Parking lights won't turn off!

dr_jode

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
14
Location
Middle Earth, NSW
Hi everyone, just a general question.

Yesterday afternoon I was cleaning out the Foz, had the radio on whilst doing the vacuuming. I then turned car off and took keys out before washing it but noticed my parkers where still on?

Called OH over and he fiddled around, turn car on, turn lights on and off, turn car off, turn lights on and off. The parkers only turned off when he took the fuse out, and as soon as we put the fuse back in they came on again. Now when we put the fuse back in the car was off and keys were out? I'm sure i've read of this happening to someone else on this forum but it might have been on the old forum?

Anyone got any idea's of what is going on?? Or had a similar experiance.

Car is a MY04 Forester Non-Turbo (unfortunately) :)

Thanks in advance!!

Jodi.
 
:lol::lol:

I think you bumped the emergency parking light switch. In the OBW sits on top of the steering column.
 
Are you serious fredsub? But I wasn't anywhere near there??

Mmmm will go check now!! :-)

Goodness i'm a dumbarse if it is that! Hahahaha....
 
Don't worry mate, lots of people have had this happen to them, myself included. :lol: :redface: :redface:

I have a my05 Forry & yes it (the switch) is on the top of the steering column.

Most of us have nicknamed it the flat battery switch. :o

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
OK, so I found that 'flat battery' switch Mr Turbo! Hehehehe...

Thanks for pointing that out, I knew it was some sort of emergency switch but had never even tried it! Hahaha...

Thanks again, problem sorted. I don't get on here much but when I have you guys have always been really helpful! Cheers...
 
Advantages of LED Parker upgrade.

Came across an interesting suggestion on a similar thread on Outback.org. Replace the parker globes with LEDs.

There are 2 advantages to this:

  1. If you accidentally leave the parking lights on then the battery won't die in 'nothing flat' - or perhaps that should be everything flat! :ebiggrin:
  2. You can actually use the PARKING lights when the car is PARKED at night, and still drive it later. :lol:
OK, I guess that is just 2 aspects of the same advantage. :iconwink: Even so, it would be :cool: to actually be able to use the lights and switch for there intended purposes. :lildevil:
 
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That's not a bad idea Barry.
But you would have to change the rear tail lights also (with LED's)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
LOL Mr Turbo,

As one of the 'jobs' on my RDO today I flicked on the switch to double check which globes were which front and back. Then, having turned off the lights on the stalk, I removed keys and locked the car.
A couple of hours later I had a call from a mate, to say he had been driving by and I might like to check my lights.
Yep, had forgot the switch on the top of the column! :lol:

At this stage I am looking at replacing the following:

  • Front Parkers - white LED
  • Rear Stop Light - Red dual intensity LED
  • LHS Reversing light - White LED
  • RHS* Reversing Light - Convert to FOG light with an LED Stop Light globe and 'missile switch'.:lildevil:
I'll keep the two reversing light globes as 'spares' for the rear indicators.:)
 
Hehehe... Yeah, this issue started with the L series - first time I fired up the L after an MPFI "conversion" I was stressed that I'd wired something incorrectly as the parkers seemed to be permanently on. As it turned out I'd knocked the column switch that operated the parkers when I was either removing or installing the dash board... Fun Fun. Glad that's sorted - and I've been using the parkers often during warm up since being in the snow - its a great feature since the subarus went to negative switching, otherwise they wouldn't have parkers if this switch wasn't installed...

Good times - it freaks out anyone who doesn't know its there!

Cheers

Bennie
 
LED conversion: parker & tail / stop lights

Barry said:
Came across an interesting suggestion on a similar thread on Outback.org. Replace the parker globes with LEDs.

There are 2 advantages to this:

  1. If you accidentally leave the parking lights on then the battery won't die in 'nothing flat' - or perhaps that should be everything flat! :ebiggrin:
  2. You can actually use the PARKING lights when the car is PARKED at night, and still drive it later. :lol:
OK, I guess that is just 2 aspects of the same advantage. :iconwink: Even so, it would be :cool: to actually be able to use the lights and switch for there intended purposes. :lildevil:
Click to expand...

Picked up the front LED white 'parking' globes and combined tail / stop light LED globes today, to do this conversion. :cool:

I will be using the parking lights as 'day running lights', rather than running with my headlights.
This will have the added advantage of maximising the life of my headlight globes! :)

The globes came in twin packs. I got two packs of the tail light LEDs. That gives me one globe to do the 'fog light' conversion, :lildevil: and a 'spare', in the - hopefully unlikely - event of a failure.

Hope to fit them this weekend.
 
Ive done this before - everyone has, and Ive had LEDs in my parkers once before but took them out as well.
LEDS will help but they aren't "bright" enough compared to the normal globes, they dont 'spread' the light as its just spot forward beam type of light... I agree it doesnt use as much power what the old globes would be.
I believe that the most power drain would be the rear lights not the front parkers.
Cheers
AP
 
The tail light globes are multi directional, so I am hoping that they do the job.

As 'day running lights' I think the main objective of the front 'parkers' is on-coming traffic, so these don't really need to be directional.

Will be interesting to see how they work out.
 
lol....I just spent over an hour trying to figure out why my parkers where stuck on, and then joined up there, and discovered this thread...sure enough, I'd somehow bumped the switch! Didn't know it existed till now. I don't know why Subaru bothered to put it there....maybe just to fool people like me! :lol:
 
I have done this too :rotfl: Took me bloody hours to figure it out :rotfl:I have also done similar with the interior dash lights when cleaning before. I couldn't see my speedo at night, it was hell freaky. I tried fuses, Google, everything then figured out its the dimmer near the headlight switch :lol:

Regards
Taza
 
Didn't know what that button did till I looked in the manual I think it hapends to most of us Subaru drivers.

_______________
Mike G
98 Subaru outback
 
Gidday Mike & Taz

taza said:
I have done this too :rotfl:
Click to expand...

Me too.
In Roo1, I also moved the rear fog light switch from near the ignition switch to the centre because I kept pushing it ON when I took my keys out ...

Took me bloody hours to figure it out :rotfl:I have also done similar with the interior dash lights when cleaning before. I couldn't see my speedo at night, it was hell freaky. I tried fuses, Google, everything then figured out its the dimmer near the headlight switch :lol:

Regards
Taza
Click to expand...

98outbackguy said:
Didn't know what that button did till I looked in the manual I think it hapends to most of us Subaru drivers.

_______________
Mike G
98 Subaru outback
Click to expand...

I seem to remember that with Roo1 (1993 Impreza), the current to the parkers was reduced when the ignition was off, so not quite as good at flattening the battery ... :lol:.

What got me when I changed over vehicles was the {wrong Seatbelt wrong} Handbrake Warning Light. This light used to be used for the ECU fault in Roo1 (separate{wrong Seatbelt wrong} handbrake warning light. The current hbwl looks like my old ECU warning light ... ). I (and my wallet ... ) nearly had a heart attack when I first noticed it in Roo2 ... :rotfl:.

(I think I've got that right now, but it's been a long day ... )
 
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Joel said:
I don't know why Subaru bothered to put it there....maybe just to fool people like me! :lol:
Click to expand...

Due to the negative switching (earth) that the subarus use for their lights they've got this switch to operate when the ignition is off - as our lights turn off with the ignition when parkers are required when the ignition is switched off, hence why the instrument cluster doesn't light up with the parkers...

Nachaluva said:
Does the early Foz hav a rear fog light switch? I havent seen one...
Click to expand...

Good! Australian delivered vehicles should have this feature disabled - it's very distracting at night when it's not actually foggy or misty and the driver of the vehicle doesn't know what that switch does but uses it anyway. Effectively it's like driving with your brake lights on all the time it's that bright! VERY FRUSTRATING.

Cheers

Bennie
 
Bennie,

I know what you mean, which is why I'd love to have it so I could pass those stupid little Hyundai buzz boxes that drive at night with their rear fog light on and give them a blast of their own 'medicine'.
What idiot thought those silly little tin cans needed a rear fog light FFS!
I high beam them from behind, but they are too damn stupid to work it out!
 
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