NEED HELP ASAP!! Headlights won't turn off!

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dudeman2009

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Arizona
Ram Year
2001 1500 Sport with enough electrical modifications to make my brain hurt
Engine
Magnum 360
Not sure if the problem is solved or not, but unlike most vehicles, the Gen 2 dodges have essentially a positive ground system for the headlights. the ground lead on the bulb is always connected to battery positive. The switch provides a ground for them. If they are always on the first thing to check is the headlight switch, but if removing the switch completely doesn't solve it, you're looking at a short to ground somewhere on the harness. Its highly unlikely for that to occur inside the vehicle or on the main section of the harness. you're probably looking at a short to ground somewhere near the headlights.

UNLESS you have the canadian daytime running lights, in which case more likely than anything else, your DRL module is bad.
 

dyn2sr5

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2014
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Hemi
Light switch won't turn off - pic?

I had trouble with my lights staying on after I turned the truck off. And sometimes they would just turn on. Ended up being the circuit board in my headlight switch. Where the switch contact rubs on what you select wether auto, off, parking, or headlights had bridged the contact on the circuit board. Took my knife and scratched away the bridges metal on the circuit board and the headlights work as intended. I have pics if needed.

ScottysRam- may I get a pic of how you fixed that?:happy107:
 

thjensen

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Feb 17, 2018
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US
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1996
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360
Check the cube relay? Contacts might have welded. When a relay welds and then breaks free you get messed up contacts which don't conduct well and are likely to weld again or just melt off.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk
 

michaelmoore

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Canada
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2014
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5.7
I had the same problem with my 2014 bare bones truck(no fancy options). I thought the problem may be in the switch and I was going to replace it but thought if I wreck the switch trying to fix it then no loss. upon opening the switch, I noticed that between the light contacts labeled Auto, Off, Park and H-Lamp there was a small metallic strip bridging the metal contacts right where the fingers from the selector knob rubbed across the contacts. It did not look like it was supposed to be there and it did not make sense for these to be connected at all.

Symptoms:
- Turned truck off and headlights remained on.
- when lights off position was selected lights remained on and they should turn off.
- when fog lamps were selected headlamps stayed on when they should turn off.
- key in ignition warning came on when keys were out of the ignition

Cause:
Light switch circuit board contacts became bridged with metallic residue possibly from switch contacts wearing off and collecting between the four contacts or possibly overheating.

Solution:
- remove light switch
- remove 4 screws from back of light switch
- remove metallic bridges between switch contacts by scraping the area between the contacts( see photos of before, knife used to remove bridging and after)

Effect:

-Lights turned off again after turning the truck off(of course I had to wait for the time delay which can be set at different intervals.
- when lights off position was selected the headlamps turned off as they should.
- When parking (fog)lamps were selected the headlamps did not come on so they operated correctly.
- key in ignition warning did not come on when keys were removed from ignition.

Analysis: I could have bought a new switch but hear that they are prone to the same problem occurring so I thought I would extend the life of the original switch by trying this fix. Hope this helps!

20181013_131919.jpg

20181013_133623.jpg

20181013_132024.jpg
 

Cole637

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May 21, 2019
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Augusto
Ram Year
2001
Engine
5.9
This happens to me sometimes too....

I just flip the switch back and forth a bunch, and eventually they go off... lol
THANK YOU!! THIS WORKED FOR ME and probably SAVED MElots of $$$$ and HAVING TO TAKE My TRUCK IN TO THE ELECTRICAL SHOP! Battery Died due to lights being left on, and the lights were stuck on after I jumped it off and the lights would not Go off again. I simply flipped the switch on and off multiple times and the lights starting working Normal again. Thanks for taking the time to reply! Am returning my New Light switch I don't need.
 
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SeabeeChiefWood

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Location
Texas
Ram Year
2001
Engine
5.9L 24v Cummins
My '01 3500 has an intermittent problem where the drivers side headlight comes on along with the running lights but they are only on real dim like there's a short and they're not getting full 12v. What I did for now is install 2 battery disconnects to the negative side of both batteries because it would come on by itself and run the battery down. I'm still trying to find out info on this problem. I think it's a relay up front on the left side somewhere because sometimes when I reconnect the batteries I here a relay click. This is my first diesel and I haven't had it very long so I'm still trying to figure it out. I have 3 Dodges a 01 Ram 3500, 02 Ram 1500 4x4, and a 00 Durango 4x4....
 
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Husqvarna09

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GA
Ram Year
1999
Engine
3.9 magnum
I don't believe it's a sport.
It's the bare bones ram 2500-no power anything work truck.
Same issue except I think it's a grounding issue 1500 bare bones no power work truck lights won't quit shining bright can hit the truck with something and they go off only happens when it rains
 
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