The lights are on but...

[wooster]

Hi All
I used my 1972 2000GTV after dark the other day. When I put it away I turned the headlights off but the rear lights stayed on. It wasn't the brake lights. In the end I had to disconect the battery. Any ideas?
Cheers
Rich

[crikey_spud]

Were the front side lights on too?

[wooster]

No

[crikey_spud]

If you connect the battery now, is the fault still there?
If you turn on your side lights are the front ones working OK?

[VeloceMitch]

Could be a faulty column switch, but normally it goes the opposite way, you have dips, but no sidelights rears or dash lights. Are you certain it's not the Brake lights, if you have a faulty master cylinder or a faulty brake light switch (2 on a 2000GTV) then the brake lights may stay on and are they not double fillament bulbs with the rear lights?

I've always put a battery earth isolator into mine anyway, most of the electrics stay live even without the ignition on, so there is much less risk of flattening the battery, or worse still creating a fire by shorting something whilst it's stood.

[Mojo 69]

Most likely to be the brake lights that are on. The tail lights are on two separate circuits (at least they are on my 1750), linked in with the front sidelights, so if the n/s tail light was illuminated, the n/s sidelight would also light up.
If the problem persists, try pulling one of the wires off the brake light switch and see if the lights go out.

[wooster]

Thanks chaps. It is not the brake lights. When I press the brake the pedal the lights that are already on get brighter. I reconnect the battery the rear lights come on even though the headlights and side lights are switched off.

[crikey_spud]

Have you tried disconnecting the brake light switch? it could have a bit of a short bringing the lights on dimly (if dimly is a word?)

When you switch the side lights on, do you get more lights at the rear? or does it stay the same? Do the front side lamps work when you switch the light switch to its first position?
The bulbs that are illuminated, what wattage are they? are they double filament (i.e. stop and tail light bulbs, 5/21W) or just a single filament?

[VeloceMitch]

Sounds like you are going to need to start hunting around the wiring with a multimeter. Have you got a wiring diagram to check the colours against?. It should be simple enough to rule out the brake lights by simply taking the right coloured wire off the light unit and putting a metre across it.

If you do rule of the brake lights, it has to be a strange short from the switch on the column.

[El 4 Romeo]

Brake light wires fused or touching somewhere? Perhaps at the sender side under the car? You didn't move anything in your boot area, perhaps?

[karlssondesign]

I've a spare columnn switch if that ends up being the problem.

[wooster]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Whatever the problem was it seems to have curred itself. Having not used the car for a few days I reconnected the battery and the lights stayed off. And I can't make them repeat their odd behaviour. When it first happened the lights came on everytime I reconnected the battery. Anyway if the problem returns I'll be back...

[crikey_spud]

If it comes back please try the things i have listed above and report back!