High beams always on, engine doesn't turn off

[vanjuggler]

My wife had some trouble on her road trip to tofino this weekend. (What is it about delicas and trouble going to tofino?) I just took the deli out for a drive and here are my current problems. Perhaps someone can help.

When I put the keys in, the highbeam light comes on in the dashboard, and the driver-side headlight comes on. Turning the headlights on turns on the running lights, but only one headlight stays on. Turning on and off the highbeams does nothing.

When I'm done driving, the engine only turns off when I turn the lights are on. If the lights are off (highbeam light still permanently stuck on), the engine stays running even when I pull the keys out. It is similar behavior to if the turbo timer is on, but without the beeping. If the keys are out, headlights off, and it's still running, turning the headlights on will kill the engine. BUT, the highbeam light stays on, and the one driver side headlight stays on.

I can turn the headlight off by pulling out a 15W fuse (top row, maybe 5th from the right), and sticking it back in. When I'm removing and inserting the fuse I can hear clicking from what seems to be a little DRL module mounted below the fuses.

I suspect something is shorted somewhere (perhaps the passenger headlight), but I'm really not sure.

Anyone have any suggestions on what it could be, or more debugging I can do?

Thanks for any help.

[BCDelica]

That exact thing happened to our van and a failed highbeam relay was the cause. This happen over two years ago and a mechanic repaired it for us, though I did locate the relay from advice given on the UK forum. I really wish I could tell you which relay it was but I'm sure you can find it on the UK forum.

Good luck!

[EnviroImports.com]

My guess would be either the relay for one of your headlights is gone, OR your Daytime running light modual , since it is tied into a switched power to make them come on once the ignition key is on .
the modual could have shorted out if its not wired in properly or just faulty. The modual is normally set up to get a low voltage to turn on the low beams with only 6v so it will be on but dull. but sometimes they dont get wired into the headlight relay to shut off the modual, if you turn on your headlights in the evening. so the modual gets overheated burns out and your stuck in the on position. your head lights will burn out, and if its tied into your ignition then that can keep that circut open, that would explain why your van won't shut down when you take the key out.
Thats my best guess with out actually seeing it and from what you say is going on.
Noel

[john n]

Check to see how the DRL system is wired in.
If the system is connected directly through the blue and red ignition wire with no diode to prevent a backfeed any time the lights are on manually it will power the ignition system.
To test if this is the case: leave the key out of the ignition and turn the headlights on manually, if the dashboard warning lights come on, that is the issue (or at least one of them)

[vanjuggler]

Check to see how the DRL system is wired in.
If the system is connected directly through the blue and red ignition wire with no diode to prevent a backfeed any time the lights are on manually it will power the ignition system.
To test if this is the case: leave the key out of the ignition and turn the headlights on manually, if the dashboard warning lights come on, that is the issue (or at least one of them)

I just tried this. Initially, everything is off. My highbeam is off because I previously removed the fuse (then put it back in). With the key out of the ignition, I turned on the headlights. The highbeam light came on. I turned the lights off, but the highbeam stays on. I again removed the fuse, and the lights turned off.

I should clarify about the headlights. When the highbeam on the dash is stuck on, just the out-most driver side light comes on. Each headlight seems to have two lights in it. Turning the regular lights on/off, and the highbeams on/off has no effect - only the driver-side-most bulb stays on.

Today I took off the side lights and had a look around. The wiring all seems to be just simple electrical tape joints - it seems a bit sketchy.

My next plan is
* buy a voltage checker tool
* find the headlight relays, and possibly check them out
* take the headlights apart and inspect the wiring.

Any other suggestions?

[PcSpecialist]

I would take it to whomever wired the headlights and say "What the Hell?"

[rdub]

im just wondering who it was that wired them up i would agree take it to whoever did it in the first place,and tell them to do it right (if its there fault) and if they give you the cold shoulder please post it so we know who not to do business with, or if they do fix it post it so we know that they are worthy of placing there hands on our Delicas.

[mitch]

Had a simular problem with my DRL wiring.. all the conections were corroded and the lights would not turn off.. even when the engine was off and the keys were out. It was a test of patience as the importer did'nt believe it was a DRL problem and it cost me $200 by a 3rd party to have it fixed. I wont name the Importer as a refund is still pending and I dont have DRL lights anymore.

Vanjuggler.. If you want to PM me, id be interested who wired yours up.

Mitch

[EricN]

Hey guys, just an FYI, 90% of those aftermarket DRL relays I have installed fail within a year, I had one fail in an hour. Usually they fail with some strange results like you are describing. You are better off using a standard automotive relay and wiring it up with that. Cheaper and alot more reliable. I saw my van had one of those 2, I am trying to decide if I yank it now or wait for it to fail.

[vanjuggler]

I don't know who did this wiring - I bought this van on ebay from a guy outside of Nanaimo on craigslist in June. He bought it from an importer.

So the DRL relay is near the fuse box, where would the other headlight relays be? Someone mentioned that one of those could be fubar. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to know if the relay is faulty? I'm a software guy, not so expert with wiring at this level. :)

[Green1]

DRL is a strictly aftermarket component, so where it is and how it's wired will vary greatly between vehicles, mine was simply a fuse between the ignition line and the headlights the way the importer wired it, I have since re-done it with relays (which I have put inside the steering column) there are many ways of doing DRL, so one person's experience may not match with other peoples...

[vanjuggler]

I did a whole bunch of work on this tonight, taking apart my headlights and figuring out how it works. My DRL relay seems to be okay - I can hear it click over, and it seems to do the job. But I'm pretty sure that the headlight relay is FUBAR, and it's routing electricity back through other things.

So my question is, where is the headlight relay located? I found a wiring diagram, but I don't know where the relay itself is. Any tips? Also, can I buy a replacement relay from around here? Does anyone have experience replacing it?

[vanjuggler]

I took my van to RJD Services in North Van today. They were great, and fixed up all my headlight problems. The main problem was that the connections of the wire to the bulb inside the headlight modules were horribly corroded and/or burnt. They had totally shorted out. So he re-did all the wiring, heat-shrank everything, and put new bulbs in my lowbeams. Everything worked - there was no burnt out relay - just extremely poor wiring.