Mechanic in the house?
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My mother's Cadillac (early 90's) has a tail or brake light that likes to come on while the car is parked and drains the battery completely overnight. It can go days without happen, then presto, the batter is dead. Found out once when someone called and said the tail light was on and found that just the right side tail light (or brake like don't remember which) would come on for no known reason. Anyone heard of such a thing? The lights all work like normal, but this one light likes to come on at will when the car is off and parked. She cannot really be connecting and disconnecting the battery every time she uses the car, but do not want to take it in and see a huge bill without any results. Any ideas?
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
Rocky Moore wrote:
Any ideas?
Parking lights. Look in the owners manual how they get activated.
xacc.ide - now with TabsToSpaces support
IronScheme - 1.0 beta 2 - out now!
((lambda (x) `((lambda (x) ,x) ',x)) '`((lambda (x) ,x) ',x)) -
My guess is that the switch is broken. Is it the brake light coming on or the actual taillight? I'm willing to bet it's the brake light, so replace that switch first.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001If it was the switch then both the brake lights or all the other lights (tail lights, front side lights, etc.) would come on. Ergo, forget the switch (unless the other brake light is dead anyway).
Phil
The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the author, especially if you find them impolite, inaccurate or inflammatory.
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My mother's Cadillac (early 90's) has a tail or brake light that likes to come on while the car is parked and drains the battery completely overnight. It can go days without happen, then presto, the batter is dead. Found out once when someone called and said the tail light was on and found that just the right side tail light (or brake like don't remember which) would come on for no known reason. Anyone heard of such a thing? The lights all work like normal, but this one light likes to come on at will when the car is off and parked. She cannot really be connecting and disconnecting the battery every time she uses the car, but do not want to take it in and see a huge bill without any results. Any ideas?
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
One of the lug nuts is loose.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
One of the lug nuts is loose.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001No, only the nut holding the steering wheel. :) [MOD] I, take that back! I've just realized that it's his mother, not Rocky Moore. [/MOD]
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
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My mother's Cadillac (early 90's) has a tail or brake light that likes to come on while the car is parked and drains the battery completely overnight. It can go days without happen, then presto, the batter is dead. Found out once when someone called and said the tail light was on and found that just the right side tail light (or brake like don't remember which) would come on for no known reason. Anyone heard of such a thing? The lights all work like normal, but this one light likes to come on at will when the car is off and parked. She cannot really be connecting and disconnecting the battery every time she uses the car, but do not want to take it in and see a huge bill without any results. Any ideas?
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
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If it was the switch then both the brake lights or all the other lights (tail lights, front side lights, etc.) would come on. Ergo, forget the switch (unless the other brake light is dead anyway).
Phil
The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the author, especially if you find them impolite, inaccurate or inflammatory.
Phil J Pearson wrote:
unless the other brake light is dead anyway
Anyone who tests software should have this option high on their suspect list when tackling this problem.
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Do you work for Microsoft? :)
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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My mother's Cadillac (early 90's) has a tail or brake light that likes to come on while the car is parked and drains the battery completely overnight. It can go days without happen, then presto, the batter is dead. Found out once when someone called and said the tail light was on and found that just the right side tail light (or brake like don't remember which) would come on for no known reason. Anyone heard of such a thing? The lights all work like normal, but this one light likes to come on at will when the car is off and parked. She cannot really be connecting and disconnecting the battery every time she uses the car, but do not want to take it in and see a huge bill without any results. Any ideas?
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
I know nothing about cars. Sorry I can't help on this one. :(( But some of the suggestions are hilarious. [Joke] How many software engineers does it take to fix car's light? None, we know nothing about cars [/Joke]
Yusuf Oh didn't you notice, analogous to square roots, they recently introduced rectangular, circular, and diamond roots to determine the size of the corresponding shapes when given the area. Luc Pattyn[^]
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My mother's Cadillac (early 90's) has a tail or brake light that likes to come on while the car is parked and drains the battery completely overnight. It can go days without happen, then presto, the batter is dead. Found out once when someone called and said the tail light was on and found that just the right side tail light (or brake like don't remember which) would come on for no known reason. Anyone heard of such a thing? The lights all work like normal, but this one light likes to come on at will when the car is off and parked. She cannot really be connecting and disconnecting the battery every time she uses the car, but do not want to take it in and see a huge bill without any results. Any ideas?
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
Hmmmm... It's been a while, but, 1. It's nearly 20 years old, and they didn't have all the electronic, computer-controlled whizbangs in them that make real diagnosis impossible. 2. It's intermittent. 3. It drains the battery overnight, which a single bulb should not do. Ergo: It's in the wiring harness, and probably involves more than one wire. I'd guess that abrasion has worn off the insulation on a couple of wires where the tail light harness makes a sharp bend around a metallic chassis component, but that's only a starting point. Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on. This causes some interesting sneak paths for current when something goes wrong. 1. Start at the brakelight; open it up and make note of the color of each of the wires. Expose the wiring from back to front as you work your way forward to the fuse block and visually inspect the wires for damage, especially where they go around corners or pass through a hinge, such as the trunk lid. Be prepared to spend all day at it, though, as getting to the harness isn't easy. or 2. Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately. Calculate the distance from the socket to the first discontinuity for each wire. Measure the shortest distance of the two and expose the cable at that distance from the socket and repair the damage. Simple... :) It would be great if you could arrange to do the search while the light is on, but Murphy's Law assures that you won't get that lucky. Good luck! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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I know nothing about cars. Sorry I can't help on this one. :(( But some of the suggestions are hilarious. [Joke] How many software engineers does it take to fix car's light? None, we know nothing about cars [/Joke]
Yusuf Oh didn't you notice, analogous to square roots, they recently introduced rectangular, circular, and diamond roots to determine the size of the corresponding shapes when given the area. Luc Pattyn[^]
That's actually funny! :laugh:
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Rocky Moore wrote:
Any ideas?
Parking lights. Look in the owners manual how they get activated.
xacc.ide - now with TabsToSpaces support
IronScheme - 1.0 beta 2 - out now!
((lambda (x) `((lambda (x) ,x) ',x)) '`((lambda (x) ,x) ',x))Oh boys. They managed to slip another "read the documentation" in. X|
Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [My Articles]
- before you ask a question here, search CodeProject, then Google - the quality and detail of your question reflects on the effectiveness of the help you are likely to get - use the code block button (PRE tags) to preserve formatting when showing multi-line code snippets
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Hmmmm... It's been a while, but, 1. It's nearly 20 years old, and they didn't have all the electronic, computer-controlled whizbangs in them that make real diagnosis impossible. 2. It's intermittent. 3. It drains the battery overnight, which a single bulb should not do. Ergo: It's in the wiring harness, and probably involves more than one wire. I'd guess that abrasion has worn off the insulation on a couple of wires where the tail light harness makes a sharp bend around a metallic chassis component, but that's only a starting point. Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on. This causes some interesting sneak paths for current when something goes wrong. 1. Start at the brakelight; open it up and make note of the color of each of the wires. Expose the wiring from back to front as you work your way forward to the fuse block and visually inspect the wires for damage, especially where they go around corners or pass through a hinge, such as the trunk lid. Be prepared to spend all day at it, though, as getting to the harness isn't easy. or 2. Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately. Calculate the distance from the socket to the first discontinuity for each wire. Measure the shortest distance of the two and expose the cable at that distance from the socket and repair the damage. Simple... :) It would be great if you could arrange to do the search while the light is on, but Murphy's Law assures that you won't get that lucky. Good luck! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
Actually, when I reconnected the battery a couple weeks ago, I thought I would check and found that the brake light was lit on the passenger's side with the car off. I tapped the brake pedal and looked again without starting the car or turning the ignition on and the light went out. I would think the switch would be the most suspect but to me I would think it would enable both of them not just one. It is about time to drive another car under that radiator cap ;)
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
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That's actually funny! :laugh:
It is? :confused:
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If it was the switch then both the brake lights or all the other lights (tail lights, front side lights, etc.) would come on. Ergo, forget the switch (unless the other brake light is dead anyway).
Phil
The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the author, especially if you find them impolite, inaccurate or inflammatory.
Well, the light has to be getting power from *somewhere*, and the only thing between the light and the battery is one of four switches: 0) Emergency Flasher switch - not likely because these are used VERY rarely, so wear/tear shouldn't be an issue. 1) The headlight switch - on or off, and controls all lights, so I wouldn't think this is the problem. 2) The turn signal switch - operates one light at a time, but only in the switched-on position. This would be my second guess. 3) The brake light switch - because it's constantly turned on and off by mechanical means (pressing the brake pedal), and the light seems to come on by itself, it is probably this switch switch due to gravity working on a slightly worn brake pedal assembly. The car is, after all, almost 20 years old. It can't possibly be the wiring between the switches and the light because the light comes on. A wiring problem in the loom would prevent the light from working at all.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Hmmmm... It's been a while, but, 1. It's nearly 20 years old, and they didn't have all the electronic, computer-controlled whizbangs in them that make real diagnosis impossible. 2. It's intermittent. 3. It drains the battery overnight, which a single bulb should not do. Ergo: It's in the wiring harness, and probably involves more than one wire. I'd guess that abrasion has worn off the insulation on a couple of wires where the tail light harness makes a sharp bend around a metallic chassis component, but that's only a starting point. Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on. This causes some interesting sneak paths for current when something goes wrong. 1. Start at the brakelight; open it up and make note of the color of each of the wires. Expose the wiring from back to front as you work your way forward to the fuse block and visually inspect the wires for damage, especially where they go around corners or pass through a hinge, such as the trunk lid. Be prepared to spend all day at it, though, as getting to the harness isn't easy. or 2. Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately. Calculate the distance from the socket to the first discontinuity for each wire. Measure the shortest distance of the two and expose the cable at that distance from the socket and repair the damage. Simple... :) It would be great if you could arrange to do the search while the light is on, but Murphy's Law assures that you won't get that lucky. Good luck! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
Roger Wright wrote:
Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on.
Eeek! :~
Roger Wright wrote:
Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately.
Now, where did I leave my time domain reflectometer after fixing my bike's turn signals? ;P
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Rocky Moore wrote:
Any ideas?
Parking lights. Look in the owners manual how they get activated.
xacc.ide - now with TabsToSpaces support
IronScheme - 1.0 beta 2 - out now!
((lambda (x) `((lambda (x) ,x) ',x)) '`((lambda (x) ,x) ',x))Parking lights are turned on with the headlight switch.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Hmmmm... It's been a while, but, 1. It's nearly 20 years old, and they didn't have all the electronic, computer-controlled whizbangs in them that make real diagnosis impossible. 2. It's intermittent. 3. It drains the battery overnight, which a single bulb should not do. Ergo: It's in the wiring harness, and probably involves more than one wire. I'd guess that abrasion has worn off the insulation on a couple of wires where the tail light harness makes a sharp bend around a metallic chassis component, but that's only a starting point. Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on. This causes some interesting sneak paths for current when something goes wrong. 1. Start at the brakelight; open it up and make note of the color of each of the wires. Expose the wiring from back to front as you work your way forward to the fuse block and visually inspect the wires for damage, especially where they go around corners or pass through a hinge, such as the trunk lid. Be prepared to spend all day at it, though, as getting to the harness isn't easy. or 2. Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately. Calculate the distance from the socket to the first discontinuity for each wire. Measure the shortest distance of the two and expose the cable at that distance from the socket and repair the damage. Simple... :) It would be great if you could arrange to do the search while the light is on, but Murphy's Law assures that you won't get that lucky. Good luck! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
A better answer would be to take it to a mechanic and let them deal with it. :)
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Actually, when I reconnected the battery a couple weeks ago, I thought I would check and found that the brake light was lit on the passenger's side with the car off. I tapped the brake pedal and looked again without starting the car or turning the ignition on and the light went out. I would think the switch would be the most suspect but to me I would think it would enable both of them not just one. It is about time to drive another car under that radiator cap ;)
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Silverlight Domain Names up for grabs! Thinking about Silverlight? www.SilverlightCity.com
I have an old Jeep Cherokee that will do the same thing on occasion. There is normally a spring on the brake pedal that returns the pedal to the "normal" position pulling the pedal up into the nonbraking position. In my case the spring was old and tired and allowed the pedal to sag slightly making the switch. All that I did was made sure to lift the pedal slightly with my foot when I exited the vehicle...... sounds silly but saved me the hassle of trying to climb under the dashboard and try to replace some spring. I would suggest applying the brake pedal while the car is in park and then letting off. Check the light to see if it is lit, then try lifting the pedal with your foot and verify the light goes off. If that fixes the problem, you can check to see if the switch position can be adjusted, replace the spring, or teach them to lift the brake pedal. You may have to try quite a few times to get the pedal to sag enough to make the switch.... it sounds like an intermittent problem.
Uptight Ex-Military Republican married to a Commie Lib - How weird is that?
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Hmmmm... It's been a while, but, 1. It's nearly 20 years old, and they didn't have all the electronic, computer-controlled whizbangs in them that make real diagnosis impossible. 2. It's intermittent. 3. It drains the battery overnight, which a single bulb should not do. Ergo: It's in the wiring harness, and probably involves more than one wire. I'd guess that abrasion has worn off the insulation on a couple of wires where the tail light harness makes a sharp bend around a metallic chassis component, but that's only a starting point. Some automotive wiring uses the quaint notion of wiring the hot side (positive) to each device and switching the negative to ground to turn them on. This causes some interesting sneak paths for current when something goes wrong. 1. Start at the brakelight; open it up and make note of the color of each of the wires. Expose the wiring from back to front as you work your way forward to the fuse block and visually inspect the wires for damage, especially where they go around corners or pass through a hinge, such as the trunk lid. Be prepared to spend all day at it, though, as getting to the harness isn't easy. or 2. Connect a time domain reflectometer at the bulb socket and ping each wire separately. Calculate the distance from the socket to the first discontinuity for each wire. Measure the shortest distance of the two and expose the cable at that distance from the socket and repair the damage. Simple... :) It would be great if you could arrange to do the search while the light is on, but Murphy's Law assures that you won't get that lucky. Good luck! :-D
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
You need a transmission line plus the dieletric constant to calculate the propagation speed otherwise you will look in the wrong place for the break, it could even be the unterminated end. Oh, plus the characteristic impedance or you could get a launch reflection. Moi? Difficult? :rolleyes:
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It is? :confused:
I found it funny :)
