My Headlights Are Always On?

[l008com]

So mine's a 2000 S10 pickup. I just recently realized that my headlights when it's dark? Mine are always on, tail lights too. Even on the brightest, sunniest day. Is this normal or is something messed up? I can hit the dome override 4 times and they'll shut off, and my dash lights will get bright enough to actually SEE.

[deathphoenix99]

Ok, are you sure your lights are on and not your daytime running lights? If so, is your light switch turned to off, fully counter-clock wise? If these are good, then you probably have something on your light sensor located on the passenger side speaker cover on the dash. If its dirty, covered, or broken it will cause your lights not to work correctly.

[bigpokie]

i have a similar problem except my DRL and my low beams are on during the day. but its normal at night. mine started after a relay behind my sterering colum burnt up and i had it replaced. any ideas phoenix?

[deathphoenix99]

What year vehicle bigpokie?

[l008com]

Any thoughts? My sensor seems fine, but my lights definitely seem to be on?

[colbye32]

call me crazy, but that sticker is prolly blocking the light from hitting that sensor, making the headlights come on..

edit : you can click the e brake down one notch and it will solve your problem.. just be sure to do it everytime you get in..

[l008com]

That picture is misleading, the sticker is hardly blocking any light at all. Even in a sunny summer day, the headlights are on. Even if I'm not at that exact angle when I'm driving down the street.

I'd rather fix the problem properly, than drive with the E brake on, even if it's just barely on. Anyone know how?

[deathphoenix99]

Alright, you should have wiring diagrams for the headlights, so I would look at that first. Maybe try switching out the Ambient light sensor with a junk yard one. The BCM controls your automatic headlights feature. Another test you could do, is disconnect the light sensor, there should be 5V to one wire. Use a jumper wire and connect between the two. The light sensor works by resistance, the "darker" it is outside, the more resistance in the sensor. So the jumper will have little resistance and appear to be really bright out. If this turns your headlights off, we know there is a problem with the BCM or sensor.

[l008com]

OK so I took it all apart and played with it a little bit. I am reading about 5.5V coming through the sensor's wire. I stuck a paperclip into both ends to see if that would shut the lights off, but it didn't. I left it for a while, turned the truck off and back on, still the lights just stayed on. Then, I tried measuring the resistance of the sensor itself, and couldn't get a reading. Light or dark, my meter reads from 1 ohm (probably less than 1 also) up to 2MOhms, and it read nothing the whole time. Not zero, but no reading at all, as if I wasn't even touching the probes to anything. Based on that it would seem like my sensor is bad. But the paper clip should have bypassed it, right? So do I have multiple problems? Or maybe no resistance is too little resistance for the system?

[deathphoenix99]

I'm going to guess the sensor is fine, they should never go bad, unless there is an external problem. But regardless, yours is probably fine as the bypass should have turned the lights off. So you are looking at a problem elsewhere, either your BCM, or a control somewhere else. I'd suggest looking at a wiring diagram and see if anything looks like a probabe place, either a bad switch, bad contact, or module. Have you done anything new, remove dash etc...? Something that might have pinched a wire or damaged something.

[l008com]

I've taken the radio out a few times, thats it. I think it's been like this for a while though. I know whenever I hook up a trailer, the trailer lights always come right on. I've never really thought much about it until recently.

[orangesonoma]

did you take off the grill and look at the wires going to the sensor? my 02 had the same issue and the moron who owned it before me never plugged the sensor back in..yours may be the same...or maybe even a bent pin in the sensor..

[l008com]

You mean the speaker grill? Yeah the sensor seems fine. There is some nasty mold under the speaker grill but moving on . . .

Maybe I'm making this more difficult than it needs to be. Is there an easy way (like pulling a fuse) to disable the whole automatic system? That way I'd have to use the knob to manually turn the lights on and off? That would be fine.

[orangesonoma]

you have to put a resistor in the plug for the sensor in the grill

[colbye32]

or ground the wire that goes to the ebrake to somewhere metal, then pull the brake light from the cluster. thats what i did, now my headlights are manual, with the switch only.

[GET'R'DONE]

im havin the same problem..

[bigpokie]

Quote: Originally Posted by deathphoenix99

What year vehicle bigpokie?

sorry so late. 00, 2.2, 5spd

[GET'R'DONE]

Quote: Originally Posted by colbye32

call me crazy, but that sticker is prolly blocking the light from hitting that sensor, making the headlights come on..

edit : you can click the e brake down one notch and it will solve your problem.. just be sure to do it everytime you get in..

when i press the ebrake down it does nothin. lights stay on

[deathphoenix99]

There must be a short or something wrong in the BCM. It controls the lights.

[l008com]

What IS a BCM?

[orangesonoma]

body control module

it controls the lights in the truck as well as most of the trucks functions..

could have a bad sensor too...try to replace it? if you put a resistor in there and they shut off you know that the sensor is bad

[l008com]

Quote: Originally Posted by orangesonoma

body control module

it controls the lights in the truck as well as most of the trucks functions..

could have a bad sensor too...try to replace it? if you put a resistor in there and they shut off you know that the sensor is bad

How many ohms should turn the lights off? I tried a paperclip aka just about zero ohms, and it had no effect.

[l008com]

Quote: Originally Posted by colbye32

call me crazy, but that sticker is prolly blocking the light from hitting that sensor, making the headlights come on..

edit : you can click the e brake down one notch and it will solve your problem.. just be sure to do it everytime you get in..

Or I could just hit the dome-override button 4 times, every time I get in. But I'd rather make it work normally.

[sdimenightlight]

im working on one right now same thing his does it even with the key off n out, i have the bcm unplugged the switch unplugged same problem, do yours stay on with the key off? ill post it when i find the problem.
dan

[l008com]

No I think mine shut off when i turn the key off, but the interior lights etc say on after i remove the key, until I open the door. I assume thats normal.