Strange electrics problem

[snwtoy]

Hi Guys

A couple of days ago my spotlights started coming on when I apply the brake.

Also, when I turn my lights (park and headlights) on, the brake lights come on.

So basically I'm restricted to driving in the daytime, with spotlights that come on when I brake.

The only thing I can think of is that the alarm or the wiring for the alarm has malfunctioned, as it was hooked up to the lights rather than the indicators. Does this sound like the place to start looking? Alarm was installed by Rapid Radio a couple of years ago, it's the third alarm I've had, but the first one that has been hooked up to lights rather than indicators.

Car is a GT-T caldina if that makes any difference.

Cheers

[wde_bdy]

Bad earth (maybe due to water leaking into taillight housings) or bad bulb, sometimes when a combined park/brake dual filament bulb blows the filament for one touches the other. Do your spotlights require the park lights to be on to work? Are they separately switched and is that switch on or off? Do the front park lights come on when you touch the brakes? There should be no connection between brake and spotlights that the alarm could screw up.

Callum

[Stu-]

Take some of the bulbs out and see what happens?

[snwtoy]

Bad earth (maybe due to water leaking into taillight housings) or bad bulb, sometimes when a combined park/brake dual filament bulb blows the filament for one touches the other. Do your spotlights require the park lights to be on to work? Are they separately switched and is that switch on or off? Do the front park lights come on when you touch the brakes? There should be no connection between brake and spotlights that the alarm could screw up.

Callum

All the bulbs are functional / not blown.

The spotlights do require the park lights to be on - ie no separate switch.

Yes the front park lights also come on when touching the brake. If I turn the spotlights off it takes them out of the equation. In other words the spotlights are irrelevant. The park lights come on whether the spotlights are switched on or not.

It doesn't make sense to me at all that any other light circuit should be related to the brakes, which is why I suspect the alarm as that is the only thing connecting the two.

But I will go through the process of removing the brake light bulbs to see if that makes any difference at all.

The other thing is I replaced brake pads over the weeked, I think this issue started before that, but I'm not 100% sure now. Wouldn't have thought it was relevant but just mentioning it in case. I'll go start investigating now.

[snwtoy]

Bad earth (maybe due to water leaking into taillight housings) or bad bulb, sometimes when a combined park/brake dual filament bulb blows the filament for one touches the other.

Take some of the bulbs out and see what happens?

Either of you guys in east or central auckland? I owe you a 6-pack each!! First bulb out, exactly what Callum said! Filaments touching

[wde_bdy]

I had to chase that problem around a trailer, still have nightmares about that one.

Callum

[matt dunn]

It is actually quite a common occourance,

along with people putting single contact bulbs in a double contact socket which casuses the same fault.

[Stu-]

Well done, glad it worked out