Volvo: Head lights will not turn off, windsheild wiper motor, bulb failure

Question
I have a 1990 240 DL that has recently started getting weird about turning the head lights off when I turn the car off. When I turn the car off the head lights do NOT turn off, that is they do not respond to the dash light switch/off position or the Key/off position as they did in the past. The only way I can get them to go off is to pull off the main headlight relay. I can also get them to go off by disconnecting the 3 wire lead from the HI/LOW relay inside the engine compartment and also by pulling off the bulb failure sensor. However, when I reconnect the 3 lead wire on the HI/LOW relay the head lights come back on--the same happens when I reconnect the bulb failure sensor unless the main light relay has been de-energized at least once by pulling it off and at that point with the dash switch off and the key off the head lights stay off as long as the main light relay has been pulled off/de-energized. The regular light switch DOES turn the running lights on/off and does turn the head lights on but will not turn the head lights OFF! Neither does the key/off.  
I have swapped the 1.Dash Light switch  2.The main head light relay  3.The HI/Low relay They all work in another 240 I have.
I have also taken out the ignition switch and completely cleaned each of the 6 sets of points in the switch and reinstalled it. But I am really leaning towards it.

One other thing I've noticed that has changed is that on the start up with the head lights on, the car used to turn off the head lights just to go through the start up, then they would come back on. II DOES NOT DO THAT EITHER NOW THAT THE ABOVE HEAD LIGHT PROBLEM HAS STARTED TO OCCUR.

And now for my confession-----this all started when I was trying to get the windsheild wiper motor to run when I disconnected the 4 lead connector and touched the wrong lead ON THE WIPER MOTOR with some test wires from the battery. As I think about the moter was really isolated from all this lighting stuff or was it? The reason I was messing with wiper motor in the 1st place was because of it's intermittent operation AKA INGNITION SWITCH? I don't know.

One other thing, I have the Bently 240 Service Manual and the new Chilton Volvo Manual for coupes/sedans/wagon 1990-1998. In the Bently they show all the relays I've mention BUT in the Chilton they mention one additional relay called a step relay on page 6-44 that looks like it could be there nomenclature for HI/LOW relay under the hood.  

My questions are: 1. Did I screw up something when I touch the leads on the wiper motor from the battery? If so, WHAT? I did not touch the connector leads but only those on the  wiper motor that was still mounted on the car.

2. What causes the lights to go off temporarly if they are on when you do a start up? Is there another relay someplace that I am missing?

3. What about the ignition switch--could it be doing all this goofy stuff?

By the way I check for static battery drain maybe from some burned wire when touch those wiper leads---there is NO STATIC BATTERY DRAIN GOING ON IN THIS CAR. HELP!! AND THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!  

Answer
The short answer is that it sounds like you've created some sort of short in the head light system.  My first thought would have been to thoroughly examine all the light system relays, but it sounds like you've already done that, and are confident they are functioning properly.  As for shorting the wiper motor, the only thing that I'm aware it shares with the lights is the fact that the car chasis is a common ground, which can, in some cases, cause problems when infused with unregulated battery current.  I think a thorough examination of the headlight circuit and fuses are in order.  Check some of the 25 and 30 amp fuses along the sides of the engine compartment for burn or melt marks, and make sure they are all still working.  Also, check to make sure your headlight switch physically works.  Also check the local grounds to the chasis next to the headlights themselves for corrosion, as it might not even be related to the wiper shortout.  You've got all the information you need in your Bently manual, it will just be a matter of becoming familiar enough with the headlight circuit to track down all its different nodes and checking for proper function.  Good luck!