this is my first post here - i tried the search feature and didn't come up with anything that pertained to my civic's problems. the civic is a '98 dx, 133k miles, 4 door, automatic, and has a/c. it's a two-part problem...but i'm not sure if they're related or not.

first, if i step on the brake pedal the parking lights and dash lights come on. this is with the lights turned completely off and the transmission in any position - as soon as you depress the brake pedal the front/rear marker lights, dash lights, and shifter lights illuminate. if the lights are turned on midway (to the parking light position) and then step on the brake pedal, the lights will increase in intensity slightly as well. no lights are burned out and all of the signals/hazards work properly. is something perhaps grounding out or maybe a wire crossed?

second, if i turn on the lights either to the parking or headlight position, the tail lamps (all three) seem to be illuminated almost to the point of "brake application" intensity. if you do step on the brake pedal the lights get brighter - but only slightly as they are almost fully lit at that point. i mentioned all three since the third brake light also is illuminated as soon as the lights are turned on. i don't think it's something as simple as the brake switch as they only all light up when the lights are turned on. with the lights off and stepping on the pedal they light up like they are supposed too.

i bought this civic a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to get the bugs out of it since. i bought a cd off of ebay - a .pdf manual - but it is very lacking since none of the schematics were on it and it's not designed to be traveled through like most factory service manuals. rather, it's just a bunch of scanned pages that can't be linked to one another. i can find my way around a vehicle pretty well, have most necessary tools for doing about anything in my garage, and can do pretty well with a good set of schematics. i appreciate any help you can give me on this - or at the very least maybe a link to a site that has a better manual on it.
thanks,
chris

 

you just bought the car? ive had a problem like this before. not with a honda though. it was with a dodge dynasty. it ended up being the new stereo that i had put in it. some wires got crossed and it shorted out the whole system. the same crap that ur saying. 1st-check every single fuse in that car, i mean EVERYONE. 2nd-pull out the deck and cap off all wires so none are crossed. and if none of those work, check the break switch, and the wires close to it. and last but not least, check the actual headlight switch, it could be damaged internally and you would never know. good luck and post back if you have any other questions. hope this helps.
Mike

 

thanks mike,
it does have an aftermarket tape deck in it. the memory doesn't work on it so i pulled it out yesterday to try and hook up the yellow wire. turns out the yellow and red are taped together and hooked to one wire coming from the car....i wonder i this is messing stuff up? i couldn't find a hotwire in the bundle to splice the yellow too - i hate not having a FSM for this car. i'll check the others things you said as well. anyone else?
chris

 

update - found one or two faulty bulbs were causing the cross between the brakes and the parking lamps. swapped them all out for new ones and that's solved. but, the 3rd brake light now quit working. it's no the spoiler's fault - no power present at the connection. any ideas? i didn't think it had it's own circuit but i could be wrong. i don't see a separate fuse for it either.
chris