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adaptive headlight not moving

lextoy

Seasoned Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2014
Messages
387
Location
philadelphia
My XLR/V(s)
2007 Liquid Amethyst
hi all,
i've had this problem for a while now, havent seen another post like it so i figured i would ask.
my 07 has the adaptive headlights, drivers side moves left and right, like its supposed to. but the passenger side doesnt move.
its just stuck in one position. unfortunately its aimed too far left so its almost crossing over the other headlight beam.
it also happens to be aimed low.
neither condition is very noticeable, but i know its not right and it bugs me.
i dont want to replace the whole unit since it works fine, and they cost a fortune.
so i'm looking for repair or adjustment advice.

i think the vertical adjustment can be fixed easily, by turning the adjuster.
more importantly
how does the left/ right adaptive control work,
if i take the bulb out can i manually turn the housing to center it ? or is there any horizontal adjustment screw like there is for vertical??

i would love to get it working, but i'm ok just getting it centered and leveled.

is there a motor or gear in the adaptive part that could be jammed ? or control unit that is separate from the main headlight unit?
if i unplug the wires and replug them in, does the headlight do an automatic left right recenter movement??
i'm trying to figure out how the adaptive part works, and if its repairable, or at least manually adjustable...
 
nope, only drivers side sweeps. passenger never moves at all. also no warnings on the dash about malfunction.
i have read that "SERVICE AFS" can pop up for service the Adaptive Forward lighting System.
but never have seen it.
since these headlights cost a fortune, before i take it out and play with it, i was wondering if anyone who has worked on one can tell me how the light goes back and forth.
so maybe i can recenter it and not break anything ;)
 
Last edited:
lextoy

The Adaptive Forward Light System work with sensors that measure the speed, the road curves, the angle of your XLR and gets the little motors connected to the lamps either LH or RH to swivel up to 15 degrees each side…...cool is in it ( when it works )

Little information is available for the XLR , however a lot more for the European cars on internet, try a search.

If you are confortable and have the ability with a Tech2 the defective code could be store in the system and with scanning it you could be able to know the real defect of the AFLS.

Your comments makes me think that the lamp is off its place as it aims downward, a burn motor, an open wire or a defective relay ( may be a fuse )

A trust body shop could help you as they probably the know the how to do with the AFLS Fix problem.

A repair manual of your 2006 would be a plus for you in order to know better your XLR.

Good Luck.

IAN
 
Or, the motor is working (so no code, assuming it reads position near the motor), but the mechanism isn't connected.
 
AFL system positioning for the XLR is determined by vehicle speed and the Steering Wheel Position sensor. Unfortunately, there are no sensors to measure road curves in this vehicle. (Cadillac's Supercruise is one example of a system that does, using a combination of real-time GPS and camera-fed video data in conjunction with other onboard sensors.)

You can download a complete factory service manual system description (with schematics, troubleshooting and repair data) for a few bucks a day here: RepairProcedures.com - Providing electronic service information for 1995 to current GM vehicles

CCC
 
thx CC
local corvette shop was able to play with it and get the adaptive lens centered and leveled without removing it from the car.
also found something loose in that part of the assembly so tightened it up.
it doesnt move, but its aimed correctly now.
if i ever need to remove it to replace a bulb, i'll play with it myself.
only bulb out right now is on the opposite side, amber side lens, ugh.
dont think i can get that fixed without assembly removal. maybe do it this summer if i get ambitious.
so far it passes the inspection with that bulb out ;)
one of these days i'll pull both assemblies for a comparison and see if i can get the AFL working 100%
if enough bulbs go out, hahahaha
 
thx CC
local corvette shop was able to play with it and get the adaptive lens centered and leveled without removing it from the car.
also found something loose in that part of the assembly so tightened it up.
it doesnt move, but its aimed correctly now.
if i ever need to remove it to replace a bulb, i'll play with it myself.
only bulb out right now is on the opposite side, amber side lens, ugh.
dont think i can get that fixed without assembly removal. maybe do it this summer if i get ambitious.
so far it passes the inspection with that bulb out ;)
one of these days i'll pull both assemblies for a comparison and see if i can get the AFL working 100%
if enough bulbs go out, hahahaha

Replacing the small bulbs on the headlights are fairly easy. Three or four plastic pushpins on the closeout panels (fenderwell splash covers), gently bend down the cover to get at the retaining nuts. Three nuts off the headlight assy, pull out the headlight, twist off the guilty bulb socket, replace, and reassemble. Took me about 15 minutes to replace several burned out bulbs last year.
 
My '07 had Service AFS system error. I saw the left side headlight didn't move on startup, so I removed it. I found there was a broken brown wire which I repaired with solder / shrink wrap. Now both lights sweep and error is gone. I hope this short story is helpful to someone.
 

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