioned, other than the passenger window motor that the dealer had replaced. "Great, I'm going to have tear this thing all apart to get the head lights and windshield wipers working" I thought - NOPE! I put it on a battery charger, sat in the driver seat, and started slowly working the switches, at first the lights did nothing, then started popping up and not flickering on, popping up and down, etc, but the more I worked the switch the better and better it worked, until it started working normally for low beams. Then I started doing the same with high beams and those came back, etc. Then did the same for the wipers. What gave me the idea to do this? A few years back I purchased a 1985 Corvette that hadn't been driven since the late 90s -- same exact deal. I think after a week of driving and using that Vette, everything was functioning as normal What I'm trying to say is these cars seem to suffer a lot from lack of usage. I would try putting the switch through its paces for several minutes before giving up on it and starting a real diagnoses.
Hi All: Good day and thank you for the input. Well, indeed it is coming from the stalk. A YouTube video suggested that one contact may have come unsoldered. But on checking this I found the two wires solidly soldered. Interestingly, if apply constant pressure to the bottom wire the lights come up in unison and stay up. When I replaced the stalk and turn the control just so, and keep it there the lights come up and stay on. Any insight into this oddity and repairing?
Image Unavailable, Please Login On your switch assembly, you've got these contacts. The contacts on the arms where I put the red arrow are L shaped. Those are probably only contacting the circular contacts unless you are holding the switch just so. They may be a bit corroded on the circular or L side and need more cleaning, or the L side may be a bit tweaked and you could try tweaking it back. It could be that the arm is a bit sloppy at the pivot point also and you could look at shimming it a bit to remove the slop
Cameron, thank you for the feedback!! At least I now see where the issue lies and will keep tweaking it.
The 328 headlight pod motion is mostly controlled by the switch in the rotated knob at the end of the stalk -- not so much by the Frankenstein giant flat round contacts with the red arrow in Cameron's post (and those contacts are for the wipers -- the ones for the headlights are on the other side). See this thread for how to inspect/repair the stalk rotating knob switch (without losing the ball and spring ): https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/instructions-for-fixing-a-headlight-switch.257534/ A big clue would be: If you rotate the knob switch "on", have the stalk in the middle low beam position, and the headlight pods stay down and the low beam headlamps are "off" = most likely a fault in the stalk knob switch, but could be a bad ...006 "K" relay. If you rotate the knob switch "on", have the stalk in the middle low beam position, and the headlight pods stay down and the low beam headlamps are "on" (pointing at the ground) = that's a more subtle downstream (probably ...006 "K" relay or the headlamp lifting relay) problem. Which condition do you have?
One more thought, having had much the same problem myself about 6 years ago. After extensive troubleshooting of all switches and contacts involved, I finally noticed a tiny, almost invisible crack in the base of the switch stalk. Under load from the detent springs, this was causing the switch to flex just enough that both sides of the circuit where energized, causing the headlights motors to operate continuously. I was sure I would have to buy a $1500 column switch assembly, but experimented a little by 1.) filling the crack with epoxy resin, and 2.) cutting a few coils off the detent springs to reduce the pressure. To my surprise, that solved the problem, and my headlights have worked fine ever since. As a side note, pretty sure it got cracked by an errant knee--and not mine. Just before the problem started, I'd left the car with a friend to take care of 6 months while I was out of the country. He's an old Porsche guy, and apparently, they are easier to get in and out of. Not that he'll admit he broke it.
Hi Steve: Thank you for your comments. Yes, the issue seems to be at the rotating knob. As mentioned when I removed the lock ring and slid the knob out, no loose wires were seen. Pressing and holding the bottom wire activated the headlights and they stayed up as normal. Almost as if the knob was not making the proper contact to apply pressure when turned to have them function normally. Lights are not on while tucked down (lows or highs) and knob is rotated or stalk moved to the high beam position.
You may want to clean the contact area of the two contacts. Get a piece of fine sandpaper and fold it over itself so the abrasion part is on both sides. Now gently spread the contacts and move the sand paper so it cleans the contact. Next, remove sandpaper and look at the contact edge to see if they are making a good contact. You may have to gently bend one to insure a good electrical contact Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
+1 -- also inspect the solder joints carefully --- they may need to be reheated/reflowed (having a wire soldered to a flexing piece of metal is not the best design practice). If you just manually connect the two wires of the knob switch together using some sort jumper and everything works well, you've just got to keep beating on that switch until it works .
Additionally, as mentioned, if I turn the control knob a quarter turn towards the "on" position and keep it there (tenuously), the headlights come up and stay up.
Possibly show us a picture of the contact. Are the contacts loose on the plastic holder (they are secured with rivits)? Are the contact faces parallel to each other? When you put the knob back on there is a slight line depression embossed in the metal stalk and a molded lline on the base of the knob. Make sure these line up so the detention ball goes in the proper groove. And, more importantly, there is a raised piece of plastic inside the knob that fits between the two contacts. When you put the knob back on make sure this raised piece is properly aligned. The marks help insure this alignment. In the off position the plastic spreads the contacts apart. In the on position it allows the contacts to touch. Sometime the bend or flat ends of the contact need to be “tweaked” Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Hi JM: Good day. So, while taking pictures of the contact to send I notice this as I zoom in on one shot. Upon checking I confirmed the possible issue, check out the green wire Image Unavailable, Please Login (not sure if it came loose while fidgeting with the control or it was so imperceptible at first that I never noticed it).
Nice catch When you solder it back on just make sure your iron is good and hot, clean the contact area and work quickly. You don’t want the contact to melt the plastic contact holder which can loosen the connecting rivet. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Bad diode on the motor check old thread by Ric Rainbolt Diodes is only a few dollars fixed my blinking light on my headlamp years ago
Hi JM: Good day and Happy New Year. Well, wanted to close the loop and confirm the loose contact was the problem. As the access and angle was so awkward I invested in a cordless iron so that the cable would not impede in any way lest I make contact with the steering wheel or other areas of the dash. Thank you, and all contributors, for your valuable insight. Best,
Thank you for giving some closure to this issue, which will help other owners in the future All to often people ask questions about problems and issues, and then never follow up with what the actual problem/solution was!
Good thread with pics, this works on the wiper control stall too. Alden http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/mondial/375441-headlight-switch-problem-fixed.html
