348 spyder pop up headlight problem

Read your manual or go to the 348 primer there is a way to do it manually, maybe it is just stuck?

Good luck

 

If it looks like the headlight is about 1/10 open, and it's blowing the fuse, then check to see if the headlight housing is contacting the trunk lid or the fender, instead of being centered in the opening. It's possible (we've seen it before) that the spot welds that hold the headlight assembly together have come apart, and the bucket is now crooked. If this happens, the bucket can't come up straight, and when it hits the trunk lid, it blows the fuse. Yes, things are tight in there!

 

I'm not sure this will work, but here is an old thread on the subject:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/discus/messages/256120/189909.html

There is an arm on the side of the headlight motor that connects to the linkage between the motor and the bucket. The arm is held on to the motor shaft with a single nut - hard to reach - the linkage has ball sockets on each end. I can post the diagram from the parts book if you wish to see it.

 

Sorry, I spaced. Here's the diagram. Have you found any problem yet?
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I just looked in the owners handbook, what it's saying is nonsense.

"If the electric headlight raising device fails, proceed as follows: disconnect the headlight raising motor rods. Turn Knob A until headlights are fully raised."

Well, sorry Enzo, but if you disconnect the rods, then the motor isn't attached to the bucket, and you can turn knob A until your fingers fall off and the headlight won't go up or down.

Here's what I would suggest. Remove the relay that controls the MOTOR for the headlight in question. Not the relay for the light, but the relay for the motor. It's shown in the diagram. Then turn the knob on top of the headlight motor clockwise and see if the bucket goes up. It takes quite a few turns, probably 20 or more. Once it's all the way up, look around the bucket and see if it's hitting anywhere. You can watch the linkage as the bucket is going up to see if it's connected and working properly. You're looking for a mechanical problem that would account for the electrical problem. If everything looks OK, then plug the relay back in and the headlight should immediately close by itself. Make sure no one has their fingers around the bucket, the motor is VERY strong and it will hurt if your fingers get pinched. I recommend NOT turning the knob while the relay is in place, because the motor "jumps" when it hits a certain point and raises the bucket very quickly.

OK - if the bucket will raise via the knob, then you know that the mechanical part is OK (unless the linkage is "clocked" wrong). You need to find out what is blowing the fuse. It could be that the motor is frozen, or the linkage is stuck, or the bucket is crooked, or there is a direct ground in the wires. First things first. See if the bucket can be raised manually.

Just a thought - has the front of the car been "curbed" lately? There's a wiring bundle clipped to the frame of the car right behind the front spoiler, and it's remotely possible that the wires to the headlight motor may have been crunched and shorted out.

Can you think of any instance where someone may have turned on the headlights while someone else was pushing down on the bucket, or the buckets were covered with snow/ice (in July??).

Has the car had any body work on the front end?

You'll be able to fix this, I know.

 

Do you have a Ferrari 348 SPIDER or a Mitsubishi Eclipse SPYDER?

 

Yes, remove the relay, then re-install a fuse of the correct amperage, then try rotating the knob and see if bucket will raise/lower.

Ordinarily, I would say remove nut #14 from the end of shaft #15, but you can't get at nut #14 unless the bucket is raised. So you would have to get in there with a long screwdriver blade and pop the "C" clip off one end of the adjustable arm. It's certain that the clip will fall down into the cavity below the bucket, hopefully you can retrieve it. If not, you can get another one at any auto parts store. Once the circlip is off, you can pull the ball socket off which will free the motor from the bucket. It would be best to remove the ball socket from the end nearer to the motor, not the end nearer to the bucket. You don't want that adjustable arm getting jammed against something. Once that adjustable arm is off, you SHOULD be able to raise and lower the bucket by hand, and you SHOULD be able to cycle the motor via the knob on top.

But try the test in my last post before you go disconnecting the arm, and see what happens. You need to find out if the bucket can be raised by turning the knob (with relay out).

Anyone else care to pitch in with suggestions?

 

Told ya it was stuck..

I'm glad it worked out for you that must be a stress relief.