parking lights stay on

[orangeg8]

hey everybody, I registered several months ago and just always used the search function to solve most of my problems. But this one, I couldn't figure out the issue or find it in search.

Randomly i find my parking lights (the yellow front lights and the red tail lights) still on. First time it happened, i started pulling fuses for lights thinking that was the cause, that didn't work. Then I started pulling fuses and relays that dealt with the ignition, relays, or computer (example bcm and pcm). that didn't work either. Finally I just unhooked the battery and went to sleep. I plugged it back in and lights stayed off. The issue didn't happen for another few days and I thought it might have been the remote start (i have an Autostart remote start system). It stopped starting the car but it will unlock and lock the doors. I took them off my keychain and put them to the side. The issue started happening less frequently when I figured that out (once a month or 2 months instead of once a week or so).

It finally killed my battery so I got a new one, and got the installer to reprogram my Autostart (found who did the install, got the envoy used). it worked for one day, stopped again, i removed the fob from my keychain cause it left the lights on. No issues for 2 more months but then it happened 3 days in a row.

Things that could cause this or changed when this started.
1. Burnt passenger head light cable, cut and splice (butt connected)
2. Blower resistor replaced (same day)
3. Funky Autostart? The installer said this model is one of his oldest model and think I should upgrade. He said it is so old that it could be the cause of it as the module is going out.

Things I notice.
1. Not sure if it is the cold weather (living in Alaska) but sometimes when I start the car, it only goes to 11 to 12 volts and stays there for 5 to 15 seconds and then jumps to 14 volts and all the lights get brighter. If this happens, it is likely to happen, and making me think it is warning me of a bad alternator or battery (but I have a new battery)
2. A whining just happened 3 weeks ago, it gets louder with revs, water pump is new due to the last one failing on me (well my wife, she got stranded on the road, bitched me out cause it was making a weird noise, found out the fan was not balanced and caused a stress on the water pump shaft, and blew out the water pump), so I am leaning towards a bad alt, and this could be the cause of it?


Everything else works fine and I love my envoy (05 inline 6 SLE 4x4), but this is going to drive me crazy, and going to have the wife yelling at me if she is the one who gets stuck again.

Thanks

 

[Matt]

1. Not sure if it is the cold weather (living in Alaska) but sometimes when I start the car, it only goes to 11 to 12 volts and stays there for 5 to 15 seconds and then jumps to 14 volts and all the lights get brighter. If this happens, it is likely to happen, and making me think it is warning me of a bad alternator or battery (but I have a new battery)

IIRC, this is the correct behavior for the alt. Roadie has explained it a couple of times as to why it actually does this, but I can't remember the reason. I wouldn't look at the alt being an issue but you might want to get a meter on it and see what it's doing.

 

[orangeg8]

thanks, it just happened randomly (or I just didn't notice it enough?) and I thought maybe that is the issue. A few weeks after replacing the water pump I started hearing a whine that goes on and off. I might check that out one day.

 

[ghenny440]

I work at a local shop here in sheffield ohio, B's car audio, and if the brain of the RS module is old enough the onboard relays(if any) may be going bad, and sticking open, causing the problems, we primarily use Auto page remote starts and Idatalink by passes, 2 very good products and is very rare to see a problem, and they have onboard relays for everything including parking light

 

[orangeg8]

Thanks man, I think I am just going to go to the shop and spend 200 to 400 and get a new autostart then, and solve my problem (hopefully). I was hoping it was something else, but honestly, it doesn't work and I don't like going into a cold car in the mornings so this would help.

O and since this is my first post, Yes I do own a pontiac G8 and it is orange. Once I get my engine back together, I will take some pics and post it with the envoy I have (nothing special, but I think everybody loves car/suv pics here.)

 

[The_Roadie]

1) The PCM suppresses the alternator for the first few seconds after a cold start to allow the cold engine with cold oil and cold cylinders to get running and stabilize its idle RPMs, before it dumps the mechanical load of the alternator on the engine to recharge the cold battery that's just been drained a bit extra to start the cold engine.

2) Whining from the serpentine belt area is most often the cheap-to-replace idler pulley, statistically. Next up is the tensioner pulley, then the AC compressor clutch bearing, then the PS pump, then the water pump, then the alternator. In my memory of a few hundred reports over the years.

 

[ghenny440]

Heres how to find out if its the RS braim thats bad, open drivers door and remove the dash side panel(pops off with a flat head) reach behind the dash and squeeze the 4 release tabs on the headlight module, pull it out soyou can get to its wires you will see a wire attached to it coming from the RS thats the parking light wire from the brain, detach it and test repeatedly to try to duplicate what the truck was doi.g before, and use a simple test light on that wire everytime you hit the lock/unlock button, it should only flash the teat light as if it were flashing the Parking lights not staying on, if it does stay on then i was correct about that being the problem, if it is you can do this yourself and replace the brainon your own, order the same model and the plugs will just plug right in, you shouldn't even need to reprogram the new remotes that come with it
The only ones that we have to program the new brains remotes that come with it are the Compu star RS's, and even then the remote start comes with directions on how to program them

 

[Matt]

T I do own a pontiac G8 and it is orange.

I had the 02 version back in Australia...great car. Looking forward to the Chevy SS coming out in May.

- - - Updated - - -

1) The PCM suppresses the alternator for the first few seconds after a cold start to allow the cold engine with cold oil and cold cylinders to get running and stabilize its idle RPMs, before it dumps the mechanical load of the alternator on the engine to recharge the cold battery that's just been drained a bit extra to start the cold engine.

And there you have it.

 

[orangeg8]

I think the whining i am hearing is the AC clutch, it isn't constant, and I notice it is only on when I have the defroster on. I am going to test this theory more before I go replace that. It will happen after my g8 is fixed of course, not doing that outside.

Heres how to find out if its the RS braim thats bad, open drivers door and remove the dash side panel(pops off with a flat head) reach behind the dash and squeeze the 4 release tabs on the headlight module, pull it out soyou can get to its wires you will see a wire attached to it coming from the RS thats the parking light wire from the brain, detach it and test repeatedly to try to duplicate what the truck was doi.g before, and use a simple test light on that wire everytime you hit the lock/unlock button, it should only flash the teat light as if it were flashing the Parking lights not staying on, if it does stay on then i was correct about that being the problem, if it is you can do this yourself and replace the brainon your own, order the same model and the plugs will just plug right in, you shouldn't even need to reprogram the new remotes that come with it
The only ones that we have to program the new brains remotes that come with it are the Compu star RS's, and even then the remote start comes with directions on how to program them

Cool I will try this, but it will have to wait as I said above, it is too cold to test it outside.

I had the 02 version back in Australia...great car. Looking forward to the Chevy SS coming out in May.

- - - Updated - - -

And there you have it.

Yeah it is a great car, I love it. My brother has an 05 GTO. i almost got the 06 gto but the guy sold it before I got the cash to buy it. O well, made my choice of the g8 that much better.

 

[orangeg8]

Weather finally warmed up, and you won't believe what was making the noise. The power steering pulley was grinding on a metal line (AC line?) I am thinking when the water pump went out and the mechanic replaced it, they moved the lines and didn't put them back. I zipped tie them back together. I did replace the CPAS, tensioner pulley and idler pulley due to puchasing them already. Once I get a few hundred saved up, I am going to replace the non working remote start. But I haven't had any lights stay on recently.