[jacskon1970]

Not sure where to start with this. With the car off and headlight switch off the parking lights and tail lights stay lit. The drivers sides are brighter than the passenger side. When I turn the headlights on they work fine. I disconnected the connector on the headlight switch thinking it may be a short but there is no change. The headlight switch is literally out of the car and the parking/tail lights are still lit. I want to check the grounds on the parking lights but how to I get to them? Do I have to lower the valence panel to get behind it? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[jacskon1970]

I should add that the turn signal lights on the dash stay lit.

[gto4evr]

front parking lamps are grounded through the housings to the body ground. Do you have running lights going or the brighter turn signal lights lit? Sounds like a short that the brake lights are back feeding through the circuit.

First try disconnecting brake light switch on the pedal and see if the lights go out.
69's are notorious for crappy grounds on the tail light and or dash ground for the cluster causing weird lighting issues.

[2002Z4CSS]

Sounds like the brown tail/parking lamp circuit is shorted to power. Try isolating it by disconnecting the rear harness under the dash by the fuse panel.

[gto4evr]

Originally Posted by 2002Z4CSS

Sounds like the brown tail/parking lamp circuit is shorted to power. Try isolating it by disconnecting the rear harness under the dash by the fuse panel.

I thought that too at first, but his turn signal lamps aren't on the running light circuit so I think it's the turn/brake that's shorted somewhere.

[george kujanski]

Brake/turn signal bulbs do not depend on key on to work for safety reasons, i.e. they still light when you use the brakes.

The suggestion to check the brake switch on the brake pedal is good; check that first.

The head/tallights also work with key off, so if the headlight switch is not in the circuit and the taillights are on, they are getting power somewhere; if there are bad grounds in the back the brake lights and taillights could both be on, but one of those circuits would still be connected to power somehow.

george

[jacskon1970]

Really appreciate the input. I will start with the brake switch and see what happens.

[jacskon1970]

So here's my update.

Problem: Tail lights and parking lights come on when battery connected.

Headlamp switch and brake switch disconnected. Tail lights and parking lights still come on when connected to battery.

Connector on steering wheel disconnected. Tail lights and parking lights are off when connected to battery.

Using my ohm meter I checked resistance to each parking light housing and frame. Good ground indicated. I also checked the tail light grounds and those appear to be fine.

Since the marker lights do not come on and the turn signal lights and headlamp bright light is lit on the instrument cluster I am thinking it might be a shorted circuit board. Before I go that route I wanted to see what you guys think. Thanks.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

One power supply that has not been mentioned here is the emergency/hazzard flasher.
It too works like brake lights. Has power all the time. That circuit lights up all four corners and turn indicators on dash. With a bad emergency flasher and an accidental push of the emergency flasher button, you could very well have what's going on here.

So work the E flasher button in and out. Put turnsignal harness back together. And see if you even have a problem. Other than possibly a bad or wrong E flasher keeping this from being an obvious problem

Clay