Can the timer on the key illumination light stay on and drain the battery?

GARY MCC

MEMBER
1991 CHRYSLER LE BARON

The battery is draining over night, and the prime suspect is the "ignition switch lamp" illumination light circling the ignition which should go out after about 20 seconds. If it stays on and drains the battery, how can I take it out of the loop so that it will not be a problem in the future? The owners manual does not mention a fuse, and even so, it may have a number of other lights on the same fuse. Could the timer be faulty and remain on?

Thanks.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

Look in your in-car fuse box to see if you have a thermal relay like the one shown in this photo from rockauto. Com. If you do, feel if it is hot long after all the doors are closed. If it is hot, one of the door switches is staying on and keeping the relay turned on. If the relay is cold but the halo light is still on, the contacts inside the relay have welded themselves together. That does happen but it is so rare that your chances of finding another bad one in any salvage yard are very slim. These are easy to find in most older Chryslers. No one ever plucks them out to save them because their failure rate is so low.

Image (Click to make bigger)