Headlights will not shut off even when vehicle ignition is off

15 years ago

My headlights on my 2001 Ford Explorer are now continuously on while the switch is off and the ignition is off with the keys out. The only way I can shut them off is by pulling the "Parklamps Relay and Main Light Switch" fuse. I unplugged both the main light switch and the automatic light sensor, but it didn't work when I put the fuse back in.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

Featured Answer

fredferrell
Original Author

15 years ago

Ok, here's an update on the troubleshooting:

I was able to locate the relay module and check all the relays. The park lights and the head lights run on seperate relays. When I pulled the relays, the lights would go out.

Next I thought that the Generic Electronic Module might be the issue. I unhooked all the connections to it and left the relays in the relay module and the lights are still on.

This is where I am at. I also pulled all the relays in the relay module except the park and headlights ones to see if the dimmer relay was the issue. I wasn't sure which relay it was so I pulled them all.

The way I see it I have eliminated the following possible points of failure: Main light switch, autolamp sensor, GEM, and dimmer relay.

Any suggestions?

Comments (20)

fredferrell
Original Author
15 years ago
I also wanted to mention that all the lights are on: the front, the back, and the parking (front and back). The fog lights are also on, but there is a separate switch that does turn these off, but all the other lights remain on.
chad_said
15 years ago
The relay for the automatic light system is stuck on. It's supposed to turn the lights on when it gets dark out.
Related Discussions
Huskee electrical issue in ignition circuit
Q
Comments (13)
Though I believe kanmkk is a transient, "one hit wonder", I will address the issue in hopes somebody will benefit from it. While the wiring diagram provided by corvetteguy might not be the "same" as for the Huskee in the OP, it is nonetheless "generic enough" to serve as a guide for hunting down a short circuit. If I were doing the search, I would have my camera with me to shoot photos of the configuration of the wiring at each component and/or draw a sketch of the same so I would know exactly how the wires were routed, and how they connected to the component. When checking for a short, it is sometimes neccesary to disconnect a wiring harness section from one or more components so the harness can be brought out into the "open" for a close inspection. So you'll be able to return the harness to its previous location and with the proper routing, photos are great, and a sketch with notes is a good addition or substitute. I do both. In looking for a short, you need to use all due safety precautions, you already know there is some kind of fault in the system, or you wouldn't be doing this. In regard to safety around the battery, you should disconnect the BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE from the battery BEFORE you begin your search. This way, you will be working with an "inert" electrical system during the process of disconnecting/reconnecting wiring and/or electrical components. The BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE can be reconnected at any time in the search if you want to check whether the fuse still "blows". On a typical small tractor battery, I use either a small vise grips plier, or an alligator type spring clamp to hold the BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE in place on the battery post during the search instead of using the normal bolt and nut. The vise grips or alligator clamp allow you to "snatch" the cable away quickly if you need to. To perform the checks by the following method, you will need an ohm meter, or a "continuity" tester. I prefer a continuity tester that has an audible beep or tone indicating continuity because you can use it in confined areas where reading the visual scale may be difficult. Continuity testers that use an LED indicator are good too. Some continuity testers feature both the audible and LED, some have both and an ohm meter as well. All continuity testers and ohm meters have an internal battery for power and should never be used to check continuity with the vehicle battery connected to the electrical system. OK, disconnect the battery negative cable and let's start looking. If the system fues is blown or removed, install a good fuse of the proper Ampacity. Step 1. Beginning at the key switch, disconnect the entire wiring harness from the switch if a single plug connector is used by the OEM. If individual terminals are used, disconnect the terminal that corresponds to the "B" terminal on the key switch in the furnished diagram. Isolating the key switch in this step will test for a short in the wiring between the fuse and the "B" terminal of the key switch. Connect one lead of the continuity tester to the DISCONNECTED battery negative CABLE, or any other good, clean, unpainted metal surface of the frame of tractor. Test the CONTINUITY TESTER by touching a few other surfaces that you know should be "continuous" with the ground system of the tractor. Essentially, if you are connected to a ground surface anywhere on the vehicle, the tester should show continuity whenever you touch any other ground surface of the vehicle. If the tester shows to be working and that the ground system of the vehicle is "sound", we can begin testing some wiring now. Leave one lead of the tester connected to ground and touch the other test lead end to the wire that connects to the "B" terminal of the key switch (touch the wire, not the key switch). If the tester indicates continuity, it means there is a short to ground somewhere in this circuit. To further check for the location of the short, go to the ammeter (if present) and disconnect both wires at the ammeter terminals. Touch the free lead of the continuity tester to either wire terminal on the ammeter, if the tester indicates continuity, the ammeter is shorted internally. If the ammeter shows to be good, touch the tester lead to either of the wires that you disconnected from the ammeter. If one of the wires shows continuity, that wire/circuit is shorted to ground and you will now have to trace that wire physically to locate the short. Logical places to look are where the wire harness bends around a metal surface edge or goes through a hole in a metal surface. If this test does not indicate a short, go to the next step. Step 2. Go to the key switch. Make sure the key switch is in the OFF position. Connect one lead of the continuity tester to the GROUND TERMINAL of the key switch. On the wiring diagram provided, this terminal is "G". This terminal is where the key switch gets furnished with its connection to the vehicle ground, but we don't need for the switch to have an actual connection to ground to do the following tests, the key switch could be tested even if it were removed from the vehicle and placed on a workbench (non metallic bench). First, check the tester by touching the two leads together (you always want to know that the tester works beforehand). With one test lead on "G" terminal, touch the other lead to the "M" terminal on the switch. You SHOULD HAVE continuity between the "G" & "M" terminals at this time because continuity between those two terminals is what "kills" the ignition spark to stop the engine. Leaving one test lead connected to the "G" terminal, touch the other lead to the "B" terminal of the switch. You should NOT HAVE continuity between these two terminals. If you DO HAVE continuity, the key switch is shorted to ground internally. I expect a short to be found in Step 1 or Step 2 if the fuse was blowing with the key switch in the OFF position. If this test does not reveal a short, we will go to Step 3. (to be posted later if the first two tests sessions do not locate a short).
...See More
john deere stx38 pto switch shuts off engine
Q
Comments (6)
The PTO clutch on the tractor is electro-magnetic and takes a lot of current to operate. If you have a low battery condition this will stop the tractor because you don't have enough voltage to run the ignition system with the PTO turned on. First, check the battery voltage with the tractor off. You should have about 12.75 to 13+ volts (depending on the age and condition of the battery). If the battery voltage is low you could have one or more of the following problems: 1. Old battery that will not hold a charge - needs replacement. 2. Bad voltage regulator - battery is not being charged and electrical system is running on low voltage when the engine is on and the PTO draws enough to shutoff the tractor. 3. Bad stator - battery is not being charged. Of the three possibilities - 1 & 2 are the most common. A bad stator is the least likely but, you can easily narrow this down. Start the tractor and check the battery voltage. If the stator and voltage regulator are working correctly, you should have 14+ volts at the battery. If you do not have 14+ volts with the motor running, then the battery is not being charged - and there is probably not electricity being supplied to run the electro-magnetic PTO clutch + ignition. You can sort this out by starting the engine and pulling the connector from the voltage regulator and looking for AC voltage using a multi-meter. I do not know the exact terminals on that engine - but, you should be able to find a service manual on line in electronic format for about $8.00. Otherwise, you can do this by a process of elimination. Put the probe in the top left contact and check the other contacts sequentially. What you're looking for is about 30 Volts AC from the stator. Then go to the second contact, repeat, etc. If you don't find the voltage - bad stator. This really isn't as likely as a bad voltage regulator. Voltage regulators have diodes in them and other semi-conductors and after being continually exposed to heat, vibration, etc. - they go bad. So, check the voltage regulator with a multi-meter on the Ohms setting. Most of the resistances should be in the 4.5 mega-Ohm area. If you find opens or low Ohm readings between contacts on the voltage regulator - it needs to be replaced. My guess - it's the voltage regulator and you will find several "open" conditions. I just replaced the voltage regulator on a John Deere garden tractor because the PTO would not stay engaged and the battery was always low. If you find the voltage regulator is bad, in your case I would replace both the voltage regulator and battery if the battery is over 2-3 years old as constantly running it in a discharged state has probably compromised the battery's ability to hold a charge.
...See More
Doors Lock when I Put Key in the Ignition
Q
Comments (13)
A number of Dodge cars have had some form of automatic door locking feature since at least 1989. Usually, after a front door has been opened, all four door locks are activated upon passing through 15 mph. This doesn't hamper the front passengers since their doors will unlock upon moving the inside door handle, however, the rear passengers may find themselves locked in depending on the setting of the rear door child locks. Even when the child lock has not been set, the rear passengers may find that they have to manually move the lock button to the unlock position before the door handle will unlatch the door. There are many variations on this theme. For Dodges, there is a routine of on-off-on cycles executed through the ignition switch that can activate or de-activate the auto-locking feature. I suspect you vehicle also has a similar method that won't require a trip to the dealer. However, I have never de-activated this feature in my car since it does not cause an inconvenience and the procedure is not intuitive; 6 mo later, I won't remember the sequence and would have to look it up again. However, in your case, unlocking all doors upon key removal could get to be a nusiance. If you can't find the arm/disarm procedure in your 3rd party repair manual, you may be able to find it on-line at your local library.
...See More
Do shut-off valves fail?
Q
Comments (13)
chris8796: Yup, I think that is the route I'm going to have to take. (I'm just tired, that's all.) I've never done any plumbing because my dad never did any plumbing: he always figured the price of failure was too high to mess around with for that area of home improvement (and electricity, too). I don't doubt I can do this, though. It is just one more line item on my list of things to learn how to do because I can't find anyone to not rip me off. suburbanmd: Actually, we ponied up for the plumbers report for Washington Consumer Checkbook. I called the top fourteen on the list and only got two callbacks. One was the $580 quote (of the two quotes I got, it was indeed lower than the other by about $100), and the other never returned my follow-up call (I wasn't home when he first called me). And Angie's list is basically useless. I think we are small and plumbers either won't bother or they jack the price up high enough that it is "worth" their precious time. Fair enough but I'm sick of it, and at best, it is either rude or disingenuous. There is absolutely no way I think removing two stupid cut-off valves will take almost four hours by a licensed plumber (which is what the $580 implies, given what that company quoted as their time-and-materials per-hour rate). And yes, I do understand that when they give you a firm quote, they are supposed to be trying to factor in the "mystery" part where they don't actually know for sure what is inside your walls or what they might encounter. But we have no drywall and they can see everything.
...See More
fredferrell
Original Author
15 years ago
Were is the relay located? I checked the power distribution box and it isn't in there.
jemdandy
15 years ago
Do your headlamps stay on all the time, or do they time out after a couple of minutes after ignition turn-off.? If so, try this: Turn the lights off before shutting off the ignition.

If your lamps are staying on permanently after: 1) ignition shut-off, and then 2) light switch shut off, suspect something in the headlamp-off-delay feature. (This assumes that your vehicle is equipped with this feature.)
fredferrell
Original Author
15 years ago
Just wanted to give an update on my troubleshooting. I put the fuse back in and all the exterior lights remain on. I pulled the relays in the power distribution box one by one to still see that the lights remained on. I have looked in a Haynes manual and can still not locate the relay module. The relay I am looking for is the one that controls both the park lamps and the headlight lamps. Does anyone have an idea of where it could be located?
kalining
15 years ago
So,why don't you phone the dealer and ask them ?
john_g
15 years ago
The headlight relay is inside the "Relay Module" behind the center of the dash.
john_g
15 years ago
Consider the likelyhood that BOTH relays have failed at exactly the same time.

Now go and find out what turns them on and how.
fredferrell
Original Author
15 years ago
I have switched out the relays with others that have the same part numbers on them with no luck at it turning off the lights. I also just ran a continuity test between the terminal #2 on the headlight relay (where the power comes from when the relay is energized) and a ground. Since there is continuity, I am guessing I have a short and need to replace some wiring. On the back of the relay module, does it have connectors that plug into it? I am hoping I can get a section of the wiring harness to replace instead of having to run an individual wire.

Please let me know your thoughts.
john_g
15 years ago
Hi again Fred.

First, do you have auto dimming headlights? If so, unplug the connector from the rear the rear view mirror and see if your lights go out.

Now that's the last "silver bullet" that can be thrown out. All too often I see people make light of what a tech has to do today to repair someones car. You don't have to read too many threads right here in this forum and you will see just how rare it is to get respect for what we do. We DON'T just swap parts as you did by playing musical relays in order to figure out a problem with someones car. You should have noticed though, that when you were plugging the relays in, they probably clicked because they are "being commanded on". This command could be a false one such as a grounded wire. We don't actually call that a short because shorts blow fuses, that's not happening here.

Looking at the schematic, and not knowing for sure which system you have (there are two designs, one with auto dimming, and one with just Daytime Running Lights) makes it impractical for me to type out each step to lead you to diagnose this thing. Seriously, it would take me about 1/2 an hour to diagnose it, and three hours to type it all out. Average pricing for a tech/shop to diagnose this issue around here would be in the $100 range.
Keep in mind things like "Flash to Pass" and the fact that the multifunction switch is a significant part of the circuit. Any aftermarket alarm systems, could also be in play. I'm not going to be able to go into great detail, make sure there are NO blown fuses in any of the vehicles fuse blocks. A blown fuse would of course be evidence of a short occurring somewhere, and this can result in a back feed which can command a relay on.

Later today I can look closer at what you have written here again. But if you don't have the skills to do the diagnostics on electronics at this level you should plan to have a tech repair this. JMHO.
Luther Davis
8 years ago
To who can help I have a 2000 expedition and the lights won't go off even when car is off what do I do
Sam Cardinal
7 years ago
I have a '93 Lincoln Town Car and the headlights stay on even when the car is off - any thoughts as to the problem ... we did switch the control knob and dimmer switch and checked the fuses still ... told to check the relay(s) ... Your thoughts and advice ...
ryanperry35
7 years ago
99 percent sure that's happened to me twice it is your GMC box
Kenneth Ogley
7 years ago
Hi I have a 2000 mustang 3.8 every thinks works great until today I parked my car in an underground parking lot and now headlights won't go off unless I pull the fog light fuse any ideas thanks
raleigh81
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
The problem we have is that technology is advancing faster than engineers or mechanics know how to fix. When Steve Jobs had one of his computers freeze on him at an expo, although he and his crew built it, he didn't know how to fix it. Embarrassingly, he had to admit, at least in that moment, that he was in over his head. That is what we are experiencing here with these computerized cars. If, during an accident, I were to drive into a lake and drown because I can't electronically open my window, then it would be better to have an override manual handle for just such an instance. I have had to replace multiple batteries because my 1998 Ford Explorer headlights remain on for at least five minutes after the car is stopped in daylight or dark, without fail. If I open up the hood and unplug the battery everytime I stop, I might save a battery, I suppose. However, the thought of this is disappointing. It is just surprised that after six years of ignoring it, I come on Google and find no solutions to this problem that Ford should have addressed long ago. John G, I respect what you said and hope that you figure out what to do about this for the benefit of us all. At this time it appears that there are no solutions to this matter on google/youtube. I will soon contact Ford. If Ford wants to keep the business of its customers, they will respond.
Joe Sorrentino
6 years ago
I have 94 mark Vlll with the same problem..my solution was to install an in line fuse holder and put a toggle swith on the dashboard..it solved my problem but I have no instrument lights yet..a jumper wire to the dash lights will fix that..no othet solution was obtainable from anyone even at the ford deslership service dept
kalining45
6 years ago
try replacing the driving light module.
George Milley
6 years ago
I agree with Kalining45, but much time has passed, so answer is untimely....
Then can you describe how you fixed up your car?
HU-484928407
2 years ago
I have a 2004 Ford explorer ”Rddie Baurer Edition” some how my headlights wont shut off once my vehicle is started and once i shut it off. i was able to manually turn them off and off now they come on automatically. how do i get them to where i can manully turn them on/off?

Headlights will not shut off even when vehicle ignition is off

fredferrell
Original Author

Comments (20)

fredferrell
Original Author

chad_said

Related Discussions

fredferrell
Original Author

jemdandy

fredferrell
Original Author

kalining

john_g

john_g

fredferrell
Original Author

john_g

Luther Davis

Sam Cardinal

ryanperry35

Kenneth Ogley

raleigh81

Joe Sorrentino

kalining45

George Milley

HU-484928407

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Headlights will not shut off even when vehicle ignition is off

fredferrellOriginal Author

Comments (20)

fredferrellOriginal Author

Related Discussions

fredferrellOriginal Author

fredferrellOriginal Author

fredferrellOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

fredferrell
Original Author

fredferrell
Original Author

fredferrell
Original Author

fredferrell
Original Author

fredferrell
Original Author