Testing midyear headlamp motors

[Brandon K.]

I had my original headlamp motors rebuilt about 8 years ago and want to make sure that they are working before I install them. I tried connecting 12V directly to the terminals on the motor and I got sparking at the terminals, but no motor movement. When I rotate the thumbwheel I can see the gear moving, but the slot where the inboard pivots fit does not appear to move. Is there something amiss with my motors, or am I doing this incorrectly?

Thanks!
Brandon

[Mike G.]

Re: Testing midyear headlamp motors

Brandon:

Stop and think about what you are doing here. The connector terminals are both 12 volts, but with opposite polarity. Up and down, right? Ground return is via the case so just clip onto any clean external surface. Spending a few bucks on one of the newer schematics (not LL's) would be a great investment.

[Brandon K.]

Re: Testing midyear headlamp motors

Thanks Mike--

Wow, scary thing is, I did think about it. What I thought about was that the case COULDN'T be a ground, because the mounting plate to the header bar is insulated via grommets. Duh, I didn't look at the wiring chart to see that there was a ground wire straight to the case. I will try again-- hope I didnt fry something with my Bubba testing approach. Thanks for the info!

Brandon

[Brandon K.]

Re: Testing midyear headlamp motors

Just to let you know, the motors are working great (kudos to the Wiper Wizard--not even sure if he is still in business).

Thanks for the great advice, and for not making me feel TOO stupid :-)

Brandon