1999 v6 mustang

Quick Story=
Car runs with headlights off, when i turn them on the car dies. its random too, sometimes in 5 seconds, sometimes in 10 minutes. the turn signal arrow will stay on when the headlights are on. also, the right bulb is dim and the turn signal (right side only) will blink really fast as if a bulb was burnt. When the headlights are off, the turn signal works just fine and the arrow isnt lit up. I dont get how this would cause the engine to die. it will start right back up too.


Long Story (Includes some testing)=

so my car died again today, so i did a lot of testing on it and figured out some new stuff. It only will die when the headlights are on (but one headlight will be dim), when the headlights are off, it runs. The turnsignal works when the headlights are off, but when i turn the headlights on, the right signal with blink really fast as if there was a burnt bulb. sometimes the car will die in 2 seconds with the headlights on, sometimes it will die in 10 minutes, so it can't be computer related because of the randomness. also, the right turnsignal arrow will only be lit up on the cluster when the headlights are on. when the headlights are off, it all looks normal. ALSO, when the headlights are on and the turnsignal arrow is lit, if i move the multifunction switch a little upwards (like im about to turn on the right turn signal but i dont go all the way till it clicks in place), the turnsignal arrow on the cluster goes away, and the headlight gets brighter.... why the **** can't something normal go wrong with my car....

soooo i thought it could either be in the column, in the multifunction switch, or in the headlight switch. I was thinking multifunction but it honestly works fine when the headlights are off. So headlight switch? but why would that cause the engine to die? maybe in the column the clockspring or something of that nature is bad causing the multifunction switch wires to short out. but nothing changes when i tilt the wheel or turn it left or right.

 

I had a similar issue turned out being my alternator

 

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but it sounds like you have a short somewhere. Maybe its shorting against an ignition wire and makes the computer think the key was removed and shuts the car off... Thats a guess though...

I'd take the steering column cover off and have a look inside. Pull on some wires etc and see if any are worn, shorting or broken. If your handy with a multi-meter, pick up the electrical diagnostics manual for your year/model ride and check out the circuit diagrams for the headlight circuit.

The headlight getting dim sounds like a voltage drop issue due to a short (something is eating the power that should be going to the light). A voltage drop test on the circuit would probably find the culprit pretty quickly. Good luck...