I have a 1997 E350 box van. The other day my neighbor said the headlights were on when he left to work early that morning. I checked and the battery was drained, but the light switch was not on. I recharged the battery and found that the headlights function normally (turn on and off with the switch) when the key is on or the van is running. As soon as I shut the van off, the headlights come on and stay on. Any ideas on what might be causing this or what to check? Thanks.

 

More details please.............

Is this a new-to-you van?

Has this only recently occurred?

Any modifications to the wiring anywhere on the chassis you've done?

 

Does Ford use a lighting control module on these vans? I had a problem on a '97 Explorer and research turned up a module used by Ford to control all lighting in the vehicle.

Mine turned out to have a bad solder joint (common problem) so reflowing all the solder joints fixed it.

I did find this item:
Ford Windstar Questions - tail lights and headlights wont turn off - CarGurus

jim

 

As manufactured there should be nothing more than a typical high(er) current main headlight switch, the two-detent with rotational dimming feature for dash lights.

This condition sounds suspiciously like a module or other electronic control is present and failed in the worst possible way.

 

I bought the van about six months ago. Another neighbor said she had seen the lights on once before late at night. The lights must have turned themselves back off before it drained the battery though. The van had a weak battery when I first got it. But it hadn't ever completely drained until I put the new battery in there. Would the control module malfunctioning be the drl module or something under the dash?

 

Hi CB,

I don't know but I found an owner's manual that shows a fuse for the DRL:
Owner Manuals | fleet.ford.com

The DRL on the '97 Explorer was in the center console. My problem was a right headlight that would not come on. I spent some time chasing my tail as I had zero experience with the DRL. Once I found some info on it, the fix was easy. Maybe a call to a friendly Ford dealer might get some idea on if your van has one and where it is located? Best of luck, chasing electrical problems is never fun.

jim

 

Since there is no suitable replacement for the factory DRL module the simple non-fix is to disconnect it..
How To Enable Or Disable Ford Daytime Running Lights

 

Thanks, everyone! Just wanted to give an update. I think it's fixed. I looked for the drl module last week, thinking it was located near the drivers side headlight. I found out it was actually located mid way behind the bumper closer to the passenger side. I disconnected the plug on the drl. So far, no more problems with the lights!