Having finally worked myself up to Ferrari ownership (and loving it), I have my first real big problem with my 456 GTA M. The pop-up headlights are not 'popping' when I turn the lights on. All other lights seem to be working. I have checked the fuse diagram and there appears to be a fuse for each side... ...but the fuses are OK and its both sides not just one that are not working. At a loss now as to where to investigate next. Is this a common fault? Has anyone had similar experiences and what is the actual fault. All advice welcomed.
Yes and yes. Is your horn working? There are actually 3 fuses and 3 relays for the headlight motors. If your horn is also not working, check fuse 2. Make sure it doesn't blow immediately after testing the lights. As both pods are not working, also check relay D (try interchanging with a non-important relay with the same part number. Image Unavailable, Please Login Wiring diagram available on request... but it's not for the faint of heart.
Try relay "P". Or just one of the headlight motor relays. At least one pod should work if you do the latter.
Thank you so much for the advice - hugely appreciated. I will try at the weekend and let you know the result!!!
OK - so things are getting weirder!!! Tried the horn... ...that works, but the lights still don't pop up. Checked fuses and changed Relay 'D' and still the lights don't pop. Now found that the windscreen wipers don't work either now... ...what on earth is going on? I am frankly at a loss - at the moment, I can only use the 456 in daylight on sunny days, which is not often in the UK. Any help and advice on where and what to try next would be much appreciated.
Well, there goes your easy fixes. How did you check your fuses? Visually or with an ohmmeter? Your wipers use a different fuse (#21), so there are no clues there. The wiper fuse doesn't power anything else but the windscreen wipers and washers (and the wiper control module). Do your washers work? The wiper module controls both wipers and washers. If your washers work, you know you have power to the module and to the steering column stalk switch. Can you still start the car? Wiper and headlight motors use a lot of juice. Flat-ish battery? By the way, do you have a RHD car? Is your relay panel upside down compared to the image above?
Did you actually buy a new relay or just interchange it? I just realised that relay P, one of my interchange candidates, would stop both your headlights illuminating (if you left it out or if it was broken), but the pods should still have worked.
If you know how to use a voltmeter/ohmmeter... At relay D (socket) with relay pulled: Check for 12 volts ignition power (key on) at socket contact 86 (voltmeter black probe on a suitable earth) Check for 12 volts (live) battery power at socket contact 30 (voltmeter black probe on a suitable earth) Check for a good earth on socket contact 85 with an ohmmeter. With relay inserted, key on, headlights off... Check for 12 volts at relay panel plug B pin 5 (backprobe the plug with your voltmeter, if you have sharp probes). Don't disconnect the plug. Image Unavailable, Please Login Should be a black/green white wire in that position With relay D inserted, key on, headlights on... Check for 12 volts at relay panel plug B pin 4. Should be a violet wire. All voltage measurements should be taken with the DC setting - - - ____
My car started exhibiting all kinds of similar weird issues when the battery and/or alternator were failing. I had my headlamp motors rebuilt most recently when they started acting up and now they work perfectly so they CAN be rebuilt and resealed.
Hi All, I need some urgent advice Have got an auto electrician here looking at the lights and wiper issues - he has found that when there is power fed to the lights they work. The relays also work fine, but he is trying to trace the switch that they feed to. From the wiring diagram, it seems to go to switches 125B and 126B.... ...where are they, what are they? Any further advice welcome as this is driving us all mad
Yes sorry. The lights (illumination) works even when they are down. There is power to the relays but seems to be no connection from the repays to the headlight motor. When the relay is by-passed and fed, the headlight pops up as it should. Relays have been double checked and work fine. Also no joy with the windscreen wipers, which failed at the same time. I assume its linked. Do you know where the windscreen wiper control module is?
Is relay D being activated? If there is power to the relay and the relay is working, is power getting to relay panel plug B, pin 4? i.e. with the headlights turned on. (see post #8)
Sorry - what is relay Plug B - looking at the manual, its for A/c? Where is it located - with all the other relays? Really appreciate your advice
If spice 126B is suspected to be faulty, is there no continuity between the relay D pin 87 and the motor plug violet wire (blue wire on the motor plug harness)
Is your relay panel oriented as per the diagram above, or upside down? (main battery terminals on the left)? Image Unavailable, Please Login
It seems odd that both pods have failed at the same time (unless it's related to the inputs/outputs of relay D) I can't see any connection with the wipers, though. I'm not sure where the wiper module is located. Being a RHD car, it could be under the dash (above the driver's right foot). Either that or above the driver's left foot as it is on a LHD car (see photo below). Image Unavailable, Please Login See the box with the silver Bosch sticker on it.
Sometimes splices are not splices at all, but two wires stuck into the same pin. Are there two violet wires here? Or just one? Image Unavailable, Please Login Looks like plug B is light grey in colour.
Sorry, I missed this sentence. So the signal from the column light switch is not reaching relay D? If this is the case, I’m not sure why you’re looking at the splices downstream of the relay.
When the low beam headlights are turned on, the stalk switch provides power to relay D (pin 86). Is pin 86 getting power? The stalk switch low beam setting also sends power to relay P (pin 86). Is that getting power? If relay P is getting power, but relay D isn't, then you have a fusebox problem. If neither relays are getting power, you either have a stalk switch issue or the wiring to fusebox is bad (or the fusebox itself is bad). See blue highlighted line: Image Unavailable, Please Login The power from the stalk switch enters the fusebox on a blue/yellow wire via plug F, pin 4. Image Unavailable, Please Login Can you backprobe pin 4 for voltage with the low beams turned on?
Hello All, Firstly, I want to say a huge genuine thank you for all advice and support I have received regarding the issue. Its been so reassuring that there are people out there willing to help Ferrari novices like me. Just to update on the situation. The wiper issue is sorted and was not related at all to the pop-up headlights. The auto-electrician spent a few hours running through everything and all the advice above and its seems the issue is the fuseboard itself. Apparently, as the head lights have not been used a lot, the motors get stiff and then draw more current to operate. As this goes on, the connections on the fuseboard (linked to the relays) have been arcing out and failing. The fuseboard looks like its been repaired before. Is this a common fault as I have never had a car where the fuseboard has failed. It seems I have the option of taking the fuseboard out and trying to re-solder the joints or replace the fuseboard itself, which already sounds expensive....
Unfortunately, yes. High current draw due to faulty devices often cooks these Ferrari boards, although headlights causing fuseboard damage seems to be relatively rare. It's usually fans. No, the solution is not cheap. There are a couple of people who do hardwired versions (not the flimsy OEM bendy circuit board type). e.g. @theunissenguido on FChat. Guido actually helped me create the wiring diagrams for the fuseboard internals. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147753723/ You can, of course, try resoldering the board as a temporary measure, but I'd do something about your pod motor/gearboxes before reinstalling the fuseboard. You could lubricate the external linkages, but if you're feeling more daring, you could open up the gearboxes and motors and try cleaning and lubricating those. New motors seem to be impossible to find. I can't remember if they are compatible with the 348/355 motors. I see Eurospares show a ridulous GBP4,000 per motor!!!. This usually means they haven't got any in stock. The high listed price is just to give you a heads up for bad news. By the way, lots of people have fixed up the gearboxes. There may even be a tutorial floating around somewhere on how to do it. Best to check on the 456/550/575 forum.
