Help... tail lamps won't turn off!!

[Nissandriver714]

I have an 89 coupe, don't know why but today when i turn off the car and take the key out of the ignition switch, my tail lamps will not turn off and my headlight does not pop up or down. However, if i unplug the tail lamps in the back of the trunk, the headlight can pop up and down again. I've check all the fuses and all of them are fine. Is there something wrong with the tail lamps? is there anything else i can check? The tail lamps will not turn off unless i unplug them. I'm stump.... please help!!!

thanks in advance

[stock240_1980]

It is actually your brake lights that wont go off. There is a sensor on the brake pedal that is for the brake lights. If you have the brake pressed the head lights will stay up. That explains the headlight problem. This switch works so that when you realease the brake pedal it pushs a pin is and lets the car know that the brake is no pressed. I had this same problem with my car. I'm 100% sure that is the problem.

[Bryants95240sx]

thats what its sounds like check your brake pedal toward the top of it and you will see like a sensor and it should have tap on to touch the brake pedal im 99 percent sure that tap is gone look for the plastic pieced in the floor a new tap is like 2.99 from nissan

[Nissandriver714]

you're absolutely right, i did find the little tap, and it broke into couple of pieces, i checked the sensor, pressed it and the tail lights go off now. Now i just need to replace the little tap. Thanks for your help guys.

[orion::S14]

Very, very common thing on S13...I've owned 2, and had the problem on both within days of taking ownership.

Quick fix: Duct tape and a penny. (But not permanent...)

- Brian

[TheTimanator]

Same thing happened to mine. I found a bolt and some nuts and put them on there so I wouldn't have to do it again. It was a pain to get it on though

[sepulchral]

Heres what you do to fix the problem temporarily (or in my case permenantly):

Unplug the wire to the clutch sensor and make a u out of a wire and stick it in the slots then tape it off, this neutralizes the clutch safety switch so now u can start ur car without the clutch

then find that little plug thats in the hold one the clutch pedal lever pop it out and place it in the empty hole on the brake pedal lever

so now when the brake pedal is stationary it hits the sensor to tell it to turn the brake lights off.

its alot harder than it seems, u gotta drop the steering collumn a lil bit and you gotta have somone holding down the brake pedal for you as u try in nsert it let me know if u got any problems

[proj240sx]

also my friend had the same kind of problem. his tail light wires inside the housing were shorted together (hella crap was melted in there from it being shorted and running light bulbs constantly on over night), causing all the running lights to stay on with the car off. he bought the car and didnt know about this problem. so just an alternative, pull off the bulb housing on both tail lights and make sure nothing is shorted as well.