[DeTomaso] Headlights Not Going Up and Down

[Trevor Fougere]

Problem solved.
 
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions.  
Thank you SOBill for your wonderful diagrams.
 
In the end...it was a four fold problem.  Two of which I had already solved
(bad limit switch and dead motor).
 
The third and fourth issues were as follows.
 
3 - faulty connection from headlight relay to the motor.  Not a white
connector...the connection was bad at the relay.  Getting the relay cover
off was fun.  The wing nut was essentially rusted on.  Once it came off, a
lot of rust inside the perforated cover and on the panel holding all the
relays.  I guess De Tomaso just set it up to let any condensation from the
heater/airconditioning just find it's way down into the relay box???
One of the last places I would expect to find so much rust on an otherwise
essentially rust free car.
 
4 - the new motor had reverse polarity...or the blue and white wires on the
motor we installed incorrectly.  Rather than rewire the motor...it was
simpler reverse the gender of the two leads and cross them to the opposite
lead from the motor.  So instead of "Open sesame" and the motor tries to
close the headlight doors...it co-operated and opened them.
 
In the end, all it took to get the headlights opening and closing was
 
    1 - fix connection at relay after demolition procedure required to
remove relay cover
    2 - replace limit switchs....probably used by the allies at D-Day as
recognition signals
    3 - replace dead motor
    4 - reverse the wiring on the new motor thanks to watching the working
motor in action and thinking...Shit! That doesn't look right!
    5 - i won't even mention...er...yes i will....the fact that one of the
two new limit switches had the two mounting holes wrong...so the rear most
switch is held with one bolt..and it's down tight.. The two switches were
identical...and it's the one that had to be mounted "upside down" that has
the problem....which leaves me wondering it the hole locations are slightly
different on the two switches...and on the bracket...but I'm damned if i'm
taking the thing apart again...now that it's working...maybe someone
knows....
 
The good news is...I'm running out of 35 yr old parts in the car...and it's
running superbly...even after dark!!!!!
 
Trevor Fougere
#3797