I have a 2000 legacy wagon (245k miles) that has a light issue.
The running lights and low beam lights do not work and the dash parking break light will not go out. Earlier I had just the low beams not working. They were both blown and I replaced them about two weeks ago. Now they are out again and the dash parking break light stays on.
I checked the fuzes and they look good.
Have you checked the switch?
All the lighting circuits you’re having problems with all pass thru the combination switch.
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The combination switch is located inside the steering column.
Tester
Regarding the BRAKE warning light on the dashboard, I hope the OP is aware that it serves more than one purpose. In addition to alerting you that the parking BRAKE is on, it also alerts you to a low level of fluid in the BRAKE master cylinder.
So…if I was in the OP’s situation, before I drove the car again, I would open the master cylinder to check the fluid level. If it is low, refill to the full line with the same type of BRAKE fluid specified in the Owner’s Manual. If the BRAKE fluid level is normal, then there is a possibility that the switch underneath the parking BRAKE lever is malfunctioning.
And, there is a third possibility if the alternator warning light is also lit up.
The combination of an illuminated alternator warning light and an illuminated BRAKE warning light is a sure sign of a failing alternator.
Is the alternator warning light also lit up?
If you touch the bulb with your fingers the bulb will fail. You need to install them with gloves on.
The headlights and parking lights are are on seperate circuits but the switch is common to both of them. I assume the high beams are working so that would mean the relays and fuses for the headlights are okay.
Check the alternator output to see if it is causing excessive AC ripple voltage. There should be no more than .1 volt of AC voltage across the battery while the engine is running around 1,500 RPM. If you do the test yourself make sure the meter you use to test with blocks DC voltage in the AC mode. Check the battery with the meter in the AC mode while the engine is off. If you measure voltage then you need to add a .2ufd capacitor in series with one of the test leads.
If there is voltage (12 volts or more) at the pins of the low beam headlight, and it doesn’t light, the only conclusion that can be made is either the headlight is burned out, or the connector at the headlight is not making good contact. If there’s no voltage, and there should be, you know the problem is somewhere up-steam, possibly the switch on the column.
Check your lighting circuit. May be circuit have any problem.
Had an old Escort with a similar problem with the lights and after wasting lots of time and money replacing switches and doing other checks, it turned out there was a short in the wiring harness. Unfortunately, by the time it was found it had fried the whole system and amazing the car hadn’t caught on fire! The break light might be a separate issue.