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Jalpa headlight motor removal

5K views 33 replies 7 participants last post by  Lee T 
#1 ·
My 86 Jalpa drivers headlight has stopped popping up. Is there a fix? If not how do I remove?
 
#4 ·
#8 ·
Make sure it is the motor and not the relay. It is more likely a bad relay or loose wires on the back of the relay. Check for power to the motor when engaged.(Unplug and connect a volt meter) There are multiple relays in that circuit. Lee
 
#9 ·
Checked for power on the 4 pole connector. I have power on 1 pole when headlight would be in up position that is the grey wire, and when in a down position power to the black wire. The up and down position are confirmed from the passenger side light that is going up and down. Can you tell me how to get to the back side of the relay to see if the pins are pushed out? I am also attaching a picture of a concern that may or may not be related to issue. This is on the panel above the headlight motor in the front boot. What is it and how do I re connect the broken wires?
 

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#12 · (Edited)
There is an easy to test to see if it is the motor or the relay. Unplug the good side and run 4 jumper wires over to the bad side. If the motor operates when turned on then it is a bad relay. If not then it is a bad motor. The relay panels on Jalpas have no retainer clips in the panel to keep the wires from pushing out. It is very very common for wires to come loose off the back of the relays. You have to take the screws loose holding the panel in place and inspect the back. You may find burned wires, loose connections etc. This is a very weak point in the Jalpa electrical system. Some people epoxy the connections in place so they will not push out. You have to be real careful doing this so you don't coat the connector in epoxy. you need to put some kind of putty down the hole first to keep epoxy off the terminals. If the motor works, pull the relay and test it with an ohmmeter. Run power across the coil and see if it switches. Look on the face or side of the relay for the diagram on how it functions. All relays are not alike. They function differently so don't just go buy a generic one at the auto parts store. You must look at the diagram on the relay and match up or order the same relay to the one you are replacing. Many auto parts clerks don't know crap about auto electric and will tell you "this will work fine" Most are wrong and you will end up with burnt fuses, wires or worse. Do the crossover test first with the jumper wires. Then if motor is good proceed to the relay panel. I cant remember how many relays but it seems like more than 1. I think one sends power to the headlight circuit and the other to the headlight motors. Let me know the results and I will try to help.PS there is a wiring diagram for the Jalpa on the Jalpa page. Do not trust it as it is only a general guide. There were lots of variations over the years. I blew one up to poster size and tried to verify it all but finally gave up on the project. Mine is an 83 #12071 and had a whole lot of differences. Lee
 
#15 ·
The motor control circuit has limit switches...you need to be very careful with these, or the headlights become erratic.

I am surprised that the system came apart...usually the steel drive rod freezes and is a giant pain to disassemble without damaging the housing and body-work :(

Paul
 
#16 ·
Answer for Lee....the motor was taken out of the car, of course the connecting arm to the headlight bucket is off, but the rest of the motor is assembled. So that is how I just connected the motor with the factory 4 pole connector to the good operating side of the car, and the motor just spins.
 
#18 ·
Adjusting the “Pod” position:

When the Pod is parked in the pod down position, the pushrod should line up dead straight over the crank and motor axle. When it's parked in the open position, the pushrod should be in a straight line with the crank, but extended out.

If it's parking in the wrong spot, you need to adjust the crank on its splined shaft - don't touch anything else on the motors or relays.

Once you have the crank on correctly, you can adjust the pushrod so the pod sits flush in the closed position. It's easiest to do this with the headlight removed.

The motors run in just one direction. To test the motor itself, apply 12 V to terminal 1 and earth the black (earth) wire.

The principle of these motors is similar to windscreen wipers, where there is a cam operated switch (limit switch) provided so that the motor always parks in the same place. The headlight pod system is made more complex by the need for these motors to park in two places.

There should be just three relays controlling the motors. One provides overall control to the running and correct parking of the motors, the other two relays are just slaves to relieve the parking switches of the motor current.

Paul
 
#19 ·
Where is terminal 1 ? So you are saying motor has to be mounted and hooked to the headlight pod to test? I am confused? When the headlight pod is fully open and I hook up the motor and the linkage for the pod the linkage has to be fully extended and in line with the crank. But when I mount the motor there is no reference for the inner wheel to be set in a specific position that is for the open pod. Seems to me it must be timed? If it is out of time is that why it will not operate properly? The diods have been tested and both test ok, done by 2 different people. Is there no way to bench test this motor?
 
#21 ·
Several things to check. 1. the relays DO NOT all function like normal relays. Look at the function diagram on the back of the original relay. Even though they look alike they function differently. If you install the wrong relay it will cause malfunction, burning up or other such calamities. The relay panel is terrible about letting relays push out the back. You must disconnect the entire block and push wires back onto the relays after removal. If you just plug back in you will probably push wires out. (Really poor design) Check each relay by running power across the coil portion and use an ohmmeter to see if it is opening and closing as it should. Check for power to the relays . It has a multiple relay system that is a little maddening. It takes time , patience and good notes. Unfortunately the wiring diagram on Jalpachat does not match my car and probably not yours either. It is an approximation , nothing more. Lee
 
#22 ·
Sorry to butt in, alas I have a related question...

I have one light that keeps going up and down, looks like the car is winking...! WOuld that be the limit screw or relay that controls it?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated as I've not had to explore that end of the car yet.

Thank you
 
#25 · (Edited)
So I went at the system again and slowly checked what I could. Behind the relay panel I found a damaged black wire that I repaired, thought I FOUND IT! But no, tested and same no go. Found a thread on how to test the relays and will do that. To make sure everyone is on the same page: Neither of the headlights go up or down. At the start just the drivers side was NOT working and the passenger side WAS working. The passenger side stopped working after I went in behind the relay panel to make sure all the contacts were engaging the relay tabs. Tried to post a picture but can't figure that out again.
 
#27 ·
I just put that part number into a google search. Many options came up. I think you can get that at any part store. I have bought a couple relays over the years for my Jalpa. I usually give a part number and they provide me with a couple options. You should have no trouble.
 
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