Few problems with my 944, headlight not working / shaking speedo / pop up lights not going down

[Oil 4 944]

Hi

Finally got my car back from garage but got a few problems which i know its lazy but its seems theres a wealth of knowledge on here, i might be able to fix problems my self before i put to garage to have it checked

Firstly my nearside headlamp (pop up) only works on full beam, not bulb as tried 3 different ones

second my speedo needle shakes at low constant low speed, is there a repair or solution to this

and lastly my o/s more than n/s, but really both my headlights dont go right down all the time, if i pull it up a bit even with engine off it pulls down it's self

thanks

 

[peanut]

you don't say what model or year your car is ? but I take it from previous posts that it is a 86+ oval dash Lux yes ?

First of all be very careful with the headlamp pods . If they trigger and return to their wells with your hand in the way you will probably damage or trap your hand . The mechanism is very powerful and once triggered will self-return under power even with the light switch turned off.

Check and clean the earthing points for the lights and horn which should be on the N/S wing under the bonnet. You are looking for a collection of large brown wires .
Check that nothing is fouling the headlamp pods when they retract, ie the wiring loom etc.

The relay for the headlamps are actually on the pods themselves on later cars . Worth removing and replacing them a couple of times to clean the terminals .

Re your headlamp you need to check your fuses . Each headlamp should be seperately fused. Use a multimeter to check for 12v+ at each of the halogen bulb holder socket with the lights and ignition switched on .

 

[david924s]

For the headlamp not working it is worth checking the cable that runs to the headlamp where it flexes near the inside of the front bumper it is prone to breaking due to the constant movement.

 

[Oil 4 944]

Sorry it a 84 model, thanks

 

[Mike_Pollock]

All of the above still applies

 

[924nutter]

Ive had this with a 944 and a 924 and in both cases one of the conductors had broken at the point where the loom flexes. With regard to the head light closure, there is adjustment that will allow you to make the lights sit level when they are closed. You might have to move the lever round one or two splines on the shaft. If your headlight are then wobbly when raised there is an adjustable stop on the triangular bracket that moves with the pod. When hard against this stop over travel of the mechanism is absorbed by the coiled springs on the shaft. The 82-85 944 had a cable driven speedo and this behaviour is typical of a cable driven speedo. If there are any tight bends and the cable is getting old and dry the square inner will stick and flick as the cable twists a little bit and it suddenly gives, or, the square hole in the bearing cap might have worn to nearly round and not be providing much drive. Lastly the magnetic plate that rotates inside the instrument my not be staying a consistant distance from the plate which moves the needle. The rotating magnet induces a magnetic field in a sort of plate/cup made from a non-ferrous metal and drags it around with a force opposed by a spring. If through wear and tear the rotating plate move towards and away from the needle plate, induced magnetic flux varies so the force moving the needle varies. I saw it on a morris minor once, so bad the needle was oscillating between 15 and 35 mph. I am no genius by the way, I remember seeing this principle being demonstrated by the late Professor Sir Eric Laithwaite (he of the linear motor) on one of the Royal Institution's Christmas lectures. "I ain't clever I can just remember a lot of things"