I know the basics of auto electrical and have pretty much sorted all my own shit out over the years....until a month or so back.
Been pulling my hair out and this problem has become personal. I have a WV Golf 1400 MK1 and recently I noticed that whenever I push the brakes the head lights come on.
The car is in good condition and the only time I touched the electrical side was to replace the ECU.
I've traced the headlight wires back through the harness right up to the switch. Everything checks out. I have also traced the brake wiring right from the switch behind the pedal through to the rear brake lights and back to the F/box. I can't see anything out of place.
The Fuse box and relays are as they should be...I'm totally stumped. The only thing out of the normal that I have found is that ants have been living in the dash. They have been evicted since.
I suspect that this is a really simple thing that I keep over looking and I ain't taking the car to a professional as i'll be shafted with a huge bill.
Anyone ever experience a similar issue?
Thanks Gents, I'll have another crack at it one Saturday.
Pull the brake light bulbs out and see if it still happens.
That's weird. I can't help you but one of my favorite YouTube channels is South Main Auto. He is always chasing wires as he lives in the salt belt of New York.
I had a problem with the right rear brake bulb fitting a while back..your post reminded me of that. Maybe something going on with the fitting. Thanks Josh, I'll investigate that area.
I had a "similar" issue with a 98 Dodge van. All the exterior and interior lights stopped working, but when I'd step on the brakes the lights on the radio and dash would come on. It wound up being a shorted turn signal switch in the steering column.
The Shop
I don’t know if your car has the headlight switch in the combination switch or not. But, I ran into the same exact problem once and it was the combination switch that shorted internally.
Yeah, start there!
Eric O is a stud with that stuff.
It’s a short in the wiring loom. Take your time tracing the wires and find the open area. If it is a switch going out it would change tendencies as the component fails more and more.
I have a friend who does auto wiring for a living; I'll ask him.
He probably knows exactly what the problem is and can tell you the color of the wire that is the problem, where the wire is pinched, and what time of day it was when the problem began occurring. 😄
What model year is the Golf? They call them different names internationally; over here those were called Rabbits for a long time. Your idea of MK 1 and mine might be very different.
Hey Falcon, it's a 2006 model...thanks for your time..
I'll have another crack at it in Saturday...lol...I need to build up some patience.. lol...
Dumb question: do the brake lights work properly? (In other words, the tail lights work when you have the headlight switch on, and the brake lights get brighter when you step on the brake pedal?) The headlights are just an additional "feature" when you step on the brakes, right?
Do the headlights work without the brake pedal applied?
My electronics guru just told me this: "If the high/low switch is on the column, there could be a short between two wires at the column switch."
EDIT: Factory alarm? Does the hazard switch work correctly?
Also:
If your light switch is the same as my old Corrado was, i.e., the on/off switch is on the dash and your car uses the same bulb for brake and turn signal, then the shorted wire in the column is a big suspect.
If your car uses two different bulbs for brake vs. turn signal, we're back to square one.
You could Unplug the brake light switch and see if headlights still come on, short in the brake light switch could cause weird issues
Yes, brakes, headlights all work as should be.
When the headlights are switch off and I press the brake pedal then the headlights come on.
Josh gave me a direction to investigate which I will norch out tomorrow. I suspect it my be the cheap as Chinese brake/tail light bulbs that's currently fitted.
It's not uncommon for a filament in a muti-filament bulb (tailights) to break and become "welded" to another filament. That can definitely cause this problem.
Agreed. The brake light will energize the running light and "backfill" the headlights. Since you've already had trouble there, this is your first possible culprit.
Thank you all...I feel like a righteous tool...idiot...stoooopid.
Went to Goldwagen and bought 4 tail light bulbs. Replaced the two and problem solved. I feel like an idiot as I jumped in and wasted a bunch of time effing around with the loom whilst over looking the most simple issue. f@ck meeeee.. - note to self - one is never to old to learn.
So please feel free and call me what ya want for kicks. hahahaha
Pit Row
Glad it was easy, that’s a win.
Glad you got it fixed without having to tear into the relays & stuff. I'll let my wiring friend know what the trouble was; he'll file that away for the next time!
Thank you Falcon...Appreciated.
Cool beans.
I was instructed long ago...."when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras."
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