transporter44 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Hi all. My son came home last night (1996, 110) and said when he uses his brakes, engine off (assume same when on) then the front side lights & headlamps also come on. It only started on that trip home, no problem earlier. My thinking is a) a short, b) a bad common earth or c) water in the back of the fusebox. I'm more inclined to go with c) particularly when I asked him if he had cleared his screen with a watering can of water (ice on the window, not hot water just tap water). He said yea, & then I realised he probably threw a load up which over flowed the windscreen gutter & I think ran down in behind the fusebox. My thinking on this is that this is the only place the heads & breaklight lives can intersect. How do others feel on this (sorry I'm at work away for few days so can't go & look). BTW he has a central isolation/cut off switch so all the electrics are isolated now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Neale Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Has he by any chance recently changed a tail light bulb? The symptoms you describe are exactly what you'd expect if a twin filament stop/tail light bulb is mistakenly replaced by a single filament side/indicator bulb... Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transporter44 Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Has he by any chance recently changed a tail light bulb? The symptoms you describe are exactly what you'd expect if a twin filament stop/tail light bulb is mistakenly replaced by a single filament side/indicator bulb... Matt Thanks Matt That's certainly worth considering. I know I changes the passenger side rear bulb on Friday & I know for definate that it was dual filiment. He may have changed the drivers side rear, and now that you say it, that bulb was extremely bright. Will get him to double check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transporter44 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Latest on this. I'm now at the conclusion that its a bad common earth. If side lights on, touch breaks dash lights & headlights come on but no brake lights. It is confined to the right hand (drivers side) set of lights. The front & rear side light bulbs running very bright & hot. New bulbs, new holders all checked & working. Can anyone tell me where the earthing points are for the right hand set of lights are? I've rerouted the rear set to a new earth, no difference, so it is happening somewhere else but I just can't locate where they earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 behind the front lights bolted to the inner wing vertical skin, you maybe able to get to it via the engine bay or easier to remove the front lights & work through the hole for the headlight bowl, could be a broken terminal or a disconnected wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transporter44 Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 behind the front lights bolted to the inner wing vertical skin, you maybe able to get to it via the engine bay or easier to remove the front lights & work through the hole for the headlight bowl, could be a broken terminal or a disconnected wire. Thanks Western - to the point as always. Will have to wait for couple of days to do it (weather/work interfering) but will do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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