Need Help-brights Are Still On!!!!

[giddyup50]

Hey guys, I wrote in here awhile back about my BRIGHTS staying on even when the car is off. I have to disconnect the battery to get them to go off. First I would notice a loud clicking sound when I would use the turn signal and then my BRIGHTS would be on, if I wiggle the turn signal stalk or tilt the wheel up and down or hit a bump in the road while driving, I could sometimes get them to go off. Now they are stuck on all the time no matter what I do. I just replaced the multi-function switch as many of you told me to do and 3 mechanic friends of mine. Unfortunately the BRIGHTS are still on!! Oh yeah, the blue headlight that lights up when your BRIGHTS are on inside the dash by the gauges does not light up when all of this started. NEED HELP PLEASE PLEASE!! Any other ideas guys?? I've checked fuses, they are fine. Could it be a relay or wireing?? HELP HELP HELP!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

[shorod]

What year is your Taurus?

You mention that the blue instrument panel indicator did not light up when all this started, does it now?

I have the wiring diagrams for the most recent three generations of Taurii, if I know the model year I'll try to find time to look over the diagrams and see if I can make any sense of this.

-Rod

[giddyup50]

Thank you Shorod, it's a 97 and it has the auto-lamps (day time running lights) also. At first when this would all start the blue high beam indicator would light up but, when the brights started staying on all the time no matter if I would hit a bump, tilt the wheel up and down, or wiggle the turnsignal stalk, now the blue indicator does not light up at all but the brights are always on. I do have a Haynes manual, does the integrated relay control module or the constant control relay module have anything to do with this problem? It says it is located next to the battery on 96-97 models. I've looked at some of the wiring diagrams and they look like a bunch of lines going anywhere and everywhere to me, plus I don't think it really helps me find that stuff on the car it just shows what they are connected to. Thanks for any help, I'll take it!! I'm getting very frustrated with this. I really do not want to take it to the dealer. THANKS AGAIN!!!

[shorod]

Well, auto-lamps and Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) are two different things. On the Taurus, the auto-lamps come on when the ambient light is below a certain level and stay on for an adjustable amount of time after the car is shut off. DRLs are on any time the car is running, they are not dependent upon the ambient light.

The highbeam and flash-to-pass circuits are on a separate fuse for the 1998 (and I expect the 1997 as well) from the low beams.

To bandage the problem, you could remove the 15-amp high beam fuse from the instrument panel fusebox. It appears from the schematic that the highbeam indicator on the instrument cluster is used to indicate the DRLs are on as well as highbeams.

The high beam headlights only get power if the headlight switch is on AND the multifunction switch is in the "Hi" position, if the Autolamp relay is powering the headlights AND the multifunction switch is in the "Hi" position, if the Remote Anti-theft Personality (RAP) module is requesting headlights AND the multifunction switch is in the "Hi" position, or if the auto-lamp module is requesting headlights AND the multifunction switch is in the "Hi" position.

The one item that is common to all of these scenarios is the multifunction switch.

The pinout for the DRL module mentions that it has inputs to it for the highbeam and lowbeam headlights. However, it would appear that one or both of these "inputs" must be outputs, otherwise I don't see a way for the DRL module to actually control the headlights.

If you have DRL and you want to rule out that that component is the culprit, you should be able to set your parking brake. Setting the parking brake should disable the DRLs. If the high beams stay on, then I would suspect the multifunction switch.

The multifunction switch is located on the left side of the steering column with two connectors going to it.

If you would like the procedure for testing the switch, send me an e-mail address and I can send you the procedures as PDFs.

-Rod

[giddyup50]

Thanks shorod!! I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that when all this started my daytime running lights would not come on while driving, but like I said before, as soon as I hook the battery up the highbeams are on, then start the car and highs and highs ONLY are still on. Then switch the lows on and they come on just fine, but guess what the highs are still on also. DOES NOT MATTER WHAT POSITION ANYTHING (low beam on or off, high beam switched to high or low) IS IN. HIGHS ARE ALWAYS ON!! I think I tried to take out the fuse (awhile ago) and I don't think it mattered, I'll try it again though but I think I would lose the function of something else at the same time, I want to say it is the wipers. Is there anyway I can just disconnect the highs wire from the headlight bulb? I don't care if I lose the highs, I just don't want to spend a fortune to hunt down this problem. Do you think it might be that constant control relay module next to the battery/ behind the drivers side headlight? THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP!!

[giddyup50]

Oh yeah, setting the parking brake does nothing. Highs are still on!! Highs only, no lows, just highs.

[shorod]

I'll look at the wiring diagrams again tonight with this new information. The constant control relay module doesn't come into the picture for the headlights (just fuel pump, A/C clutch, cooling fan, and PCM power). It seems like there might be a highbeam headlight relay somewhere, but I don't remember seeing one in the schematics. It would be possible to disconnect the high beam wires from the headlight sockets, but it would be interesting and recommended to understand where the problem really is in case there is a short somewhere that is a potential fire waiting to happen.

-Rod

[giddyup50]

THANK YOU SHOROD FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!! I think my problem is solved...hopefully. I called a shop in town that only works on electical problems. He told me that it sounds like a relay or fuse. I told him I checked all the fuses. He said to pull any relay or fuse that deals w/the headlights, and if they go out, then that is the problem. He also said if I can see a fuse is good w/out pulling it, pull it anyway. I pulled two relays (one at a time ofcourse) under the hood that were for the lights, not luck brights still on. Then I saw a little blue fuse (I think a 15amp) for the DRL (daytime running lights) and it is still good but I pulled it out like he said, and guess what....THE LIGHTS WENT OUT!!!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! I was so damn happy!!!! Now, I'm sure there is something wrong where the fuse plugs into or somewhere further down the line. But I don't care if the DRL's don't work. Yes, the brights work just like they should now and so do the lowbeams. That's all I need. I'm just glad that I don't have to take it in and spend hundreds of dollars. Too bad I spent $55 and just over an hour to change the multifunction switch. Oh well, atleast I know how to do that now, and I have a new switch. I'll keep the old one just incase this one goes out before I sell it. Any ideas what my problem is now? Like I said, it's all working fine now that I don't have that fuse in and the DRL'S are the only function that I lost by doing that. That's OK with me, now I don't have to pop the hood all the time to connect and disconnect the battery. It's getting cold here in Illinois now and I could see me out there trying to break through the ice to get the hood open this winter. Thanks again for the research you did. I'M SO DAMN HAPPY, I FEEL LIKE I WON THE SUPERBOWL......I'M GOING TO DISNEY LAND!!!!!!

[shorod]

Congrats! I'm sorry you went to the work of replacing the multifunction switch. I've been looking over the schematics again tonight and I don't understand where the DRL module controls the high beams. There is a connection with the high beams, but it is listed as an input to the DRL module, not an output from the DRL module to the high beam circuit.

The fuse you pulled must be the 15-amp fuse for circuit 15 in the engine compartment fuse panel. This fuse should be hot at all times. This is the only fuse feeding the DRL module in the engine compartment. This fuse provides battery voltage to pin 4 (Pink/Orange wire) of connector C186 at the DRL module.

The other fuse for the DRL module is a 15-amp fuse in the instrument panel fuse panel. It is only hot with the key in the "Run" position. This fuse provides power with the key in "Run" to pin 2 (orange wire) of the DRL module.

By pulling the fuse, you are removing power from the DRL module. The module no longer has
If this is the case, that would indicate the problem is in the DRL module. If you are interested in determining if that is in fact the case, you could unplug the DRL module and put the fuse back in. If you problem is still gone, then plug the DRL module in and do whatever you had to do after reconnecting the battery in the past to get the problem to recur. If it acts up again, unplug the DRL module and see if the high beams turn off. If they do, this would give you about 99% confidence the problem is in the DRL module.

BTW, I'm in Iowa so I know what you mean about getting cold. It's not bad yet, but I did make sure tonight my garage furnace still works as I might need it soon!

-Rod

[giddyup50]

Yeah, that sounds like that could be the main problem. Oh well, like I said I don't care if I don't have DRL's. I can turn the lights on. DRL's are stupid anyway, it's just something else to take to the dealer when it goes bad. I can do most things myself like brakes, tune-ups, some performance parts (Mustangs) and.....oh yeah....multifunctionswitches. I really do appreciate all your help but how the hell do you know all that stuff? When it comes to wiring I just get lost. When I look at the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual for the Taurus I just see lines. It's good they show all that but they don't show exactly where it is on the car and that is where I get lost. As for it getting cold here...I lied, it was 67 here today and 71 for Thursday. But it's supposed to drop back down for high's in the 50's later. Anyway I'll do what you said and check that other stuff out. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP!! I guess I could have saved us alot of trouble by calling that shop ealier. Oh well, could have been worse. THANK YOU!!!

[shorod]

Originally Posted by giddyup50

YI really do appreciate all your help but how the hell do you know all that stuff? When it comes to wiring I just get lost. When I look at the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual for the Taurus I just see lines.

Well, I have a degree in electrical engineering, I'm a systems engineer by trade, and I had been hanging around my dad's auto repair shop since I was in preschool until I started college. I started working there when I was 14, and it became a hobby for me after graduating college. Dad also said that he would retire once he got my older brother and myself through college, and that's exactly what he did. He also told me (jokingly) that he would cut my hands off if I went into the automotive technician trade, so I had to resort to working on cars as a hobby.

-Rod

[giddyup50]

That's cool. When we had the old fuse box in our house, I would pull the main befor even changing a light switch. My cousin who is an electrician just laughs at me. The way I look at it, this house is 55 years old and anyone could have changed the wiring around in that time, better safe than sorry. Now we have a circuit breaker box, and I just have to flip the switch, that makes me feel much better.

[shorod]

Originally Posted by giddyup50

When we had the old fuse box in our house, I would pull the main befor even changing a light switch. My cousin who is an electrician just laughs at me.

No offense, but I would have laughed at you too. In the panel, the neutrals are all tied together along with the grounds (if you had grounded circuits with the fuse box). The wire that would bite you will only go to one fuse. As long as the light fails to work when you remove the fuse (assuming the bulb is good) the circuit would no longer be hot.

Of course there is a chance there could be a short somewhere or a wiring fault, but in that case, I'd prefer to get a small jolt and know I had a fire hazard to repair rather than have no idea until smoke started coming from the walls.

-Rod

[giddyup50]

I'd prefer not to get any jolt! And yes....NO GROUND!!! Can't laugh too much now....I know you still can, so does my cousin. Oh well, like I say, if you're not comfortable doing something don't do it! I feel much more comfy by cutting the whole power. I don't know why my wife would complain about the house getting hot when I would do that when it was 98 degrees out? Must be a woman thing.