Interior lights won't shut off.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 26,679
Likes: 17
From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA
St. Jude Donor '03-'05
Interior lights won't shut off.
So, I have never had interior lights so I decided to see why. I check the fuse first, no fuse. I install a fuse and the lights come one, and the clock too! Awesome, until I realize that they stayed on when I shut the door. I opened the door and pushed the plunger on the latch side of the door a few times. The fuse blew, which makes no sense. I had another switch so I swapped it out but it makes no difference.
I pulled both switches and disconnected them and its still on. I traced the wires and can't find a short anywhere. Is there a common place that these ground out?
I pulled both switches and disconnected them and its still on. I traced the wires and can't find a short anywhere. Is there a common place that these ground out?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 26,679
Likes: 17
From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA
St. Jude Donor '03-'05
The white wires have 12v at the ends. If I trace them back, they are factory soldered together and a third white wire runs into the jack compartment and is attached to a riund thing that looks like a flasher. If I unplug it, the lights still stay one.
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 122
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Think there are 2 switches on each side one on the strike side, one on the hinge side. The one that feeds back to the jack compartment is the alarm switch, the other is the interior lights. It has been a long time since I worked on my 72 but think this is how I remember it.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
Likes: 61
From: Wichita KS
The courtesy light wires should only run from the passenger side to the drivers side and include the switches at the front of the door jambs, the lights and the headlight switch (to turn them on without opening the doors).
cc
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
The interior lights operate off the switches at the front of the door in the jamb.
If the white wires you traced "were" attached to front switches then bubba has struck and you will have to separate those switch systems.
You mentioned the white wires have 12 volts on them-any of the white interior light wires that are "seeking" ground will measure 12 v until the wire "finds" ground and then the 12 v reading will go away once the bulb is lit.
Are you working on your 70 or 75 ?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 26,679
Likes: 17
From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA
St. Jude Donor '03-'05
If the white wires took you into the jack compartment you are working on the wrong door switches-your working on the DOOR AJAR switches at the rear of the door.
The interior lights operate off the switches at the front of the door in the jamb.
If the white wires you traced "were" attached to front switches then bubba has struck and you will have to separate those switch systems.
You mentioned the white wires have 12 volts on them-any of the white interior light wires that are "seeking" ground will measure 12 v until the wire "finds" ground and then the 12 v reading will go away once the bulb is lit.
Are you working on your 70 or 75 ?
The interior lights operate off the switches at the front of the door in the jamb.
If the white wires you traced "were" attached to front switches then bubba has struck and you will have to separate those switch systems.
You mentioned the white wires have 12 volts on them-any of the white interior light wires that are "seeking" ground will measure 12 v until the wire "finds" ground and then the 12 v reading will go away once the bulb is lit.
Are you working on your 70 or 75 ?
It sounds like I am working on the wrong set of switches!
The only good thing is now my "door ajar" light works.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 26,679
Likes: 17
From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA
St. Jude Donor '03-'05
Obligatory pics of said car.
Last edited by Fastguy; May 17, 2009 at 10:29 AM.
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 10,956
Likes: 409
From: California
there is a dome light shutoff circuit behind the glove box (you will have to take out) in the top right hand corner. This unit (if you have one) controls the lights, leaves the dome light on for about 30 sec after leaving the car. When bad it can 1. leave the light on. 2. not let the light come on, and 3. make the dome light flash as if it were wired to the blinkers... go figure. My car is a 79.... 
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
Thats a good thing....progress !!!
On the delay interior timer,I dont recall that before 77 but I could be wrong.
When you start your work on the interior lights I would remove all the bulbs except 1 and remove the dome and cargo light housings sometime this takes care of the problem and as you start putting bulbs back in the problem bulb will turn the lights back on. One common problem I see other than the door switches is the dome light in the T and the cargo light have had too large of a bulb put in and the metal tangs that hold the bulb get forced out and ground on the housing turning the lights on blowing the fuse. Also sometimes when these lights are reinstalled during a carpet change the screws get run through one of the wires. Dont forget about the spare tire light if yours has one because those wires can be grounded also.
On the delay interior timer,I dont recall that before 77 but I could be wrong.
When you start your work on the interior lights I would remove all the bulbs except 1 and remove the dome and cargo light housings sometime this takes care of the problem and as you start putting bulbs back in the problem bulb will turn the lights back on. One common problem I see other than the door switches is the dome light in the T and the cargo light have had too large of a bulb put in and the metal tangs that hold the bulb get forced out and ground on the housing turning the lights on blowing the fuse. Also sometimes when these lights are reinstalled during a carpet change the screws get run through one of the wires. Dont forget about the spare tire light if yours has one because those wires can be grounded also.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
Likes: 61
From: Wichita KS
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 26,679
Likes: 17
From: This vette goes to 11 Milford MA
St. Jude Donor '03-'05
Well, it turns out it was something stupid. The switches in the hinge side of the door don't contact the door when closed on either side. The prior owner's solution was to pull the fuse. 
I tried backing the switches out but then they lose ground and don't function. I added shims and now the lights go off. I made two 1" tabs from sheet aluminum and drilled a hole in them. I took out the screw that holds the door panel tab in place and just placed them over the tabs. Now the lights go off and on correctly.
It wasn't a total waste of time though. I did fix the "door ajar" function and I also found a small courtesy light with no bulb that lights the driver's footwell.
I also found that the center storage bin was disconnected because the prior owner broke the latch mount and unplugged it so the battery wouldn't die. Good news is, everything works now and I have a clock. Thanks for everyone's help.
I tried backing the switches out but then they lose ground and don't function. I added shims and now the lights go off. I made two 1" tabs from sheet aluminum and drilled a hole in them. I took out the screw that holds the door panel tab in place and just placed them over the tabs. Now the lights go off and on correctly.It wasn't a total waste of time though. I did fix the "door ajar" function and I also found a small courtesy light with no bulb that lights the driver's footwell.
I also found that the center storage bin was disconnected because the prior owner broke the latch mount and unplugged it so the battery wouldn't die. Good news is, everything works now and I have a clock.
Thanks for everyone's help.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
Likes: 61
From: Wichita KS
Well, it turns out it was something stupid. The switches in the hinge side of the door don't contact the door when closed on either side. The prior owner's solution was to pull the fuse. I tried backing the switches out but then they lose ground and don't function. I added shims and now the lights go off. I made two 1" tabs from sheet aluminum and drilled a hole in them. I took out the screw that holds the door panel tab in place and just placed them over the tabs. Now the lights go off and on correctly.
It wasn't a total waste of time though. I did fix the "door ajar" function and I also found a small courtesy light with no bulb that lights the driver's footwell.
I also found that the center storage bin was disconnected because the prior owner broke the latch mount and unplugged it so the battery wouldn't die. Good news is, everything works now and I have a clock. Thanks for everyone's help.
I tried backing the switches out but then they lose ground and don't function. I added shims and now the lights go off. I made two 1" tabs from sheet aluminum and drilled a hole in them. I took out the screw that holds the door panel tab in place and just placed them over the tabs. Now the lights go off and on correctly.It wasn't a total waste of time though. I did fix the "door ajar" function and I also found a small courtesy light with no bulb that lights the driver's footwell.
I also found that the center storage bin was disconnected because the prior owner broke the latch mount and unplugged it so the battery wouldn't die. Good news is, everything works now and I have a clock.
Thanks for everyone's help.
