Okay, I have a mechanical engineering degree, but experience trumps all, so I'm fishing to see if anyone is experienced in this and if they can offer insight.

I was driving my '95 miata at night and went through the manned gate of my parents' neighborhood. Being a nice guy, and not wanting to blind the guard, I put my headlamps down. As I passed the gate I put them up - but only the passenger side one went up and the other stayed down and the headlight malfunction light illuminated on the dash. The light stayed on even when I shut down and left the car and it drained my battery.

I recharged the battery, but the light came back and the driver's headlight wouldn't come up (it oddly did one random time but that's it), but the headlight still turns on. After a while I looked underhood and noticed that the retractor motor for the malfunctioning one was very hot, while the working one was cold. I checked the retractor fuse and (obviously, because one worked) it was fine.

I simply think the retractor motor is somehow shot and I should replace it. But, my parents are both pilots of 35+ years each, and pilots are trained on troubleshooting systems, and they think there is something faulty electrically between the switch and the motor. I want another opinion before I go out and buy another retractor motor.

So, what do y'all think? Do any of you have experience with this?