An interesting electrical issue

[chabanais]

I first noticed this a few days ago.

If the parking lights/headlights are OFF the rear side lights and interior lights illuminate when I press the brake pedal (brake lights operate normally).

When I have the parking lights/headlights on things get really funky. The brake lights are stuck on and when I remove the key the motor continues to run unless I either turn the parking lights/headlights OFF or remove my foot from the brake pedal.

I can't understand how the ignition would be involved in this... trying to think where the wires would be near one another.

Any ideas?
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"I spud therefore I yam."

[skills@eurocarsplus]

if you posted what year bus, that would be awesome for us that wanted to peruse a wire diagram.

if it's an early bus, the first stop for the main feed from the battery is to the headlight switch iirc.
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[kreemoweet]

[chabanais]

71.

I can trace the wires just wondering if someone has experienced this before I assume something is accidentally touching someting else.

Really odd.

Thank you.
_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."

[telford dorr]

[Tom Powell]

Don't know the wiring for your '71, but in my '69 camper a disintegrating rheostat in the light switch was a breeding place for gremlins. The engine would start and run only when the parking lights were on.

Aloha
tp

[chabanais]

I think it is up at the front where the wiring harness from the back goes into a plastic coupler into the front.

The ignition wire runs through there so I'm thinking that might have something to do with it. That plastic is thin and old and might have worn out in places.

The ignition wire runs there but also the headlight switch power cable. These must fail in other Buses, too.

_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."

[Tcash]

I new this sounded familiar.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...mp;start=0

Good luck
Tcash

Let us know.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

I would suspect the headlight switch. looking at the diagram, remove fuse 9 (16a) and see if anything changes. that is the feed to the headlight switch
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[chabanais]

I read that thread but nobody could explain how the headlights we affected.

I will try pulling the fuse, too.

I still suspect that coupler, however.

The only thing I've done is to add three LED lights under the dash. But I unplugged them and the same thing happened.

The rear side marker lights have never come on when I hit the brake pedal.
_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."

[skills@eurocarsplus]

the lights coming on is a pretty good indicator of something back feeding the system and/or looking for a ground
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[chabanais]

It was suggested to me that perhaps there is a grounding issue in the tail lights.

I removed the fuse up front... nothing. Removed the hot cable to the light switch... nothing.

Tomorrow I'm going to do thru the tail lights and see.

I just can't see how it affects the motor.
_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."

[busdaddy]

[SGKent]

remove both brake light bulbs temporarily and try it again. If the issue still happens then it is something upstream electrically ahead of the bulbs. If the issue goes away, the brake light bulbs simply have a bad ground, or are as BusDaddy described them.

A good way to handle this would be to replace the bulbs with new ones when they are out. I've actually had both situations happen before troubleshooting the problem you describe.
_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[chabanais]

I tracked it to the passenger tail light. The prongs were touching one another which was causing the issue.

So freaking weird!

I can't believe how easily that one was solved considering the issues it was causing.

Thank you!
_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."

[SGKent]

awesome.
_________________
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."

Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice"

[aerosurfer]

[chabanais]

_________________
"I spud therefore I yam."