headlight motor and linkage

[Harpman]

Hey Porsche, I know you can hear me. Why one motor and some big noisy heavy lingage going all the way across to the other headlight? Why not two much smaller motors, one mounted on each side- way quieter, less space. Next time, OK????

[Moneyguy1]

914 did this. The 944 is actually simpler and less prone to failure, believe it or not, although I wish they had permanently mounted lights and had trashed the rotating idea altogether....

[todwic]

I like my flippy lights.

[Sabyre]

I once had a earlier model Sunbird with flippy lights. More like flippy shields. It had a 2 motor setup. The gearing (dried up) and when you turned the headlights on or off they would produce a screeching sound that is comparable to a shreiking banshee conjured up in your worst of nightmares.

Applaude what Porsche has givin' you.

It can always be worse!

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Sabyre
I once had a earlier model Sunbird with flippy lights. More like flippy shields. It had a 2 motor setup. The gearing (dried up) and when you turned the headlights on or off they would produce a screeching sound that is comparable to a shreiking banshee conjured up in your worst of nightmares.

Applaude what Porsche has givin' you.

It can always be worse!

The gearing on Porsche's setup can dry up too. There's nothing magical to keep it from drying out.

My old Accord had a two motor setup for its retracting headlights and it worked flawlessly for 217,000 miles (I can't say for sure after that since I sold the car at 217,000 miles).

I really don't think that either system is better than the other, the 914, it must be remembered, is a very old car and given the 914's fairly notorious electrical system it's not surprising that it had problems with the headlights (mine hasn't, so far). Sure a one-motor system has the weight of the linkage, but it also lacks the weight of a second motor. The only drawback I see in the one motor system is a lack of redundancy. If one motor fails, then you have no headlights. In a two motor system, if one motor fails at least you still have one headlight. But the chances of a motor failure are so small that it really doesn't matter in practical application. Usually the failure is in a relay or the wiring which would disable a two-motor system as well as a one-motor system.

Aaron

[SoCal Driver]

Don't think Porsche did too bad when you realize that the 924 was one of the first semi-production cars to have retracting headlights. Actually the third Porsche model as the 914 and 928 were before it.

Think about how many times you turn the headlights on-off. Pretty good MTBF's.

[Moneyguy1]

With the 924/44 you can still have headlights even with a motor failure, using the manual knob.

[Sabyre]

The only drawback I see in the one motor system is a lack of redundancy. If one motor fails, then you have no headlights.

Thank god for the manual operation knob.

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Sabyre
Thank god for the manual operation knob.

Depends on the failure mode. You're right considering that I only mentioned a motor failure, but if there's a gearset failure or some such thing where the motor becomes disconnected from the linkage then even the manual knob isn't going to help.

Aaron

[Sabyre]

Aye... let me rephrase.

Thank god for four letter carnal verbs!!