Flip up headlamps draining battery
 

Car is a 94 SC2. We never once had a problem with the flip up lights. Then my cousin backed into it with his suv. He did only cosmetic damage and required the bumper re sprayed, driver side marker replaced and the driver side headlamp door repainted. About a week after getting the car fixed she went to start the car and the batt was stone dead. As soon as I hooked up my charger to it I heard a clicking/thumping sound. More of a thumping sound. When I turned on the head lamps the sound went away. I cycled them up and down a few times and all was well and I recharged the batt. A few days later same thing. I unplugged both head lamp motors and since doing that we haven't had a problem. Obviously it's related to the head lights. It's almost like when they are off (down) they keep trying to close (hence the thumping sound) but I'm not really sure. Any ideas on this? Something is going on to make one or both of the headlamp motors pulsate/thump. This is my Grandmothers car and she's embarrassed to drive the car with the flip up lights in the up position. Ha Ha

I would suspect the control circuit for the headlights is out of alignment (caused by accident) ??

When he backed into the car the driver side lamp took a good whack I'm sure. It had to be sanded filled and painted as it had a gouge in it. Both lights go up and down at the same time. How do I go about checking the alignment? Wonder if I should just replace the driver side headlamp motor?

I did notice that when you turn on the lights and they go up, you hear a whooshing sound when it reaches the end of it's travel. Almost like an air compressor if that makes any sense. For all I know it could have always done that. I just noticed that while looking into this problem. Thanks

I hate to sound repititious at times. But
These cars are actually quite complex in operation and it pays to go by your autoparts store where they have service manuals from Haynes, Mitchell and Chilton and I am sure others. I have no particular prefernce they frankly probably have all the same information in them.
And spend 20 bucks to buy one.
They tell how to repair, replace and adjust the bits and pieces quite well. Complete with pictures and simple to read instructions.
Long gone is the day when a hammer and a screw driver is about all you need to fix something with.
Are they perfect? No, to get something better you need to buy a factory manual. They are available here and there and can easily run upwards of a C note.
but for quesions like this when it is difficult to determine what is happening and for some of us, we may never have seen it.
I have a Haynes manual for my Saturn and access to some pretty heavy professional data I can look it up in for my car.
I can look it up for yours too, but I am guessing at things because I am not there to touch and feel
and unfortunatly you are clueless. That is not intended to sound negative nor personal. It would help both of us if we could at least get to the same page and discuss this problem.
It is very easy to spend a ton of money not fixing things by not knowing what or how and a $20.00 manual can save more than that the first time it is used.

Yeah I'll have to agree with you. If I'm going to keep working on this car a shop manual would be in order.

Having said that, up until very recently this car has never warranted the need for a book. It's been an aggravation free car. All it's needed has been maintainence items and no book needed for those type of things.