67 Cougar headlight covers

[Coogar]

Hello everyone. I am having problems with my headlight covers raising and lowering when I turn on the lights. I am pretty sure they work on vacuum pressure, but what about an actuator and where is it located. I am tired of having to get out and manually raise them, I hope you can help.
Thanks.

[dallas121469]

Well my understanding of the Cougar headlight cover system is that it uses the vacuum to hold the covers open, unlike the GM system which is just the opposite. Thats why you can see Fieros and Vettes driving around with their headlights popped open. Ford and Mercury headlights will close when they dont have any vaccuum.

I would suggest you enlist the help of a friend or family member to check the system. First, have them turn the switch on and off while you stand outside and listen and look for mechanical problems. If you dont even hear the motors try to kick in I would look for an electrical malfunction first.

If the motors try to run without success then listen for a vaccuum leak. If the leak is large enough to cause the covers to malfunction you should be able to hear it quite well. You will have to run the car to build up vaccuum then shut it down and listen.

If neither of these seems to be the problem then yes something such as a spring or actuator is probably disconnected and you will simply have to work back from the headlight covers to find the missing piece.

Always keep in mind that to properly check the system you must have some vaccuum in the system. So you may have to run the car periodically to check stuff out.

The most common problem with these headlights is a small rubber diaphragm that you can buy at Cougar parts shops such as Auto Krafters and Mustangs Unlimited. IF you need more help let me know.

Good Luck.

[67inpieces]

Originally Posted by Coogar

Hello everyone. I am having problems with my headlight covers raising and lowering when I turn on the lights. I am pretty sure they work on vacuum pressure, but what about an actuator and where is it located. I am tired of having to get out and manually raise them, I hope you can help.
Thanks.

The actuator is located on the driver side near the frame rail. It is 12v activated when you turn on you headlights. It has a line in and two out. The two out open and close the covers. If need be you can manually bypass the actuator or disconect it and move the covers by hand. In 68' the actuator changed, but either way they are hard to find and I dont know about rebuilts. Good luck.