Help - parking lights will not go out

[Dennis Maher]

Came home to find the parking lights on in my 2003 OutBack - everything off
and key out of ignition - but parking (front and rear) will not go off. Any
suggestions as to what is causing this... I had to disconnect the battery to
get them to go off..

 

[Henry Paul]

There's a switch on top of the steering column that turns them on and off
without the key.

 

[JaySee]

RTFM

 

[JG]

Came home to find the parking lights on in my 2003 OutBack - everything off
and key out of ignition - but parking (front and rear) will not go off. Any
suggestions as to what is causing this... I had to disconnect the battery to
get them to go off..

Don't feel too bad, same thing happened to me a couple days ago. Cleaning
the dash and accidently switching the parking lights on.

JG

 

[Henry Paul]

RTFM?

--
Henry Paul

RTFM

 

[John]

RTFM?

Read The Fuckin' Manual

 

[Henry Paul]

Yeah I did. That's how I know where the switch is.

 

[Todd H.]

Came home to find the parking lights on in my 2003 OutBack - everything off
and key out of ignition - but parking (front and rear) will not go off. Any
suggestions as to what is causing this... I had to disconnect the battery to
get them to go off..

Don't let the impolite folks get ya too upset on this one. This is a
unique Subaru thing that's kinda odd.

The little switch on top of the steering column where many
manufacturers put the parking flashers/hazards switch actually
activates the parking lights. And, as parking lights, they aren't
wired through the ignition switch.

My dealer makes a strong point about this uniqueness to every new
purchaser because it's kinda buried in the manual.

Best Regards,

 

[Don.]

Don't feel too bad, same thing happened to me a couple days ago. Cleaning
the dash and accidently switching the parking lights on.

JG

I think it's happened to almost every Sub owner that has a 'late' model. In our
'97 you pulled the flasher button up (or pushed down) and it was harder to engage when wiping off the stearing post or setting the time. It only happens to normal human beings... ;-)

Don

 

[Ray]

Happened to me about two weeks ago. I had just come from the carwash
and when I put the car in the garage I did not notice that the parking
lights were on. Fortunately I remembered reading something in the
owner's manual.

Ray
2002 Forester S

 

[hippo]

I think it's happened to almost every Sub owner that has a 'late' model?
Happened in my 91 Liberty as well

 

[Al]

I think it's happened to almost every Sub owner that has a 'late' model?
Happened in my 91 Liberty as well

It was better yeara ago when most cars on the road were either Ford or
GM.

You could drive any GM car and find the same controls in each.

Not futzin around in the dark to try and find the "lock" button.

The windows worked every time when you turned the little crank on the
side of the door.

Didn't have to replace burned out motors in my seat adjustment.

The starter button was on the floor as well as the dim/bright headlight
switch.

I could change the spark plugs myself without removing anything other
than the spark cables.

Crank sensor? What's that?

Ah, the good old days.

Al

 

[Don.]

It was better yeara ago when most cars on the road were either Ford or
GM.

You could drive any GM car and find the same controls in each.

Not futzin around in the dark to try and find the "lock" button.

The windows worked every time when you turned the little crank on the
side of the door.

Didn't have to replace burned out motors in my seat adjustment.

The starter button was on the floor as well as the dim/bright headlight
switch.

I could change the spark plugs myself without removing anything other
than the spark cables.

Crank sensor? What's that?

Ah, the good old days.

Al

When's the last time you broke your arm when starting your car when the crank
handle kicked back? That's an early form of "crank sensor". ;-)

When's the last time your windshield wipers stopped for loss of vaccuum when
going up a hill in the rain?

When's the last time your windshield leaked on your feet when going up that
hill in the rain?

When's the last time your distributor flooded out when going up that hill in
the rain?

When's the last time you only got 16 mpg on the highway at 60mph because the
car was dangerous to drive any faster?

Just a few "when's". <grin>

Be thankful for modern day engineering.

Don

 

[Al]

When's the last time you broke your arm when starting your car when the crank
handle kicked back? That's an early form of "crank sensor". ;-)

When's the last time your windshield wipers stopped for loss of vaccuum when
going up a hill in the rain?

When's the last time your windshield leaked on your feet when going up that
hill in the rain?

When's the last time your distributor flooded out when going up that hill in
the rain?

When's the last time you only got 16 mpg on the highway at 60mph because the
car was dangerous to drive any faster?

Just a few "when's". <grin>

Be thankful for modern day engineering.

Don

I wish we had some!

BTW, I was able to restart my '47 Pontiac when the battery went dead by
having some guys push it and then then pop the clutch while in gear. Try
that with your Suraru. (I'm on my second one, sooo, I'm a fan.)

And I think power steering and automatic transmissions have created the
idiot drivers we have on the road now. I think those used to be great
filters.

Al

 

[Ross]

BTW, I was able to restart my '47 Pontiac when the battery went dead by
having some guys push it and then then pop the clutch while in gear. Try
that with your Suraru. (I'm on my second one, sooo, I'm a fan.)

NEVER EVER 'bump' start any modern car, cant remeber exactly why but a
wrecked cat and a big bill at next MOT is the result.

Ross

 

[Al]

BTW, I was able to restart my '47 Pontiac when the battery went dead by
having some guys push it and then then pop the clutch while in gear. Try
that with your Suraru. (I'm on my second one, sooo, I'm a fan.)

NEVER EVER 'bump' start any modern car, cant remeber exactly why but a
wrecked cat and a big bill at next MOT is the result.

Ross
[/QUOTE]

The old cars were built like tanks. They were way overdesigned. I was
driving that '47 Pontiac in the mid-sixties while I was in college. It
was bullet proof. I only drove it on weekends. As parking was scarce,
you would get jammed in bumper to bumper. The way you got out was by
bumping your car back and forth and pushing the blocking cars out of the
way. No damage to those massive bumbers at all. You just had to remember
to leave your car out of gear so the tranny would not get damaged when
someone bumped your car.

Al

 

[Gilles Gour]

NEVER EVER 'bump' start any modern car, cant remeber exactly why but a
wrecked cat and a big bill at next MOT is the result.

Ross

Yea it's written in the manual. But they dont explain why.
Somebody knows?

 

[George Adams]

From: Gilles Gour

Yea it's written in the manual. But they dont explain why.
Somebody knows?

Not 100% sure, but I suspect unburned fuel would collect in the exhaust system
and would likely damage the cat when it burned.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller

 

[joscurtin]

NEVER EVER 'bump' start any modern car, cant remeber exactly why but a
wrecked cat and a big bill at next MOT is the result.

I had a 64 Ford Fairlane 500 automatic when in the Army in Italy. Both
the generator brushes and the battery were on their last legs, but
before I got a chance to change them, I had to resort many times to
jump starts. The combination of bad brushes and battery meant that
there was only juice enough for about 10 revs of the engine when you
hit the starter. At night, I had to pull off the road when I noticed
the lights dimming, and turn off the lights to let the battery pick up
a little charge. And if it was damp in the morning, the thing wouldn't
start at all. One night when I miscalculated and the car died before I
had a chance to pull over and turn off the lights for a quick charge,
I was waiting by the side of the road holding my jumper cables,
expecting that any passing GI would stop and give me a jump. The
Italian Highway Police came by, and told me I had to call for a tow
truck, but I told them that a friend of mine would be by in a few
minutes to give me a jump start. They didn't know what a jump start
was, since all the cars over there were standard transmission, and not
too heavy, so push-starting the average car wasn't a problem for 2 or
3 guys. I explained the use of jumper cables. The cops said, "Would
that work with our car?" I told them it would, so they head-ended the
police car to my old Ford, I popped the hoods, and jump-started the
car. They were amazed. Then, as I sat there charging the battery, they
asked me why I wasn't heading home. I told them that I needed to
charge the battery before I could turn the lights on, or it would
stall out again. They asked me where I lived, and I told them. They
said that I didn't need lights. They would escort me home. So I
followed the Italian Highway Police home without any lights.
I remember specifically that the 64 Ford owner's manual said that if
you towed or pushed the car at 30 mph, then popped the auto tranny
into second, it was a safe way to start, but not recommended. One damp
morning the old Ford wouldn't start, and there was no other GI around
to give me a push with his car. The local Italian handyman flagged
down a passing Naples city bus, complete with passengers, and tied my
front axle to the bus's rear axle with a huge nautical rope. I
explained to the driver that he had to get up to 30 before I could
start the car. We pulled out, got up to 30, and I popped it into 2nd,
and it started immediately. I waved to the bus driver, he stopped, and
I gave him 3 packs of Winstons for his trouble.
I had an old beat-up Toyota 4-speed manual which had a defective oil
light sender at a time when I was driving more than 1,000 miles a
week. One day the car stalled at a toll booth, and when I checked,
there was no oil on the dipstick. I addded 3 or 4 quarts. After that,
the car decided it didn't like to be started with the starter, so I
had to always park on a high spot, and let the car roll and pop it
into second. It always started immediately. I drove that way for about
10,000 miles before I junked the car and got a new one.
I wonder if these days any manuals for cars with automatics mention
bump-starting as a possibility?
Or do they even say anything about starting manual transmission cars
this way?

Joe from Massachusetts

 

[Al]

From: Gilles Gour

Yea it's written in the manual. But they dont explain why.
Somebody knows?

Not 100% sure, but I suspect unburned fuel would collect in the exhaust
system
and would likely damage the cat when it burned.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream
of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller
[/QUOTE]

If I remember correctly, the cars with the generators could be started
in this manner as there was enough residual magnetism in the field to
start generating a current. Alternators depend upon an external current
source to energize the field suffienciently for this to work. Maybe
alternators with field magnets instead of coils could be "bumb" started.

Al