2004 Land Cruiser...head lights will NOT go OFF...on any of the settings????

[TomR]

Wife just returned with our '04 LC and asked why the lights would not go off. I tried changing setting including the OFF setting that I have not used in 13 years and 185K miles...lights will not go off. Interior lights go off after what appears to be the normal 30-60 seconds but the headlights remain on.

It has now been sitting 5-10 minutes since I last tried alternatives. I also turned the car on and moved a slight amount and then shut it down...no result.

It also triggers the auto car locks when moving the light control between the various settings...I do not think it has done that before but perhaps I just haven't noticed before?

Any sense in disconnecting and reconnecting the battery? Plus terminal the best one to disconnect or the negative...

Other ideas??? Dealers service appears to have day off (in lieu of X-Mas I would assume).

I appreciate any wisdom and wish I had more knowledge Thanks...Tom

 

[PLROD]

until you get it figured out, disconnect the neg bat term - it would appear you have short in the wiring or a bad switch.

 

[TomR]

until you get it figured out, disconnect the neg bat term - it would appear you have short in the wiring or a bad switch.

Thanks...removed the positive, cleaned it and re-installed. No change. I have the positive disconnected and protected from any contact. Please let me know if I need to disconnect the negative also at this point. I am guessing switch since it also seems to have altered the lock mechanism also. I will go to a dealer tomorrow and hopefully get fixed. 13 years in Minnesota weather does cause deterioration I assume. Thanks Tom R

 

[PLROD]

I always prefer to remove the neg but what you did is fine. Do you have a test light?

 

[TomR]

I always prefer to remove the neg but what you did is fine. Do you have a test light?

No I do not. My electrical expertise kind of ends with cleaning/charging battery and replacing light bulbs.

I hope the switch is not both expensive and buried where it is difficult and expensive to get repaired...also kind of hope it is not a short as I fear they are sometimes very difficult to find?

Overall, after 25 years and approaching 500K miles with three LCs I have had very little in terms of repairs...other than normal maintenance.

Thanks...Tom R

 

[aging fleet]

Was it raining when your wife was driving around? Possible electrical shenanigans due to a water leak.

 

[TomR]

Interesting possibility. Yesterday here in Mpls was significant rainfall in mid 30s F...rain albeit very cold. We traveled to our sons home (40 miles) and returned about 9pm in a pouring rain/thunderstorm which is unusual here in the north at X-mas time. We plowed through many pretty deep puddles as well as enduring the downpour. Surely could have been some "gremlins" in that rain!

Today was dry with 30mph winds much of the day. We shall see in the AM when I restore the battery cable...maybe it will be "dried out" Tom R

P.S. BTW Aging Fleet...is your '06 Dark Green (hard to tell for sure in the little pic? My '04 is and it is my favorite color. Wish it was a current option as I likely will be moving out of my '04 into a new LC soon...don't really like the current colors...maybe the current "red" is OK. TMR

 

[aging fleet]

P.S. BTW Aging Fleet...is your '06 Dark Green (hard to tell for sure in the little pic? My '04 is and it is my favorite color. Wish it was a current option as I likely will be moving out of my '04 into a new LC soon...don't really like the current colors...maybe the current "red" is OK. TMR

No, mine is actually black. I'm a fan of green 200s too, there is a green/black '14 for sale up in Michigan I keep thinking about. From the current palate, the dark blue would likely be my choice.

Good luck with the lights, if you've had the windshield replaced in the past you may be getting some water through a bad seal or the rivet holes in the a-pillar. Maybe feel around the drivers and passengers side kick panels to see if anything is wet.

 

[TomR]

Was it raining when your wife was driving around? Possible electrical shenanigans due to a water leak.

Looks like your were correct! Last night while the battery was disconnected in the garage I opened the hood to allow a little more air circulation. Not sure that helped much but this AM was working fine when I hooked it back up. I believe you were correct...the monsoon we drove through day before yesterday got something wet and it took a a couple of days to dry out.


Interesting that the "trouble" lights are also gone. I have long thought they were a short and perhaps this was a common problem area? The erroneous trouble lights (brakes, traction control and engine) used to appear frequently and I could get them to disappear by shutting pulling forward a few feet, shutting off and restarting again...almost always worked. These trouble lights have been OK for over a year until a few days ago...now they are gone again! Better sell it soon Thanks...for your help...Tom

 

[SWUtah]

Keep it sounds like your beast is self healing

 

[Dwight S]

TomR, I would spend a little money and have a good body shop remove the windshield and correct any issues they find in the frame seat that may keep the windshield seating and sealing properly. Put the windshield back in and enjoy the truck. There are lots of folks who have had trouble with leaks, but once it's fixed, they typically don't have any other trouble.

 

[Julian Stead]

I am having my windscreen pulled next month due to corrosion, I bought new trims, very expensive for what they are. Make sure you use the correct rivets, they are designed to be water tight.