Drivers side headlight door when opened continues to click, click, click as if it is still trying to open. Limit switch is making solid contact and appears to be working but has not yet been tested. Click Click Click is coming from a relay under the fender. When the headlight switch is turned off, the headlight door DOES NOT try to close. Instead it goes limp until you give it a push and lift it off the 'open' limiter switch, then it closes as it should.

Bad relay? Which one? Bad 'open side' limiter switch? Doesn't seem likely since the door wants to stay open when the headlights are turned off indicating to me that the switch is doing something, but maybe?

Thoughts?

Well the motors are wired in parallel, so I believe it is not related to the relays or both sides would be doing the same thing. I suspect there is a problem with the radiator support limit switch. When the door hits that switch it is supposed to switch the motor lead from the Dk Blue power wire (open door motor power) to the short black ground wire, interrupting the motor power lead. This ground also provides a current path to gnd when the motor polarity flips and the door starts to close, but once the door lifts off this switch, switched relay grounds take over. So if it closes once you move it off this switch, that limit switch is not getting grounded.
So I think your problem is related to the radiator support limit switch. Since there is a continual clicking that switch must not be opening from the dk blue wire and getting connected to ground.

Mike, I agree when turning the head lite switch off while the ignition is on, the limit switch on the firewall should provide a path to ground for the motor to start and after the door starts to close, the ground path is transfered to the blue wire to finish closing. I would check to see that the grounded contact in the firewall limit switch has continuity to ground if the door will operate after being pushed towards the close position.

For clarification, one set of limits at each motor provides a path to ground to start it and run until the other set stops it by disconnecting the power at the end of travel. The purposes of the switches are reverse when wanting to operate in the opposite direction.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PeterPar,

One car I worked on long ago definitely had that problem as I was too reluctant to scrape the beautiful paint and primer enough to create a strong ground. I ended up taking the paint right down off the metal and using a brand new star washer.. problem solved. You may just be right there Mike!

I think this may be the same problem with mine not closing at all, just have not bothered to get to it !

Weave, if neither of your doors will close, try checking for voltage on the brown wires at the head lite limit switches with the key in the on position. If voltage is present there, then check the grounds for a good connection at the limits switches. Also check the blue wire at the limits for a ground to verify the ground connection at relay #3 is good and the coil is working properly. If there is no voltage present on the brown wire at the head lite limits, go back to relay #2 and check for voltage on the green wire. The green should have voltage present at all times. If there is voltage there, check the brown and lt blue wires that feed the coil of relay #2 for voltage with the key in the on position. If the lt blue and the brown both have voltage, check the ground at relay #1 for a good connection. If the ground is OK or only the brown has voltage, chances are the contacts or coil in relay #2 are bad and the relay will have to be replaced.

I probably should add that before you replace relay #2, check to see that there is voltage on the blue wire at the limits switches with the key and head lite switches in the on positions. This will verify the coil in relay #1 is good and is able to provide the coils of relays #2 and 3 a path to ground when the head lite switch is in the off position. If the coil of relay #1 is open (burnt out), the doors will not operate in either direction.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PeterPar,

Cool, it's a place to start.The strange thing with mine is the last couple of years as you drive the car with headlights off and doors closed you can hear a relay clicking!Like there is a short. Cant find anything and it neaver has blown a fuse.That give you any thoughts Peter?Sounds like you have been herer before!!

Oh ya. The relay clicks only when car is moving and at least some small bumps!Makes it hard to find with car stopped!!!!!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lawrance Weaver:
The strange thing with mine is the last couple of years as you drive the car with headlights off and doors closed you can hear a relay clicking!Like there is a short. Cant find anything and it neaver has blown a fuse.That give you any thoughts Peter? Sounds like you have been herer before!![QUOTE]

Weave, I've had no experience with the 67 Camaro head lite doors before. I went through a four year IBEW apprenticeship program and have spent the last thirty-two years working as a journeyman wireman installing industrial motor control systems. Seeing the diagram Mike posted has allowed me to understand how the system was wired and how it should operate.

The clicking noise you hear sounds like either relay #2 or 3 is cycling on and off. That could be caused by a loose connection or broken wire in lt blue or brown circuits of the relay coils. The ground for the coil of relay #1 could also be loose. Any of these things could cause either of these relays to de-energize and re-energize when hitting a bump in the road.

One clarification. The control circuit ground path for R2/R3 relay coils goes from the L BLUE control wire thru the under dash connector,dimmer switch, and believe it or not the headlight to get to ground. This is according to the theory of operation in the booklet that has the schematic in it. There is also a note in the troubleshooting section that there must be at least one working head light for the "close door" control circuit to work. If the R1 coil was providing the ground the current through it would energize it. The electrons take the path of least resistance, so apparently the headlight filament(s) has/have a lower impedance than the coil winding.

Also note that there is a self resetting circuit breaker protecting the circuit, not a fuse. It can make a clicking noise as well if tripped.

BTW, the self resetting circuit breaker on my car was failing at one time. Sometimes the doors wouldn't work. I found that if I took a screwdriver handle and gave a little whack to the relay board assembly up under the fender I'd hear a click and then they'd work. I replaced the circuit breaker and haven't had a problem since. It looks just like the power window/top circuit breaker that mounts on the firewall, but is 10 Amp instead of 30 Amp.

If you don't have one of these (pic below), they're worth every penny. Full description and theory of operation, and fairly extensive troubleshooting guide:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MLakin,

quote:

Originally posted by MLakin:
If the R1 coil was providing the ground the current through it would energize it. The electrons take the path of least resistance, so apparently the headlight filament(s) has/have a lower impedance than the coil winding.

Boy Mike, your making me try and remember principles I learned over thirty years ago. I would have thought that if the flow of current through the coil of R1 to ground was high enough to energize the solenoid, then there would also be a possibility of the head lites glowing dimly. I could have sworn that there would have been less resistence to ground at R1 then at the head lite. I guess I'm going to have to refresh my memory on the effects of impedence and resistence.

You know, I think you may have pinpointed the problem that Bodybag has when you mentioned the circuit breaker. He specifically said there was a clicking noise coming from the fender when the head lite doors were trying to close. I would suggest he take a test light and check for voltage at the green wire on R2 with the key in the on position. If its the circiut breaker thats continually resetting, I would think that the test light should go on and off with the clicking sounds. If it does, replace the circuit breaker.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PeterPar,

Thanks Peter,will get on this soon with youre new info! Will keep you posted.Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by PeterPar:


Boy Mike, your making me try and remember principles I learned over thirty years ago. I would have thought that if the flow of current through the coil of R1 to ground was high enough to energize the solenoid, then there would also be a possibility of the head lites glowing dimly. I could have sworn that there would have been less resistence to ground at R1 then at the head lite. I guess I'm going to have to refresh my memory on the effects of impedence and resistence.

Same here, graduated tech school in 1980 (Associates EET) . I agree, I struggle with that as well, but like I say that is how it is described in the booklet. That's why I said "apparently." The un-powered head light must sink off enough current to keep R1 from energizing.

Like I say every time one of these head light door problem threads pops up, fairly finicky and complex. Must be why they only did it that way the one year. I read somewhere a long time ago that when new RS's showed up at dealers one of the first things they needed to do was test and troubleshoot the system.

Electricity is the weakest of my skills.. reading this is great! I'm lost with some of this but the diagnostic paths you guys describe are great to know

quote:

Originally posted by Tom McGinnity:
Electricity is the weakest of my skills.. reading this is great! I'm lost with some of this but the diagnostic paths you guys describe are great to know

Tom, that is what is nice about this site. The people here come from many different backgrounds so when someone has a problem they can't solve, the other members who may some knowledge of the subject are willing share information to help them.