USMC85gt
New member
ive got an 85 gt my lights go up and down but the mortors dont shut off even when i take the keys out could it be a switch
85 gt flip up lights motors not shutting off even with the keys out
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Dr. Sievers
New member
Hey there, I'm not the most knowledgable person when it comes to fiero wiring but I can tell you this. Something sounds like it's wrong with your grounding system. Each time you've fixed something electrical or have messed with something all of a sudden a new problem arises with something else. If your headlight motor won't shut off and you've shut the car off and it's still running your electrical through then I'd really check out the ground. from what I understand, and please correct me if I'm wrong, these cars are based on a floating ground design, which means that there is one main ground and power is redirected through another source when the ground cannot be met in order to keep a positive circuit running. Again, correct me if I'm wrong with anything because I very well could be. If this is the case then that means that somewhere in your electrical circuit something isn't transfering power. Since you've changed the fuses then possibly the junction box or possibly somewhere in the actual wiring itself whether it's the harness or possibly one of the enternal electrical circuits of one of the individual units.
first it was your cabin light, then it was your tail lamps, and now it's the headlamp motors. what do all of these circuits have in common? (I'm saying this to myself while I type it out for you to read because maybe if you can read my thoughts you can help use them, lol) all of these circuits run through the fuse box. Holy shiatsu.... just got done looking at some of the wiring schematics for this car and wowzer!!! I was warned a few months ago when I got this fiero hair shoved up my butt and wow I did not realize how annoying they really were
USMC85gt
New member
all these thigngs have been f@#$% since i got the car i dont wanmt to post all my problems at once and loose train of though
USMC85gt
New member
but anyway heres what i got the car like i got it for 300 bucks i was over heating that was an easy fix n ew thermostat napa auto parts 13bucks fixed the problem but u have to have the ac on or the rad fan is not on thus making the car over heat thats a problem. another is the turnsignals but i think that fixed i got a flasher on order it just stays lit but does not flash im not sher if the hazards are on the same curcuit or not but the hazards flash.... another was the dome light i fixed that yhe mlotors for the headlight since i bout the car do not work they had them unhooked so i hooked em bac up and they dont shut off the p/s linkage is un hooked but i get the d/s to go up and down no prob but if its up it dont shut off it continus to spin even with the keys out same for the down direction oh and the steering coulem is loose as sh!@ but ive been told that most klikely the uni joint
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USMC85gt
New member
other than the belt sqeek when reved or when the ac is on the cars great i got minor shit like finding new seats and putting in a radio but the car runs i cant really complain i got it for 300 bucks and drove it home. its got 114 thosand on it
USMC85gt
New member
=sweet were is the relay at?
It's not a relay. It's the stop switch in the headlight motor has bent, corroded, or dirty contacts and/or shaft.
The headlights always have power even without the keys. The motor is designed so that when the headlight bucket raises or lowers it hits a stop. This stop causes the shaft inside the headlight motor to torque up and shift. This little movement hits a set of contacts turning power off for that direction. Either the contact is bent or there is too much grime in the motor reducing how much the shaft shifts.
If the motor is still running, Then years of dirt and grime have built up on the contact or shaft for that direction. To repair it you need to drill out the rivots and open the motor. You will see the contacts at the top end and bottom end of the shaft. Just clean out the motors of all grease/grime, lube with silicone grease then clean the contacts off with some 1000grit sand paper and re-assemble the motors with bolts. If you are planning on opening the motor tor repair it, It would be a good idea to replace the bushings that the gear rides on. Over time these bushing wear down and can cause problems like getting grime on the contacts and shaft.
You can get rebuild kits from the Fiero Store as well as other parts:
http://www.fierostore.com/Product/Browse.aspx?d=182&p=1
FYI on Fiero headlights:
84-86 used one type of motor/system and 87/88 used a different style.
The headlight motors are the same ones used on Fierbirds but reversed. The Fiero left side headlight motor is used on the Firebird right side and visa-versa.
If your gear strips, A quick fix is to open the motor up and flip the gear 180*. The motor only uses half of the gear. So if it strips out, The other half isn't bad.
Did you know that to clean the headlights on a Fiero you can push the parking lights on then lightly put pressure on the headlight side. This will raise the headlights up but not turn them on. Pushing the parking lights off will then lower the headlights.
The headlights always have power even without the keys. The motor is designed so that when the headlight bucket raises or lowers it hits a stop. This stop causes the shaft inside the headlight motor to torque up and shift. This little movement hits a set of contacts turning power off for that direction. Either the contact is bent or there is too much grime in the motor reducing how much the shaft shifts.
If the motor is still running, Then years of dirt and grime have built up on the contact or shaft for that direction. To repair it you need to drill out the rivots and open the motor. You will see the contacts at the top end and bottom end of the shaft. Just clean out the motors of all grease/grime, lube with silicone grease then clean the contacts off with some 1000grit sand paper and re-assemble the motors with bolts. If you are planning on opening the motor tor repair it, It would be a good idea to replace the bushings that the gear rides on. Over time these bushing wear down and can cause problems like getting grime on the contacts and shaft.
You can get rebuild kits from the Fiero Store as well as other parts:
http://www.fierostore.com/Product/Browse.aspx?d=182&p=1
FYI on Fiero headlights:
84-86 used one type of motor/system and 87/88 used a different style.
The headlight motors are the same ones used on Fierbirds but reversed. The Fiero left side headlight motor is used on the Firebird right side and visa-versa.
If your gear strips, A quick fix is to open the motor up and flip the gear 180*. The motor only uses half of the gear. So if it strips out, The other half isn't bad.
Did you know that to clean the headlights on a Fiero you can push the parking lights on then lightly put pressure on the headlight side. This will raise the headlights up but not turn them on. Pushing the parking lights off will then lower the headlights.
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USMC85gt
New member
sweet thanks guys i got a new motor today at the junk yard for 20 bucks do these motors need a load on them to know when to stop? cuz it does the same thing unhooked from any thing
USMC85gt
New member
they both are doing the same thing but the new one i need to hook up in the car to actualy test to see if it stops corect?