While waiting until my frontcamera arives , here an easy to do and very usefull mod for the headlightswitch of the fiero .
i know somebody already did something similar but i didnt found anything with pics .

Problem : you stop by at a gasstation in the night and if you turn off ur light , the headlights will pop down .
or you just want to leave the headlights open when car is sitting in its parkinglot
or you want to clean the lamps
or your headlightmotors are not the best and you want to give them a rest

solution :

1.take out ur headlightswitch of your instrument console


2. disassemble it


the black part controls 2 functions so you simply need to cut it apart (carefully)

3.




4. switchpositions after the mod

normal pos.


all active ( headlights open , light on , parkinglight on )


parkinglight on , headlights open


all lights off , headlights still open

[This message has been edited by Fieromaniac (edited 07-07-2007).]

Guess I'll have to open 'er up and take a look see...

quote Originally posted by F-I-E-R-O:

I think someone in Germany has too much time on his hands! And what's a "front camera" and what has it to do with this?

quote Originally posted by JohnF: I think someone in Germany has too much time on his hands! And what's a "front camera" and what has it to do with this?

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/065813.html <--- Front Camera is used in this thread of mine

and it has nothing to do with the Headlightswitch

[This message has been edited by Fieromaniac (edited 07-07-2007).]

quote Originally posted by JohnF: I think someone in Germany has too much time on his hands! And what's a "front camera" and what has it to do with this?

BMW invented the infared night vision dash a few years ago. They are testing them in Germany right now. It enables you to see deer or parked cars easier in the dark. Naturally, a german guy would have to have this in his Fiero. If I drove my Fiero at night, I would be the second to do it...being that I have 5% tint all around on my car.
Dave

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1999 Mercedes ML430, 450hp 1987 Fiero GT, 1986 Fiero SE-soon to be 3800, certified master technician
www.njautobahn.com

quote Originally posted by Fieromaniac: all lights off , headlights still open

How do you get the switch in this position? By pulling back on the small black piece?

When I build my Firebird harnesses I take out that part and throw it away. If someone wants one to play with it, let me know.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: How do you get the switch in this position? By pulling back on the small black piece? When I build my Firebird harnesses I take out that part and throw it away. If someone wants one to play with it, let me know.

yes by pulling back the black "P" piece .

i also made the surface on the top a little rough for better grip with the fingertips
and it works like a charm , i just had the first time enough time to clean my headlights without having them online

What did you use to cut the black switch part?

I just did this and it works good. I used a dremel with a cutting wheel and first off, hot plastic burns, but not for very long The dremel has a hard time with the small places so my parking light switch isn't firm feeling, but it works just fine. I would advise using what ever he did mine works great it was just time consuming with the dremel

chris

i used a dremel and this here


its also good to put this here on top of the 3 pieces , because of the missing material from the cutting

[This message has been edited by Fieromaniac (edited 07-08-2007).]

Dude,
You just enjoy tearing things apart don't you?

neat idea!

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88 GT, 3800SC, Getrag 5sp. 12" Vette Rotors,Custom stuff done

One other trick is to place a switch between one of the wires (cant recall which one, it was too long ago). To make it look stock I replaced the right side cluster switch plate with one that had a rear window defroster switch incorperated and hooked it up to allow manual "go down"....its still working great!

I was wondering if anyone tried another switch to have the headlight still open but shut off.
Now this mod works also. Probably gonna give it a try.

Does it work also when you just pull the headlight-button and the parkinglights would stay on?


edit: I just reread your post and saw the answer....

[This message has been edited by swisscheese (edited 07-08-2007).]

all you have to do is turn your head lights on, then real quick turn the off then hit the parking light switch back on really fast and the head lights will stay up but not on, I have done it many times.

Usefull ?.....................

Do the headlights stay open with all the lights shut off? Cause if you have the markers on at the same time, what I do is just lighty push on the headlight botton with the markers on. The head lights raise into position. Then they stay that way untill I turn the markers off.

:EDIT: ok I should have read more closely. I think I am going to have to do this for my fiero. Thanks for the info

[This message has been edited by 1984whitesc (edited 07-08-2007).]

quote Originally posted by Torch-Red87: Usefull ?.....................

Sometimes on a red light I turn off the engine and shut off the lights but I don't wan't to lower the headlamps every time, so I say its usefull...

quote Originally posted by fieroparts.com: all you have to do is turn your head lights on, then real quick turn the off then hit the parking light switch back on really fast and the head lights will stay up but not on, I have done it many times.

that works only on the old system not on the 87/88 as i remember correct

Or, you could do it the super easy way...

1) Go buy a cool switch from Radio Shack.
2) Remove the light switch panel.
3) Connect switch to the white wire (which sends the signal for the lights to go down).
4) Mount the switch behind the gauge pod for a hidden look, or on the other side if you don't have defrost for an exposed look.

Or, if your headlights are weak and you want them to stay up until you replace the motors... Just clip the white wire.

Bingo.

Greg
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[This message has been edited by FieroGTguy (edited 07-08-2007).]

quote Originally posted by swisscheese: Sometimes on a red light I turn off the engine and shut off the lights...

This is deserved one more time!




Try that stunt in Texas and you will find yourself a hood ornament for a Freightliner!

quote Originally posted by JohnF: This is deserved one more time! Try that stunt in Texas and you will find yourself a hood ornament for a Freightliner!

Lol!!!

Yeah, this is very common here that you turn off the engine at a red light (only if you know that it stays red for minimum the next 30-40 seconds) Gas is expensive here...
actually its about 5.2$ per gallon. Germany is even more expensive

[This message has been edited by swisscheese (edited 07-08-2007).]

O.K., let me see if I can figure this one out. Gas is 5.20 USD/gal. The average U.S. auto burns about 1/2 U.S. gallon per hour at idle. So that would be about $2.60USD (260 cents) per hour (3600 seconds). So, that would work out to about $0.00072 per second or less than 3 cents USD for 40 seconds of red light time. So, where you are, people will, at most, risk death and at least place tremdous extra wear and tear on their motorized vehicles for 3 CENTS per red light.

Yeah, I know it adds up over time. Just think, stopping at a red light 1000 times and shutting off your engine saves you at most about $28.00 US in fuel cost.

Again, HUH??????

Well it isn't really for the cost but for the environment. About ten years ago there where at red lights signs to shut the engine off while red (to reduce the pollution) I agree, today, there are few peoples that still do this.
But there are cars on the market that have this stop and go automatic: they shut the engine off automatically and start it as soon as you press the pedal.

Now back to topic (sorry for beeing OT)...

quote Originally posted by JohnF: O.K., let me see if I can figure this one out. Gas is 5.20 USD/gal. The average U.S. auto burns about 1/2 U.S. gallon per hour at idle. So that would be about $2.60USD (260 cents) per hour (3600 seconds). So, that would work out to about $0.00072 per second or less than 3 cents USD for 40 seconds of red light time. So, where you are, people will, at most, risk death and at least place tremdous extra wear and tear on their motorized vehicles for 3 CENTS per red light. Yeah, I know it adds up over time. Just think, stopping at a red light 1000 times and shutting off your engine saves you at most about $28.00 US in fuel cost. Again, HUH??????

even if its not the threadtopic , on trafficlights or at traincrossings is often a trafficsign to shut off the engine when waiting for green light .
its a common meaning here that you save money and its good for the envoirement when you do it ( cant stand the money part myself if i consider the extra work for my poor starter)

but when its an official trafficsign than you have to stop the engine (got a discussion about this with 2 cops some years ago )

[This message has been edited by Fieromaniac (edited 07-09-2007).]

while we be messing with the switch - how's about being able to turn off the headlights without shutting off the other lights? I always have to shut all down, then hit the little switch again.....

quote Originally posted by Pyrthian: while we be messing with the switch - how's about being able to turn off the headlights without shutting off the other lights? I always have to shut all down, then hit the little switch again.....

hmm just pull back the grey piece with your fingertips

if i understand your problem right : you want to turn of the headlight and let the parkinglight on . ( headlamps will stay open )

Was just about to say the same thing. Turn your lights on, pull back on the gray headlight part and the headlights go off but stay up. Parking lights stay on. Why do all that work?

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87 GT Maroon 3800SC & White Formula

How would you have the headlights on but disconnect all power to the motor once they are up? Same thing for down? I have rebuilt my motors a few times and it just keeps stripping teeth I'm sick of dealing with it and I just want a switch that I can use to trip the motors on and off. my light sgo up and down they just strip after a few weeks and don't trip the limit switch.

quote Originally posted by Curlrup: How would you have the headlights on but disconnect all power to the motor once they are up? Same thing for down? I have rebuilt my motors a few times and it just keeps stripping teeth I'm sick of dealing with it and I just want a switch that I can use to trip the motors on and off. my light sgo up and down they just strip after a few weeks and don't trip the limit switch.

a friend did what you suggest with his 84
he simply used an old powerwindowswitch and now he can control the lamps manually .

Couldn't you just put a relay on the lights themselves and have them turn off with the key?

So if I wanted to put a headlight motor kill switch in what wire going to each of my Gen 1 motors relays would you tap a switch into? I'm assuming the red one just splice into that line and run a switch to my dash. Iam I right or wrong here?

quote Originally posted by fieroparts.com: all you have to do is turn your head lights on, then real quick turn the off then hit the parking light switch back on really fast and the head lights will stay up but not on, I have done it many times.

x2, also have done it this way and I have hardly owned a fiero for a year.

quote Originally posted by fieroparts.com: all you have to do is turn your head lights on, then real quick turn the off then hit the parking light switch back on really fast and the head lights will stay up but not on, I have done it many times.

i do that alot but about half the time i dont get it quick enough and they go down, well with my recent headlight problem the passenger side goes down, then wont come back up.

quote Originally posted by bmwguru: BMW invented the infared night vision dash a few years ago. They are testing them in Germany right now. It enables you to see deer or parked cars easier in the dark. Naturally, a german guy would have to have this in his Fiero. If I drove my Fiero at night, I would be the second to do it...being that I have 5% tint all around on my car. Dave

didnt cadillac have that for a while a few years ago? the night vision was projected on the windshield similar to the HUD units.

To have your lights door open and the headlights not lighten.
Just push the parking light on , then press the headlight switch but without bottoming the button until they're all up then release the button , that's it . The doors will stay open and the lights are gonna be "off "

[This message has been edited by Robert 2 (edited 02-15-2009).]

quote Originally posted by Fieromaniac: that works only on the old system not on the 87/88 as i remember correct

I believe this method (of leaving the parking lights on) is in the Fiero owner's manual .... (Can/will check if needed)

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Just tap into the white wire of the switch with an on/off switch. Good write up a http://www.fierosails.com/fierosecrets.htmlt look under headlight / Michigan Fiero club for how to do! Cost under 10 /can do in less than 20 works 100%.