Honda Car Forum

Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..

Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra

On 2009-10-09, Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote:
> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>
> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra

Leave the engine off when you drive...

--
Joe - Linux User #449481/Ubuntu User #19733
joe at hits - buffalo dot com
"Hate is baggage, life is too short to go around pissed off all the
time..." - Danny, American History X

Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
news:7b3tc55h2jk70oo9e5mq86jah16um24i3c@4ax.com:

> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>
> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra



Any aftermarket additions or modifications of ANY kind to ANY of the
wiring?


--
Tegger

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

On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 03:57:56 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv>
wrote:

>Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
>news:7b3tc55h2jk70oo9e5mq86jah16um24i3c@4ax.com :
>
>> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
>> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
>> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>>
>> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra
>
>
>
>Any aftermarket additions or modifications of ANY kind to ANY of the
>wiring?
This was a used car i bought 1 year ago.It does have a after market
stereo installed.Lights worked fine until last week.Do you think this
might be part of the problem.I will take it into the dealership next
week if i cant figure this one out.

Bill Gavin

On 09 Oct 2009 03:29:38 GMT, Joe <joe@spam.hits-spam-buffalo.com>
wrote:

>On 2009-10-09, Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote:
>> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
>> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
>> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>>
>> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra
>
>Leave the engine off when you drive...

Joe you have a good sense of humour.

"Bill Gavin" <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in message
news:uovuc55t1p4smut1dtp8rd5hem6ar726h8@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 03:57:56 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv>
> wrote:
>
>>Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
>>news:7b3tc55h2jk70oo9e5mq86jah16um24i3c@4ax.co m:
>>
>>> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
>>> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
>>> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>>>
>>> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra
>>
>>
>>
>>Any aftermarket additions or modifications of ANY kind to ANY of the
>>wiring?
> This was a used car i bought 1 year ago.It does have a after market
> stereo installed.Lights worked fine until last week.Do you think this
> might be part of the problem.I will take it into the dealership next
> week if i cant figure this one out.


Are the lights working or not really tied to the engine being running or
really tied to the key being in the on or run position?

Maybe pop the stereo out and inspect the wiring. There is a wire (on most
stereos) that ties into the lighting system to tell the stereo if it should
dim it's display. Could an an issue in that circuit.

My first suspicion (not being able to see the car) based on what you've said
so far is a sloppy wiring job behind the radio.

Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
news:uovuc55t1p4smut1dtp8rd5hem6ar726h8@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 03:57:56 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv>
> wrote:
>
>>Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
>>news:7b3tc55h2jk70oo9e5mq86jah16um24i3c@4ax.co m:
>>
>>> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
>>> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
>>> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>>>
>>> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra
>>
>>
>>
>>Any aftermarket additions or modifications of ANY kind to ANY of the
>>wiring?
>
>
> This was a used car i bought 1 year ago.It does have a after market
> stereo installed.Lights worked fine until last week.Do you think this
> might be part of the problem.I will take it into the dealership next
> week if i cant figure this one out.
>


I'm with Seth. Somebody's done a lousy wiring job.

You need to check all the wiring behind the dash /very/ carefully. Chances
are pretty good you'll find some wires that have been twisted together and
are coming apart, or are crossing circuits, or something like that.

Don't forget to check the fuse box. Some people try to take power from
there by stuffing a wire under one leg of a fuse, which makes the fuse
loose.

Power to the taillights is from from the red/green wire that comes out of
the headlamp switch behind the steering wheel and goes to the #11 fuse.
After the #11 fuse, that wire becomes red/black. The side markers and the
license plate lights all use the same power source as the taillights.

You likely won't be able to remove the steering wheel nut without an impact
wrench. But once you do remove the nut, the wheel just slides off; the
splines are not tapered.

(Every thread like this is a reminder to me of why I refuse to purchase any
car that has had any sort of alteration to its electrical system.)

--
Tegger

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

On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 21:27:23 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv>
wrote:

>Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
>news:uovuc55t1p4smut1dtp8rd5hem6ar726h8@4ax.com :
>
>> On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 03:57:56 +0000 (UTC), Tegger <invalid@invalid.inv>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
>>>news:7b3tc55h2jk70oo9e5mq86jah16um24i3c@4ax.com :
>>>
>>>> Having some problems with my taillights. Rear tail lights work when
>>>> engine is off,but stop working once i start my engine.No problem with
>>>> headlights or brake lights.any one had this problem..
>>>>
>>>> Bill Gavin 1990 Acura Integra
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Any aftermarket additions or modifications of ANY kind to ANY of the
>>>wiring?
>>
>>
>> This was a used car i bought 1 year ago.It does have a after market
>> stereo installed.Lights worked fine until last week.Do you think this
>> might be part of the problem.I will take it into the dealership next
>> week if i cant figure this one out.
>>
>
>
>I'm with Seth. Somebody's done a lousy wiring job.
>
>You need to check all the wiring behind the dash /very/ carefully. Chances
>are pretty good you'll find some wires that have been twisted together and
>are coming apart, or are crossing circuits, or something like that.
>
>Don't forget to check the fuse box. Some people try to take power from
>there by stuffing a wire under one leg of a fuse, which makes the fuse
>loose.
>
>Power to the taillights is from from the red/green wire that comes out of
>the headlamp switch behind the steering wheel and goes to the #11 fuse.
>After the #11 fuse, that wire becomes red/black. The side markers and the
>license plate lights all use the same power source as the taillights.
>
>You likely won't be able to remove the steering wheel nut without an impact
>wrench. But once you do remove the nut, the wheel just slides off; the
>splines are not tapered.
>
>(Every thread like this is a reminder to me of why I refuse to purchase any
>car that has had any sort of alteration to its electrical system.)

This ones driving me crazy.Checked #11 fuse it is ok.
Should I pull the stereo out when the tail lights work and the stereo
works when the ignition key is in the aux position.Do stereo installs
usually take there power from the tail light circuit.Any more ideas
would be welcome.6 HRS wasted alredy

Bill Gavin

Bill Gavin <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in
news:bfkvc5l6it6rmmof6m08gc9q8ko6cvher5@4ax.com:

>
> This ones driving me crazy.Checked #11 fuse it is ok.


I did not say the fuse was blown. If it had been, the taillights would not
work at all. Nor would the side markers or license plate lights.


> Should I pull the stereo out when the tail lights work and the stereo
> works when the ignition key is in the aux position.


Yes. Somebody has done a crappy job of wiring /something/ in that car,
whether it's the radio or something else. When dealing with aftermarket
modifications, all bets are off.



> Do stereo installs
> usually take there power from the tail light circuit.



From where did the installer take the power? From wherever it was
convenient. Or from the first wire that made things work instead of just
making magic smoke and blowing fuses.

Is this your first car? If so, this one will be quite a learning
experience.

The problem with aftermarket is primarily that the factory didn't do it.
Aftermarket modifications are often performed by young, impatient,
inexperienced, greasy-fingered knuckle-dragging apes with no wiring
diagrams, no manuals, and no electrical knowledge.



> Any more ideas
> would be welcome.6 HRS wasted alredy
>


If you've spent six hours on this and not bothered to remove the radio in
all that time, then you need the services of a professional. Or at least
those of somebody with an inkling of how automotive wiring is regularly and
repeatedly botched in exactly the same way, each and every time, by the
above mentioned simians.


--
Tegger

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

"Bill Gavin" <egavin@scsinternet.com> wrote in message
news:bfkvc5l6it6rmmof6m08gc9q8ko6cvher5@4ax.com...
>
> This ones driving me crazy.Checked #11 fuse it is ok.
> Should I pull the stereo out when the tail lights work and the stereo
> works when the ignition key is in the aux position.Do stereo installs
> usually take there power from the tail light circuit.Any more ideas
> would be welcome.6 HRS wasted alredy


Yes, pull the stereo right now and see what it looks like back there.

If it is just an aftermarket stereo and no additional stereo items (amps,
equalizer, etc...) then I wouldn't be too concerned about tracing back to
the fuse back or any of that as for a simple head unit swap everything can
be done with what's in the stereo cavity.

When you pull the stereo, did the person who put it in there use an adapter
harness or did they just cut the stock wiring to wire in the new radio?

If the cut method, then you have a rats nest to untangle. If they used a
harness, then your issue may be as simple as some electrical tape and/or a
wire nut came loose.

Pull the stereo, take inventory of what you see and start from there.