Posted on 01/06/2017 3:26:52 PM PST by TheRobb7
I have a 1998 Ford Explorer that has a timer for the headlights. Apparently it's messed up because the headlights stay on WAAAAAY longer than they should.
I know it's a safety/convenience feature, but it's draining the battery...even a brand new one I put on a month ago.
Is there a way to disable the "timer" so that the headlights shut off when the motor does?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Go to U Tube for this kinda stuff.Large pool to pick from
you can’t turn them off manually?
That’s a no brainer especially for an old vehicle like that. Just turn the lights on/off manually. That’s what I have always done. I don’t trust timers. You have done well my FRIEND to keep it running so long.
I had that same problem in my ‘96 Explorer and was finally able to trace it to the base plate of pre-famulated amulite surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing. They were interacting in such a way that the two spurving bearings were in a direct line with the panametric fam. It wasn’t hard to fix once I understood the root cause.
Seriously, there are some great Ford sites out there. Come to FR for the humor and snark.
I can muddle through most repairs with the help of youtube! I watch a few of them and get what I think are the most reasonable tips and stuff, and pretty quickly you can tell the guys that aren’t doing things the best way.
A sense of accomplishment too at the end of the day!
There should a slider on the rear view mirror that controls the amount of time it stays on. That what was on my 2003 Sport trac.
Your link did the trick. Thank you.
Thanks for the compliment. There is a wire connected to the timer on the rear view mirror. I disconnected it. :)
Most cars have an auto/manual switch somewhere which lets you toggle between turning the lights off by hand and letting the timer take over when you turn off the engine - maybe the owner’s manual can help.....
Try the owner’s manual. There might be a way to disable it through a procedure.
I disabled the annoying “beep” when you lock the doors on my Oldsmobile minivan. It was a bit of bit of a rigmarole to remove a certain fuse, then use the window up/down buttons, or something. It worked! Seems kind of crazy but you have to remember they don’t have a keyboard.
Good general info to know. I like learning about car stuff.
I mess up occasionally and turn the lights off after the ignition. Turn the ignition back on, and off... problem solved.
There is an interesting TV show I get on early Saturday mornings on a Fox affiliated station. It is called POWERBLOCK.TV.
These guys are always modifying stuff & are interesting to watch. I am pretty sure they have a website. I would give them a try.
As for all the kudos you are getting over keeping a 1998 car running——I still drive a 1976 1 ton Dually 454 Chevy truck—hauling my horses. It has 347,000 ++ miles on it. I have had it for almost 31 years. My ‘daily driver’ is a 1979 Buick Station wagon with a 403 Olds engine. I have had it for over 35 years & it has over 211,000 miles on it.
Let me know if you get info from the POWERBLOCK TV guys.
I’ll have to look for that show myself.
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