Hi, i have a 1986 Supra (150000 miles) and i am having troubles with my headlights / foglights

- all lights work except headlights and foglights

- i have checked the main headlight relay and its fine

- also, when the car is turned off the headlights pop UP (not down like they should), and when the car is turned on (or key turned forward without car on) the headlights go DOWN, however, when the light switch is turned ON they pop up like they should

- i have replaced the entire light switch assembly in the stearing column twice


if anyone knows what could be wrong with my car id be grateful

Thanks,
Brandon

:o back in the day when i first got my 85 mk2 supra....i use to have that problem too...i found out wat cause it....its the wiring from the steering to the horn next to the washer fluid tank....i got a cut/broken wired.....because...that wire is touching the body frame so thats what it cause me that trouble...but i dont know about your...but if i were you...i will double check the wiring from the headlight and follow up and see if you saw any uh....wiring that it connect wrong...what i mean wrong is that...sometime you rewiring it wrong...for example... you switch the red into the black n the black into the red so thats why it goes opposite when you start the engine.... correction if i wrong... :D

all the wiring is stock, so the wiring has never been touched

i will check that wire though for wear

thanks

ill follow up if i find something or dont for that matter

:P hope you find it in some where..... :D let me know when you got it to work alright....and what cause that to make it happen alright... :huh:

my 82 supra used to have headlight trouble. they would go down fine, but when i put the switch to up they would blink up and down continuously so i had to put them up and take out the retractor control relay. it turned out the problem was a lil computer circuit hidden in a blue box labeled headlight retractor control behind the dash that was faulty. i just bypassed it because it only added slightly better functionality because of the way the switch was designed. like the switch didnt provide power for the headlight motors when it was in the on position so i have to put the switch to up and wait til they came up before i turn them on or just not switch to on too fast. also the circuit would pop up the lights if you were flashing the high beams. the control has 6 inputs, 1 is a hanging wire for the up power and 2 are for the down power which runs through it and the other 3 are voltages depending what lights you have on (high or low) if i remember right. so to bypass it i just took it out and shorted across the down power wire instead of letting it run through the circuit or just took out the up wire. hope this makes sense and helps you out.

actually this used to happen, if i turned the light switch to ON too fast the lights wouldnt work, or the dashboard lights would not come on at all, which was not the best thing at night, however i fixed this by replace the entire column assembly with directional signal switch, and lights switch

i will look into this suggestion

if anyone else has any other ideas while i look at the two ive been given keep 'em coming.

I havent had much time recently, so if i fix it, or find whats wrong ill let you guys know

ALSO #1: i would like to know if the RETRACTOR CONTROL RELAY could have an impact on whether the HEADLIGHTS turn on

as of now the headlights don't work at all, so are these two seperate things? or could the Retractor Relay have to do with the Headlights not working?

ALSO #2: Could the Light Retainer Relay be the cause of both of these problem and not the Retractor Control Relay, because in the book it seems indicates that the Light Retainer Relay sends electricity to the HEADLIGHT RELAY and then to the Lights

ALSO #3: Where is the Light Retainer Relay?

THANKS everyone

well...if you looking for the headlight relay it sure be in the fuse and relay box...next to battery...open it up...look on the left...to right... it sure be 3 of than if i right....well....the headlight relay (round) is the one that next to the fuse (Charge)....if you look from the side...there is two column of fuse...it sure the on the right at the very first one....thats above the very first fuse..thats the headlight relay....correct me if i wrong....and i will look it up tommow after came from skool....i will post it up again... :D

this might help...
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM.../be/BE_007.html

haha....he got the part that i want to tell you he got it first....before i telling you so yeah....well i guess... try to test or see the deadlight relay and see what happen....well hope that solve the problem....well yeah.. have a nice one...let me know how you got to work alright....peace out... :P

haha....he got the part that i want to tell you he got it first....before i telling you so yeah....well i guess... try to test or see the deadlight relay and see what happen....well hope that solve the problem....well yeah.. have a nice one...let me know how you got to work alright....peace out... :P [/b][/quote]
i already tested the headlight relay, before i posted, its fine

so now im wondering whether all of this, both the Headlight problem (not turning on at all) and the Headlight Retracting problem (being reversed) could both be due to the Retractor Relay

i saw where the Retractor Relay is in that link you posted, but i want to know what you guys think before i start getting in there to check it

on the 82 supra the relay just provides power to the motors during their operation i think. if theyre the same, what controls the headlights actually being on is a thin metal plate on the motors themselves with sliding contacts. the metal plate is divided into annular rings and has notched areas so the contacts are touching plastic when its all the way up or down. these are actually the ground path for the motor power and the switch just provides the two different wires of the opposite contacts to ground so i dont think the relay could even reverse the commands. this notch is what controls the motor stopping point. also there is another metal section where its contact is only touching it in the up position, which gives power to the headlights by way of another contact on an inner part of the ring that is the ground. its a lil tricky to explain in words. if you take the motor out and take off the cover youll see or if you put the headlights up and took out the relay so they wouldnt go down and then turn on the lights, if you manually turned the motor down, the light would go off after a few degrees and then if you put it back up they would go back on. i spent a lot of time trying to figure out my headlight problem before i found that bule control box by the speedometer cable lol

alright, it actually ended up being the Headlight Relay

i had JUST purchased a new one so i foolishly didn't check this "new" part

so far it seems to be the problem

until i have the headlights fail again i guess thats what it was all along

thanks everyone for your help

P.S. Does anyone know of a company that may sell quarter panels for Mark II Supras (other than a junk yard that is)

Its the next step in the car's restoration, thanks

sorry, i didnt realize i wasnt logged on, the above post was from me

well...heppy that you got it to work....