01 Windstar Electrical Problem

[tjwhite80]

I have a 01 Windstar. The back driver break light and the internal dome light come on occasionally when the car is parked with no key in the ignition. Weird. Has anyone experienced this or have any suggestions.

Tjwhite80

[phil-l]

Hmmm - I was about to suggest this was a door switch problem, but the brake light thing got me.

Do you mean the following:

- the driver's side brake light comes on (but not the passenger side)
- the interior dome light comes on
- the two above occur at the same time
- this happens intermittently, with no one in the van and all doors closed

If so, this van has an unusual set of symptoms. Does the passenger side brake light work at all? When the interior dome light comes on (in suspicious fashion), do the other interior lights also come on (that is, other lights that would usually turn on when a door is opened)?

We'd need some clarification on the symptoms to suggest possible causes.

I'll add one possible thing to check: Has aftermarket wiring been added to the van, such as for a trailer connector or sound system? If so, I'd start there.

[tjwhite80]

Thanks for the response. To clarify, the answer to your questions are "Yes," (the driver's side light comes on but not the passenger side, the interior dome light comes on, the two above occur at the same time, this happens intermittently, with no one in the van and all doors closed).

As to your other questions, the passenger side brake light does work and I think all the interior lights come on just as if the door was open.

We did put a VCR television in the car when we bought it (from the dealer). That is interesting you suggested to start there.....

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by phil-l

Hmmm - I was about to suggest this was a door switch problem, but the brake light thing got me.

Do you mean the following:

- the driver's side brake light comes on (but not the passenger side)
- the interior dome light comes on
- the two above occur at the same time
- this happens intermittently, with no one in the van and all doors closed

If so, this van has an unusual set of symptoms. Does the passenger side brake light work at all? When the interior dome light comes on (in suspicious fashion), do the other interior lights also come on (that is, other lights that would usually turn on when a door is opened)?

We'd need some clarification on the symptoms to suggest possible causes.

I'll add one possible thing to check: Has aftermarket wiring been added to the van, such as for a trailer connector or sound system? If so, I'd start there.

[phil-l]

If the both brake lights work normally when the brake pedal is pushed - but only one light comes on when this problem occurs, I believe it must be (at least) some kind of wiring problem that occurs *after* the brake pedal switch. This makes it pretty unusual.

In my mind, this points to wires that are touching intermittently - and shouldn't be (this also means I can't come up with a set of switch or relay failures that could duplicate these symptoms). Has the van seen any damage, like an accident, that could have affected one of the wiring harness bundles?

Personally, I'd start following the wires from your VCR system to look for problems. I've seen shoddily-installed accessories with poorly-crimped connectors that could cause short circuits like this.

Side story: A friend's car had minor random electrical problems, and finally wouldn't start. I ended up removing a nest of wires under the dash; we discovered (and removed) *two* very badly installed alarm systems. The original installer had cut a 10 gauge ignition power circuit, and inserted a relay as part of the alarm system. But the 10 gauge wire ends were attached to the relay with lengths of 14 gauge wire (much smaller), and crimped incorrectly (wire almost fell out of one connector). I'm amazed the car ran as long as it did.

[tjwhite80]

THanks for the response. No, the car has not seen any damage. I will check the VCR hook up.

Originally Posted by phil-l

If the both brake lights work normally when the brake pedal is pushed - but only one light comes on when this problem occurs, I believe it must be (at least) some kind of wiring problem that occurs *after* the brake pedal switch. This makes it pretty unusual.

In my mind, this points to wires that are touching intermittently - and shouldn't be (this also means I can't come up with a set of switch or relay failures that could duplicate these symptoms). Has the van seen any damage, like an accident, that could have affected one of the wiring harness bundles?

Personally, I'd start following the wires from your VCR system to look for problems. I've seen shoddily-installed accessories with poorly-crimped connectors that could cause short circuits like this.

Side story: A friend's car had minor random electrical problems, and finally wouldn't start. I ended up removing a nest of wires under the dash; we discovered (and removed) *two* very badly installed alarm systems. The original installer had cut a 10 gauge ignition power circuit, and inserted a relay as part of the alarm system. But the 10 gauge wire ends were attached to the relay with lengths of 14 gauge wire (much smaller), and crimped incorrectly (wire almost fell out of one connector). I'm amazed the car ran as long as it did.

[denisb]

As for the dome light, my friend had a similar problem and it was a loose connector in the roof console (the console that's mounted to the roof and has your sunglass holder and such)

Denis

[phil-l]

denisb -

If it were *just* a dome light, I'd agree with that approach (or perhaps a door switch problem).

The simultaneous addition of lighting a *single* rear brake bulb throws a wrench into that approach. Any wiring problem I can think of near the front of the car (under dash; under hood, etc.) would cause *both* brakes bulbs to turn on. A single brake bulb points to a wiring harness problem, likely near the rear of the van. It'd be useful to know the details of how each *individual* brake light is driven, and where the split between the two occurs.

For that matter, I'm still trying to figure out a failure that would light one brake bulb - yet still allow both to light when the brake pedal is pushed.

One possibility: When adding trailer wiring to my 2000 Windstar LX, I discovered that 99+ Windstars use ground-side switching (i.e., to light a brake or turn signal bulb, the connection to ground is completed; traditional auto wiring involves completing the connection to +12V). This must be accounted for when adding a connector for trailer lights. It may also help explain tjwhite80's unusual situation.