96 Ford Explorer Headlights won't turn off

[Jenniferlk86]

I have a 96 Ford Explorer and the other day I noticed my headlights were on in the middle of the day along with my parking lights. My switch was in the off position and I do not have DRL. I tried putting in a new switch to no avail. I cannot locate the relay (I pulled Every. Single. One), and I pulled my console apart looking for the lamp outage module and could also not find that. I have in the meantime, as not to drain my battery, been pulling the fuse from the power distribution box. If anyone has any suggestions or could point me in the direction of where to find the module or the relay I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[J_C]

Are you sure you have a lamp outage module? If so it should be under the floor console, or if you don't have a floor console I don't know, maybe under the seat then? Regardless I don't think it can malfunction in a way that causes the lights to stay on.

Your headlamp relay is probably in a box in the driver's footwell area, right side. I'm doubting that the relay could get stuck on but I suppose it's possible.

Do you have the autolamp feature (and slider timing switch on the rearview mirror?) If so then you might have a fault in that or the light sensor for it is dirty but I don't know where that is and you should be able to move it all the way to (the left?) to turn that off.

 

[Jenniferlk86]

Are you sure you have a lamp outage module? If so it should be under the floor console, or if you don't have a floor console I don't know, maybe under the seat then? Regardless I don't think it can malfunction in a way that causes the lights to stay on.

Your headlamp relay is probably in a box in the driver's footwell area, right side. I'm doubting that the relay could get stuck on but I suppose it's possible.

Do you have the autolamp feature (and slider timing switch on the rearview mirror?) If so then you might have a fault in that or the light sensor for it is dirty but I don't know where that is and you should be able to move it all the way to (the left?) to turn that off.

I dont have an autolamp feature and I'm not sure if I do have a lamp outage module. I ripped the center console out and looked and didn't find anything that I thought was it.

 

[Jenniferlk86]

I dont have an autolamp feature and I'm not sure if I do have a lamp outage module. I ripped the center console out and looked and didn't find anything that I thought was it. View attachment 158070

I'm not sure if that piece on the bottom left of that picture is the lamp outage module?

 

[J_C]

I don't know what that piece on the bottom left is, but from the pic the wires look too few and/or small for the lamp out module. You could pull it out, might have a Ford part # on it. The thing is, even if it is the LOM, the LOM just measures the current through it to the lights and triggers an alert if the current is too low. At most if it failed the lights would not work. There is nothing the LOM can do to make the lights stay on when they'd otherwise be off.

 

[Mr. Alligator]

Had did this happen in my 97... auto lamp (with slider switch on reader view mirror) was the culprit. It seems that the plastic housing on the rear view mirror warped, causing malfunction. I could squeeze the rear.view mirror housing and cause the lights to go on and off. Replaced auto lamp and slider and entire rear view mirror with a salvage yard replacement.

Good luck with this.

 

[gmbroy]

My guess would be that the switch has went bad . But you have tried that . let me check my wiring diagram later today & i will get back to you .

 

[Mr. Alligator]

My thought was that there is more to the auto lamp unit, included in the rearview mirror, then just the "On off slider" switch.

Can you solve the issue by simply disconnecting the auto lamp using the small wiring harness connection near the rearview mirror and the headliner?

My salvage yard replacement unit is starting to have the same issues... Maybe my next step will be replacing the unit with a standard rear view mirror.

Good luck with this.

 

[96eb96]

Do you have a message center? If not you don't have an LOM. And a bad LOM will make the headlights STAY OFF, NOT ON. You said you don't have autolamp. The only thing I can see is the multi function switch or a messed up headlight switch (unlikely). If they are both on it has to be upstream from the fuse panel.

 

[Spudhut]

I had a car do something similar. Can you flash your HL's with the hi/lo beam switch on the column? Hi/Lo low beam switch/relay went bad

 

[J_C]

^ I suspect you and 96eb96 are on the right track. Without DRL or autolamp features, there's nothing else in the circuit that I see besides the main headlamp switch, which was already swapped, and the column multi-function switch which could be stuck.

This assumes a stock vehicle. If there is or was some add-on security system wired with the capability of flashing the headlights, I'd look there too.

I found this multi-function switch diagram linked from an F150 forum, might help to test it with a multimeter, though just unplugging it and have the lights go out would seem to indicate it's the problem.

 

[Spudhut]

Has this been resolved?