"Seth" <seth_lermanNOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:haqhnu$72n$1@news.eternal-september.org:

> "Tegger" <invalid@invalid.inv> wrote in message
> news:Xns9CA08A5B74963tegger@208.90.168.18...


<snip>


>>
>> Plus I gave you another clue: Check to see if the side markers and
>> license plate lights work.
>
>
> At this point I would bet money it's a bad ground. With the engine
> off, the lights are getting their ground through some circuit that is
> off with the engine off (question about if this is truly tied to the
> engine running or just the run vs. accessory vs. off position of the
> key switch hasn't been answered yet).
>
> But I'll bet it's similar to the situation that happens sometimes
> where a persons brake lights only work when the headlights are off or
> the tail lights work only when the brake pedal isn't pressed.
>
> Bad ground.
>
>


I considered a bad ground as well, but dismissed that as being unlikely.
The grounds are on the interior of the body shell and are rarely defective.
The one exception is the taillight ground in the hatchback. That one is
sometimes damaged in bad rear-end collisions.

Power to the taillights is switched. Ground is permanent. This is the
opposite of the horn circuit, where the horns are always live and ground is
supplied by the horn contacts in the steering wheel.

In any case, if the OP would check his front marker lights and rear license
plate lights and see if they behave the same as the taillights, that would
give us a clue. The markers and taillights use different grounds, but the
taillights and license plate lights use a common ground.

Actually, the same power source feeds:
radio
taillights
front markers
license plate lights
glove box light
heater control panel lights
clock
cigarette lighter
and many other things. These use many different ground points.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/