July 30, 200718 yr Hey! my buddy has a 2000 2.5RS and recently went to a car wash, and now his tail lights are on ALL THE TIME. when the car is off, (little switch on steering column is also off) headlights on or off.... still on, and the brake lights still work.. but lights are on.. his headlights were not affected i told him its a short... but he has no manuals or anything so i cant see a scamatic any suggestions?? thanks!!!!
July 30, 200718 yr Hey! my buddy has a 2000 2.5RS and recently went to a car wash, and now his tail lights are on ALL THE TIME. when the car is off, (little switch on steering column is also off) headlights on or off.... still on, and the brake lights still work.. but lights are on.. his headlights were not affected i told him its a short... but he has no manuals or anything so i cant see a scamatic any suggestions?? thanks!!!! Flip the column swich a couple of times to be sure it is off. . . That is the Subaru Virgin Switch, and it may be halfway between on and off, so it looks to be off, but is really on. . .
July 30, 200718 yr Author Are the front parking lights on too, or just the rears? Just the rears, and the licence plate light. Flip the column swich a couple of times to be sure it is off. . . That is the Subaru Virgin Switch, and it may be halfway between on and off, so it looks to be off, but is really on. . . the switch is definitly off
July 31, 200718 yr Author hahahahahaha i dont even want to think what the next post is ok ok ok okok ..... so no ideas huh? could it be a short in the trunk somewhere???? thanks everyone!
July 31, 200718 yr Hm...not really sure. Maybe you could look in the rear RH/passenger side tail lamp area. Some earlier Subaru's used to have some kind of relay box in there that did some stuff with the lights. If you find such a box maybe you can try tapping it with the butt of a screwdriver or something. I'm not sure what this box does maybe it has something to do with the rear lamps. It's the black squarish box with the little orange screwdriver hole thing in it: (this is on '94 Legacy wagon)
July 31, 200718 yr [...] so no ideas huh? could it be a short in the trunk somewhere????[...]Normally the fronts and rears come on together, and any short that would power the rears would usually also power the fronts. So to help with the diagnosis,... Just the rears, and the licence plate light. the switch is definitly off ...which lights, front and rear, come on if the parking switch on the column is turned ON? By the way, did the "car wash" involve just the exterior, or was there some interior cleaning done as well? If so, where?
July 31, 200718 yr He said it's "Just the rears, and the licence plate light." Do the fronts work at all, like with the virgin switch or headlamp switch?
July 31, 200718 yr He said it's "Just the rears, and the licence plate light."Thanks, Porcupine73, but may I politely suggest that you try rereading my post? Do the fronts work at all, like with the virgin switch or headlamp switch?Gee, seems that was what I was getting at, since I asked "which lights, front and rear, come on if the parking switch on the column is turned ON?".
July 31, 200718 yr Hm...not really sure. Maybe you could look in the rear RH/passenger side tail lamp area. Some earlier Subaru's used to have some kind of relay box in there that did some stuff with the lights. If you find such a box maybe you can try tapping it with the butt of a screwdriver or something. I'm not sure what this box does maybe it has something to do with the rear lamps. It's the black squarish box with the little orange screwdriver hole thing in it: (this is on '94 Legacy wagon) That is interesting Porcupine73. I checked my info to see what it says about it and it says the box is a Stoplight Check Unit. The info says it is in the right rear side like you stated. After checking the wiring diagrams to see what they showed I could not find anything on the prints showing it. This module may be causing the trouble but I can't say for sure without seeing how it is tied in. Looking at the diagram for the rear lights it looks to me that the only way this problem can happen (unless some modification has been done to the wiring) is if the Park Light Switch on top of the steering column is shorted and the front marker lights are burned out, so they would be on also if they were good. To prove that I would try disconnecting the switch from the connector to it and see if the lights go out. If they do go out then replace the switch and the front lights. Before doing that first see if the front lights turn on when the Park switch is On, like the others mentioned. If the front lights still don't light up then I think my idea is on track. If the lights do come on then there is a different problem happening and the rear lights are getting power from somewhere and are split off the front lights somehow.
July 31, 200718 yr Author Hey All, Thanks for the responses, This is the owner of the vehicle writing... I had a whole interior cleaning done but not a detail so just a vacc and wipe is all. I doubt that they could have got to any wiring to short the lights... but who knows. Do you all think we will have to trace the lines and see if it is shorting out?? They didn't open the trunk as far as I am aware. I appreciate all the help and stuff, Thanks!!
July 31, 200718 yr Did you try the test I mentioned in my previous post? If not, follow the instructions there and let us know what you find.
August 1, 200718 yr Author hey everyone, thanks so much for the response... my buddys car is 177 miles away, so i cant run out and try the tests... and he's a busy guy.. but we'll see when his prioirites change when his battery dies *sorry andrew, i know you're reading this... hehehehe *
August 1, 200718 yr Your remark made me think here. By pulling fuse #5 it may turn out the lights. If it does, then my thought of the shorted Park switch is correct.
August 1, 200718 yr Author the switch was half on. my buddy is a little on the short side...and... well... we'll leave it at that. all is well, and everyone is my hero(s) thank you !!! (he says thanks as well!!!)
August 1, 200718 yr the switch was half on. my buddy is a little on the short side...and... well... we'll leave it at that. all is well, and everyone is my hero(s) thank you !!! (he says thanks as well!!!) yep, that's a half virgin!!!
August 1, 200718 yr the switch was half on. my buddy is a little on the short side...and... well... we'll leave it at that. all is well, and everyone is my hero(s) thank you !!! (he says thanks as well!!!) Good deal. Thanks for the update. That was kind of a strange one.
January 12, 200818 yr Wanted to Bump this one ... I replaced my dome light yesterday, and now the tail lights and front parking lights are on 100% of the time, too. Freaky. I can't say that one led to the other - but it's the only thing electrical I can think of that happened. I did go thru some puddles, but nothing huge. hmm... Hey Porcupine - what were you going to suggest if it were also the parking lights in front? ...
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