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Post by RIP OLDS on Jul 19, 2009 11:32:21 GMT -5
What serves as the ground for the Door Courtesy Light switches? Is there a seperate ground wire, or does the metal switch chassis serves as the ground just by being attached to the car chassis?
I can't find the reason my rear sail panel lights stay "slightly" illuminated (glowing) when the ignition is off. They do go off when the ignition is "on" (run or acc positions). And they work properly when the door is open.
I figure it must be some type of ground issue.
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Post by Big Mike on Jul 19, 2009 11:52:56 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure the switches ground through the switch case in the door with the door being grounded through the chassis. Your problem could be as simple as a bad bulb. I've seen it many times when I was a line mechanic that a bad bulb would cause weird grounding issues. Always start with the simple things first when diagnosing electrical problems. Start by checking and or replacing all the bulbs in the courtesy light system.
When I was a shop manager way back when, we had a new young mechanic replace a turn signal switch in a dump truck with turn signal issues and when the that didn’t fix the problem. I had him check the bulbs in the rear of the truck (because of all the beating and banging those bulbs take) and it was a bulb with a filament causing a ground to the hot circuit.
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Post by RIP OLDS on Jul 19, 2009 19:16:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the info Mike.
Here's what I found out today. It is not the bulbs. With the ignition switch off, and both doors open, the lights come on as they should. If I depress the drivers side door switch, the sail panel courtesy lights dim. If I depress the passenger side door switch, the lights stay fully energized.
Would a faulty passenger side door switch cause the lights to "dim" when the drivers side door switch is depressed?
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Post by RIP OLDS on Jul 27, 2009 22:04:21 GMT -5
;D
I have finally solved my Courtesy light issue covered under this thread and the thread called "Battery Drain" on page 6 of 8.
A quick recap - Rear Sail Panel Courtesy Lights would remain "glowing" (very slightly) when the doors were closed, thus draining the battery. This only occurred with the ignition in the "off"position". All the advise I received pointed to a bad ground in the light circuit (orange wires). I had removed the lamps for the past year until I figured the problem out. The console lights did not have this problem.
Two days ago I start the car to go for a ride and suddenly the console courtesy lights remained on with the doors closed. I removed the door switches and the passenger side switch was pretty rusty. I clean the switch up, re-install it, and the console lights go out as required. I was sure this rusty, poorly grounded switch was also going to solve the issue with the rear courtesy lights as well. I Install the rear lamps only to be disappointed, same "glowing" issue. But now I was on a mission to solve this problem. To make a long story a little longer:
I unplugged the console harness to eliminate that part of the lighting circuit. I then checked the rear lamps again and "OFF" they went! So now I knew it was either an issue with the console wiring or the console was wired to the wrong circuit under the dash. I followed the orange wire from the console and found it was wired directly to a terminal on the fuse box (Inst), and not the orange circuit of the main harness. Right near the fuse box was an orange wire from the main harness that was capped off (probably used for under dash courtesy lamp not in my car). I checked the orange wire with a meter to make sure it worked properly, and once verified, wired the console to this wire. Problem solved!!! All interior lights now work properly.
Sorry for the long story, but it feels good to solve a year long annoying problem.
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