Parking lights won't turn off?

[J-D_Eagle]

Well, our Eagle developed an interesting problem the other evening.  The parking lights won't turn off!  They worked fine up until now.  We changed the headlight switch, but that didn't help.  Any other ideas?

[BenM]

Maybe the turn signal switch is bad? You probably have a short somewhere, though.

Try pulling fuses one at a time to narrow things down.

[Jurjen]

You have not been doing something with the blue wire that's part of the radio wiring?

[J-D_Eagle]

We haven't messed with the blue wire.  Will check fuses and relays and get back w/ ya.

[Mavericke]

It could simply be the switch... I've seen this twice before. Only one way to test it... try a new one. :/ Sorry man. I don't have any pulled here either - but may have some in the coming weeks ready to go.

[J-D_Eagle]

Which switch do you mean?  We already changed the headlight switch and that didn't fix it.

[ericarmstrong]

I think he means the switch in the steering column. Before I got into any column work I would run it down via the fuse method.

[Mavericke]

Yeah, I was actually talking about the headlight switch. Agreed, I'd check all the fuses and such before you tear anything else apart... but it wouldn't be the first time I've changed a headlight switch and installed another bad one, lol! Talk about throwing wrenches, LOL!

I wouldn't think that the switch in the column would make a difference. In my experience when changing those out, I've only seen them affect the turn signals and emergency flashers - unless of course the flasher got stuck on the "on" position". I've never seen that, but I'm sure it's a possibility, which brings me to my next point...

Check your flashers. There are two flasher fuses... they are cheap to replace and relatively easy to get to. The one flasher fuse is on the fuse box - easy. The other is up in the dash and you have to feel for it. It's up near the headlight switch. I've seen those malfuntion and leave the lights on rather than off.

Also, did you recently install LED's anywhere? Those sometimes will work just fine for awhile and then all of the sudden get stuck "on" because they use les power and they won't allow the flashers to flash - because they are based on voltage coming through them that make them pop on and off similar to how a fuse would work.

That turn signal switch is realy easy to replace under the column as well and it's a fairly inexpensive part... I'd just replace it and the flasher fuses and see what happens. The switch and the fises together won;t be over $25 and even if it doesn't fix the problem, you at least have it narrowed down and it's one less thing to replace later. If you've already replaced the headlight switch in the dash, and you replace the stuff I mentioned - then you KNOW it's in the wiring somewheres.

Good luck man and let us know how it works out!

[IowaEagle]

A real long shot -- hazard switch is engaged but the flasher is not working so the lights stay on constantly.

[Mavericke]

A real long shot -- hazard switch is engaged but the flasher is not working so the lights stay on constantly.

That's exactly what I was thinking. How is that you always have a way of simplifying everything I say? lol Why couldn't I just say that?

Anyways, like Doug said - it's a long shot... thats whay I say just replace them all because their cheap and it will save you headache in the future and if it's not the problem, then you've narrowed it down to another bad headlight switch or a bad wire somewhere...

I still put my money on another bad headlight switch. It happens all the time. Also, it could just be the connector that plugs into the headlight switch... I've seen so many of them melted and fused together that I don't know why I've never seen an eagle catch fire because of it. Check that plug and see if it's in good shape... you could have melted plastic and two prongs touching and creating a full cricuit to make the lights stay on.

[J-D_Eagle]

Checked the fuses in the box and they look ok.  Haven't checked the ones for the hazards yet, but the hazards do work.  I don't even have the headlight switch hooked up right now, and the parking lights are still on.  Are there any relays anywhere?  I haven't been able to locate any.  How about those fusable links?  Could they cause problems?

[ericarmstrong]

Pull each fuse one at a time, look at the lights each time you do. When they go off you know what circut is malfunctioning. When you get that far one of us may be able to float you a wiring diagram or suggest places to check. As far as I know non of the lights work via relay..... Well, not including fog lights.

[Mavericke]

Hmm, this may sound like a silly question, but you DID hook up the headlight switch right and wrestled it around some just to check?

How does that female end look on the plug for the headlight switch?? If they're on and the switch is out.... then it makes me lean more towards that plug being melted in there somewhere and prongs touching.

Try what Eric said and get back to us. Probably labled as "parking lights" I think.