headlight delay

[StressSolutions]

Good morning, search did not provide any clues...

I've noticed a few times when turning on the headlights that there is sometimes a delay in the lights coming on. They pop up quickly, but like last night it took prob 5-8 seconds before the lights came on. Makes my wife nervous when we have 40 miles of deer infested roads to traverse. Thanks! Mick

[2drSE-i]

look for shorts in the wires, maybe your alternator as well

welcome to the site, i hope someone can answer your question

[StressSolutions]

:sad2: I suspect I'd have better luck finding shorts in my dresser drawers...It is not blowing fuses. The alternator charges the battery, runs the car. Sometimes the headlights come on right away, sometimes they don't.
Perhaps this is normal for this hotrod, perhaps not.

Anyone have a similar exerience?

[lamontlamont]

does it happen when its very cold outside? mine does that too, i think the grease they use inside the combination switch is very thick in the cold and some times doesnt allow the switch to make contact.

[StressSolutions]

Cold, yes...about 0 F last night. I just got the car on Halloween, so Honda's all new to me. thanks for the reply...mick

[FyreDaug]

Mine does it sometimes too, shouldnt be much to worry about.

[Oldblueaccord]

Cold, yes...about 0 F last night. I just got the car on Halloween, so Honda's all new to me. thanks for the reply...mick

Yeah under about 32 degrees I just leave them in the up position. that way there no chance of them freezing stuck down. I dunno what makes it so slow.


wp

[smufguy]

the headlights popping up and the lights coming on are all controlled by one switch, which is your headlight swtich on the steering. But the light and the pop up mechanism run on two different relays. So ur best bet is to swap out the relays and see if the lights are working any different. I have never had any problems with my headlights coming on after a dealy.

[StressSolutions]

Yeah under about 32 degrees I just leave them in the up position. that way there no chance of them freezing stuck down. I dunno what makes it so slow.
wp
Well, couple different things there. My lights pop up great, even when there is snow or ice on them. I try to plan ahead, leave them up when I make many stops at night.

Switching the relays is a good idea, that will rule out/rule in the grease, or relay or indicate no problem. Thanks! Who wants to come and bypass my Neut safe switch? :sadwave:

[Oldblueaccord]

Well, couple different things there. My lights pop up great, even when there is snow or ice on them. I try to plan ahead, leave them up when I make many stops at night.
Switching the relays is a good idea, that will rule out/rule in the grease, or relay or indicate no problem. Thanks! Who wants to come and bypass my Neut safe switch? :sadwave:

just guessing but most Neutral safty switches goto ground just gotta figure which wire to ground out and your running. Honda im sure has made it more complicatedthan that.


wp

[lostforawhile]

the controls for the headlight motors only have one very small relay,and it's inside the control module,which is under the dash. it will be marked stanley retractable control. the lights coming on though have nothing to do with the motor controls. they are controlled directly through the switch with the exception of the highbeam which has a relay. this is a sign of your combination switch going bad,this is a common problem with these cars. there is a small spring inside of the switch which puts pressure on the contacts and it weakens with time. the lights will hang up between high and low beam many times. or they won't come on at all unless you switch back and forth from low to high beam and back. mine did this for a long time,now my lights go out at random,I have a switch coming from a member of the board thank god,we have a lot of deer here too. I would look for a switch while you can,honda has discontined some of the switches already,like the 86 one that fits my hatch. lucky i can interchange one from an 89 lxi.

[smufguy]

I thought that Small spring and ball bearing was for the directionals. When i ripped mine apart, i found the stem going from the actual switch on the outisde lever to the inside switch mechanism was broken. I just rigged up a 3 stage SS 15A toggle switch that runs off my stock harness.

[lostforawhile]

thats one of the springs,there is another one that toggles the contacts between low and high beam,it wears out too,also the contacts burn,the switches carry too much current on low beam,when i get this good switch i will use a relay to turn on the lights controlled by the switch,the high beam already has a relay. I have heard people on here in the past talk about switches smoking and someone said their switch caught on fire. if you have ever seen the wiring upgrade kit they sell for high power halogens,the one with the relays,this will do the same thing. this will have the switch only running current for the running lights and the relays for low and high beam this will make it last a lot longer.

[lamontlamont]

if you ever replace your combination switch make sure you get a replacement from the same year. i have a 87 and the 89 doesnt fit right. i t hink the 86/87 is a little diff from the 88/89 to be safeget the exact same year. other problems include the turn signal being too high or too low and not staying in placebecause it keeps hitting the column housing.

[lostforawhile]

I have an 89 lxi switch in my 86 dx hatch and don't have any problems,honda swears it won't work but it's been in there for years. I tried to buy the 86 dx switch to be told it was discontinued,but they couldn't sell me an 87 or 88 or 89 because of liability. I asked the dealer parts person what i was suppposed to do then,and they sugested a new car. :sad2:

[lamontlamont]

did you buy your switch used? i ask because maybe you bought a used one that was actually an 89 that was replaced. i have a 87lx car and when i put in an 89switch i couldnt tighten the steering wheel with out causing it to be hard to move. also i couldnt signal left as i recall, because the black cover prevented the signal stalk from staying in place i had to hold it in place. everything else worked fine its just a minor size issue.

[lostforawhile]

did you buy your switch used? i ask because maybe you bought a used one that was actually an 89 that was replaced. i have a 87lx car and when i put in an 89switch i couldnt tighten the steering wheel with out causing it to be hard to move. also i couldnt signal left as i recall, because the black cover prevented the signal stalk from staying in place i had to hold it in place. everything else worked fine its just a minor size issue.
I got mine from an 89 lxi hatch at the junkyard,I remember now i cut a little bit of material away on the platic thing that goes around the switch. it was no big deal i might have used the 86 turn signal cancel sleeve too. it all works fine other then the fact the switch is going bad from age. I wanted to put in the factory cruise system anyway,so i needed the switch with the cruise ring.

[logic]

I got mine from an 89 lxi hatch at the junkyard,I remember now i cut a little bit of material away on the platic thing that goes around the switch. it was no big deal i might have used the 86 turn signal cancel sleeve too. it all works fine other then the fact the switch is going bad from age. I wanted to put in the factory cruise system anyway,so i needed the switch with the cruise ring.

Unless they are really fried you don't need to get a new one. Just take it apart, sand the contacts down with some fine sandpaper or emery cloth, I would strongly recommend polishing them with a dremel tool after that and spraying them with contact cleaner/lubricant, then put them back together.

I had about 250k on my 88LXi so I didn't put a relay in because the car probably won't make it another 250k....