headlight switch draining battery??

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  • Jeff M.
    Expired
    • February 1, 1999
    • 124

    #1

    headlight switch draining battery??

    I have a drain on my electrical system that i have isolated to the clock/courtesylight/door ajar/cigar lighter circuit. The drain will kill the battery in 5 days if left unstarted. I cleaned all of the door ajar switches and courtesy switches and unplugged the lighter. Everything works correct except that the headlight switch when turned to the left to turn on the courtesy lights, does not work. The headlights and parking lights work correctly. Could this somehow be my drain?? This is already a service replacement part installed in the last year. Any idease on where to start. We identified the drain circuit by using a test light and pulling fuses. The clock is a modern replacement.
  • Jack H.
    Extremely Frequent Poster
    • April 1, 1990
    • 9893

    #2
    Re: headlight switch draining battery??

    How about checking to see if your glove box light is really turning off when the compartment door is closed?

    Comment

    • Chas Henderson #28127

      #3
      Re: headlight switch draining battery??

      Will the wiper switch under the dash, if left on, drain the battery?

      Chasman

      Comment

      • Geoff C.
        Expired
        • June 1, 1979
        • 1613

        #4
        Yes it says so right in GM Workshop Manual *NM*

        Comment

        • Jeff M.
          Expired
          • February 1, 1999
          • 124

          #5
          Re: Yes it says so right in GM Workshop Manual

          yes the glove box door is turning off. Any other ideas

          Comment

          • Chuck S.
            Expired
            • April 1, 1992
            • 4668

            #6
            Re: headlight switch draining battery??

            Do the courtesy lights work normally when the doors are opened? Has the headlight switch EVER operated the courtesy lights properly?

            A common failure for the headlight switch is the courtesy light rheostat coil burning through. This would cause your courtesy lights not to work, but I don't think it would discharge the battery. If the headlight switch has NEVER operated the courtesy lights correctly, I would inspect the switch installation, particularly the courtesy light wire and terminal.

            Comment

            • Roberto L.
              Very Frequent User
              • January 1, 1998
              • 523

              #7
              Cigarette lighter? cigarette light area? *NM*

              Roberto J Luis
              RMC
              1970 Corvette Stingray coupe MT 300 HP

              Comment

              • Jeff M.
                Expired
                • February 1, 1999
                • 124

                #8
                Re: headlight switch draining battery??

                yes the light switch did control the courtesy lights when i put in a new headlight switch. The courtesy lights do work when the door is open.should I have a light around the cigar lighter? This is a 71 by the way

                Comment

                • Jim T.
                  Expired
                  • March 1, 1993
                  • 5351

                  #9
                  Re: headlight switch draining battery??

                  Jeff your 71 should have a light that illuminates the cigar lighter hole when the lights are on. The light is in a metal holder that clips into the side of the cigar lighter. Your light switch should illuminate the courtesy lights when turned fully to the left reguardless of your parking lights/headlights being on or off.

                  Comment

                  • Chuck S.
                    Expired
                    • April 1, 1992
                    • 4668

                    #10
                    Re: headlight switch draining battery??

                    I may be wrong, but I believe the light on your cigarette lighter is on the dash lighting circuit and not the clock/courtesy circuit, i.e. when you turn on the headlights, that light and the climate controls light illuminate with the rest of the dash lights.

                    In my previous post, I meant to say that if the courtesy light dimming coil burns through, then the courtesy lights can not be operated with the headlight switch...I believe they should work normally when the doors are opened. I suspect your headlight switch is bad again as far as courtesy lights go, but failure of the dimming coil doesn't affect other functions of the switch.

                    The dimming coil failure may or may not be related to the battery discharging. Why did you replace the headlight switch originally? Was it to fix the courtesy lights or because the headlights didn't work?

                    Comment

                    • Jeff M.
                      Expired
                      • February 1, 1999
                      • 124

                      #11
                      Re: headlight switch draining battery??

                      I replaced the headlight switch because the dimmer function was bad

                      Comment

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