Car won't start with headlights turned on?

[2002WRXSTi]

I did a quick search and all I could find is the typical headlight problems and nothing like what I had happen

Left Raceway Park on Friday and pulled into the new Wawa gas station on Englishtown road. Finally get up to the pump and turn it off to let them fill it with 93 for $3.43 a gal

Go to start the car and everything blacks out like I had a dead battery Let off the key and everything comes back normal unlike if the batt was dead. Tried a couple times open the door with key out thinking maybe the alarm is doing this to it. Finally with the key out the second time I see my headlights are turned on manually not with the auto headlight function.

I turn the lights off and the car starts right up

It's a 98' so anyone know of why a Mark wouldn't start with the lights turned on?

 

[slowmkviii]

First guess bad connection on the battery or starter
Second guess scil failing

 

[2002WRXSTi]

First guess bad connection on the battery or starter
Second guess scil failing

I was thinking "Oh great the starter wet the bed" but as I said turned off headlights and started completely normal. That and the battery is less that 2 months old. I checked the gauge in my trunk and the voltage was where it should be.

Nothing I hate more than chasing unknown electrical glitches. Well no I just talked to my credit card company yesterday about how they accepted my full payment but never applied it to my account and now want over a $1126 dollars this month. I was talkikng to an Indian Peggy and it's driving me nuts

 

[slowmkviii]

I'm not saying bad battery but I have had cars where everything works normal till you go to start it then the extra load require to start causes a short
Time to get the multi meter out

 

[Sapperfire]

mine is the same way, its been that way since i got it, have no idea why its like that, the only thing i can think of is maybe because it has AM headlights. starter and battery are new, and my lights operate perfectly...so i just make sure my lights are off.. not like i sit around with my lights on without the car running anyway

 

[2002WRXSTi]

If the bat terminal was loose and it did that it I would loose memory in my stereo and all the things plugged into the cig lighter. However they do not, it just shuts down the dash and starter if the lights are on but if the auto lights are on they will be on and the car WILL start

Was mostly curious if that was built into the car or if it is a glitch? I just picket up another car yesterday as a spare slash future drag car but it will be a bit till I get it passing inspection :shifty:

 

[chris2523]

somebody else with a gen 2 go try to start their car with the headlights turned on manually.
i wonder if its something ford did. 2 cars with the same weird problem? i dunno about that..

 

[Buckeye68]

Replace the battery thermals

 

[97MarkJA]

My dads 97 does the same thing, my 97 starts right up with the lights on.
Cables are brand new on his.

 

[D Hook]

Do the battery terminals get hot?

I had a t-bird once that did the same thing. Just enough connection at the battery to make all the accessories work but as soon as you turned the key to start, it would do what you describe. Found it had a loose battery terminal and it was almost red hot when you turned the key to start and held it there for a few seconds. YMMV.