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Thanks for your interest. I was gone for a couple of days.
Installed the second new headlight switch today with the same results; park and taillights will not shut off. Fortunately I long ago installed a shut off at the battery.
This seemingly leads back to a wiring problem. The only thing I can think of is somewhere in the wiring there is a red power wire touching a brown park/taillight wire.
Any other ideas or ways to trace this down?
OP either gave up or found the problem and didn't want to 'share' what he found.
Thanks for your interest. I was gone for a couple of days.
Installed the second new headlight switch today with the same results; park and taillights will not shut off. Fortunately I long ago installed a shut off at the battery.
This seemingly leads back to a wiring problem. The only thing I can think of is somewhere in the wiring there is a red power wire touching a brown park/taillight wire.
Any other ideas or ways to trace this down?
Thanks for your interest. I was gone for a couple of days.
Installed the second new headlight switch today with the same results; park and taillights will not shut off. Fortunately I long ago installed a shut off at the battery.
This seemingly leads back to a wiring problem. The only thing I can think of is somewhere in the wiring there is a red power wire touching a brown park/taillight wire.
Any other ideas or ways to trace this down?
You got me. I guess you need to start disconnecting like Richard said. I'd pull the emergency flasher first, NOT the turn signal flasher as we said before. You will need to track down where a constant unswitched 12v is getting to your parking circuit. The only draw back is that the lights go off when you pull the connector
You got me. I guess you need to start disconnecting like Richard said. I'd pull the emergency flasher first, NOT the turn signal flasher as we said before. You will need to track down where a constant unswitched 12v is getting to your parking circuit. The only draw back is that the lights go off when you pull the connector
Pulled out the hazard flasher and lights are still on. One thing I did observe is when the hazard lights are flashing the front side markers (amber) are flashing but not the rear (red). don't know if this is by design.
Also pulled off the directional signal flasher and that had no affect.
There are three pages in your thread, at the top right select page 2 and scroll down to post #36. You can also select page 2 just below the right bottom corner of this message.
Pulled out the hazard flasher and lights are still on. One thing I did observe is when the hazard lights are flashing the front side markers (amber) are flashing but not the rear (red). don't know if this is by design.
Also pulled off the directional signal flasher and that had no affect.
Just checked my 72 and that's the way it works too.
1)OK- lets try to figure where problem is coming- the front of the car or the back.
Try disconnecting the 12 pin harness ( 8 wires on it) that runs to the rear of the car- that way you'll know which tail to chase. Located above the fusebox- what it looks like-see below
2) Where's the constant power coming from? Actually pull the hazard flasher - as it has constant power and the parking lights might not pull enough power to flash. Then pull fuses-till the lights go out.
Lets us know-
Sorry, I missed this post.
I'm leaving for two weeks in Ireland and won't be able to get back on this for some time. I follow what you are saying and it is logical. Just to clarify I remove the hazard flasher and then pull one fuse at a time. I did pull the flasher and the lights stayed on.
The metal part of the headlight switch picks up a ground through #7 but that only comes into play when you turn the shaft all the way to the left to turn on the courtesy lights.
I looked at that. The metal #7 is only screwed into the plastic speedo bezel. There is no way it can be grounded. It's purpose is just to orient the headlight switch correctly. It has a slot in which a tab on the switch seats into for proper orientation.
The white wire for the courtesy lights and rear compartment light has to ground there for the switch to turn them off and on. Do your courtesy lights turn off and on with turning the switch with the doors closed? That white wire has 12v all the time, but it passes through the bulbs first so the voltage is dropped by the courtesy lights when you turn it on or open the door. Sure sounds like a funky miswiring at the switch.
After this much time, I'd run a ground wire to #7 (strap) and see what happens.
Wires misassembled to the switch is my bet. Very easy to swap a couple and not catch it.
The park/tail light "always on" condition existed with the headlight switch wire harness connector untouched from the way it was when I bought the car in 1998.
I looked at that. The metal #7 is only screwed into the plastic speedo bezel. There is no way it can be grounded. It's purpose is just to orient the headlight switch correctly. It has a slot in which a tab on the switch seats into for proper orientation.
On my car there is no ground involved. You can see in the illustration it attaches to the plastic speedo bezel. The illustration also does not show any ground strap/wire that attaches at that point to make a ground. It only functions as an anti-rotation device to properly locate the switch and lock it in place for rotating the **** to adjust console light brightness. The strap is there, I have never removed it and everything functioned normally before my original "no headlights on dim" problem. I guess I run an auxiliary ground to the headlight switch but I put it all back together as I have a couple of functions I wanted to go this week.
The white wire for the courtesy lights and rear compartment light has to ground there for the switch to turn them off and on. Do your courtesy lights turn off and on with turning the switch with the doors closed? That white wire has 12v all the time, but it passes through the bulbs first so the voltage is dropped by the courtesy lights when you turn it on or open the door. Sure sounds like a funky miswiring at the switch.
After this much time, I'd run a ground wire to #7 (strap) and see what happens.
You never answered this question. I don't think it can affect your problem, but I'm wondering how your courtesy lights work with the headlight switch without a ground.
I think it comes down to this, you're getting 12v on the brown wire circuit all the time. From where? Can't say. You can break it down by disconnecting wires as Richard said. The thing that makes it sound impossible is that that the 12v disappears on the brown when you disconnect the switch, which should indicate the switch. We've already been there a couple of times.
08-26-2016, 03:49 PM
