Well that's a turn up - most threads are about not starting!! Its an X reg TD5 110 CSW

Pulled up this evening, with the side lights left on as it was on the road, and switched off the ignition, with no effect whatever.... engine just kept going!

Turned off lights tried again, no difference. Lifted off brakes (which I was using as I have no handbrake at the moment, but that's another story), turned off key and engine stopped as intended!

Tried again when I got home and same result. And, once stopped if I put my foot back on the brake again the side lights and dim dip headlights came on......

Aaaargh - I hate electrics. My feeble instincts tell me it must be an earth problem somewhere??

Help! ...... anyone ever seen this before? (search doesn't come up with any). Any genius ideas on where to start my hunt for a fault? I don't actually know what the 'stop' mechanism is - I guess cut off the power to the fuel pump? If the live light / brake light circuit is keeping the power feeding to whatever the 'off' component should be, does this help in isolating the culprit?

With the engine off, and foot on brake should just the brake lights normally work with the ignition 'off' (not something I've ever checked before), and if so, the lighting up of the sidelight/dimdip by hitting the brake pedal must be a give away of what is failing/earthing incorrectly?

Really puzzled by this gem - would be ever so glad of any hints / experience any of you good peeps are able to give. Cheers, A

Easy job check your bulbs in the rear. Your stop and tail bulb has been replaced for a single indicator type. The reason is the power from the side lights runs up the stop light wire through the closed brake sw to the ignition coil circuit.
One of the earliest faults I have found, set me on the road to being a Auto electrician.

Sounds very credible - will whip new bulbs in both stop/tails as a good starter. Mulling it over in the night (who needs sleep....) I've had an odd flickering - and worsening - fuel filter light which seems especially related to rear washer use and maybe brakes of late too. Sounds very much like that rear earthing circuit....

Thanks for the heads up - will let you know how the bulb replacement / clean up works out. Cheers, A

(and top marks for going the autoelectrics route - not tempted me at all as you would guess..... )

If you have tow bar electrics give them a good clean out with electrical cleaner or maybe wd40 as if they're full of muck and water this could have the same effect as above.

Mk1collector said:

If you have tow bar electrics give them a good clean out with electrical cleaner or maybe wd40 as if they're full of muck and water this could have the same effect as above.

Click to expand...

Ta - will do, I wimped out of frozen bulb swaps today..... and grovelling around looking for the earth point.

I did rip a mudflap off reversing into snow last time round, so the tow electrics probably got a good scoop of crud on top of the layer already in there..... Cheers, A

Dammit - its stopped doing it on its own! - after a dry couple of days and some 'spirited' driving, so either dried out or dislodged/reseated the earth....... What a pain - will go over the stuff I can see (cleaned out the tow socket already) but never know whether I've found it until it goes again....

Still, on the bright side I don't have to sit there getting the sequence of stop, footbrake, off pedal (and roll down the hill) and turn off, then back on the footbrake and park it in gear.......

I have tightened up the brake shoes, but there's plenty of oil in there to stop them gripping much....... job for the weekend. Ho hum, A

Mine did this too although don't remember it keeping the engine running unless I just never turned it off with the brakes held.

When I pressed the brakes, the parks used come on sometimes but not all the time. Was a bad bulb holder in the tail lights. I just took out the bulb as it was annoying me and ordered an LED light kit to be sure I had no more messing with lights

I've had these symptoms on my TD5 about a year ago too. I also had a tail lights that would come on by themselves and flatten my battery when I wasn't looking and disco lights on my dashboard.

I eventually traced it to the wiring on the drivers side where it comes out of the chassis and goes up behind a plastic flap above the rear cross member to the rear lights and up into the tub. The loom had been rubbing on one of the self tapping screws that hold that plastic flap on resulting in all manner of shorted wires there.

Once I found the damage it was a fairly easy job to replace the damaged section with some new wire and through crimps. Have had no problems there since.

Great stuff chaps - narrowing down nicely for a darn good check over. Thx A

If you've already cleaned out the tow electrics and its no longer happening I think I win

I have the same problem except when i press the brake and then release it you can hear the lift pump start whirring, any ideas?

thanks