larandy

1990 corvette convertible. Courtesy lights and door ajar light comes on when either door is opened and sometimes go out as they are supposed to when the doors are closed. However, most of the time when the doors are closed the courtesy lights and door ajar light stays on for about 15 minutes before going out. Once the courtesy lights and door ajar light go out, they stay out until the doors are opened again. The symptoms suggest to me that the door switches are operating as they should but that there's a problem with the timer. I've searched various manuals and can't find a timer anywhere. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

65Z01

On my '88 the Courtesy Light Delay Timer is located behind the RH side of the I/P, tied to a large wire bundle near the multi-use center.

Wire colors to/from it are: Wht, Pnk/Blk, Orn, Blk, (2)Yel.

woody1243

On my 84 it's located behind the information center(where all the system lights are et. door ajar, SES). It is just a replaceable module on mine so it should also be for yours. I can try to look the part number up for you.
Woody

Torch Red Tim

On my 94 I was working in the doors. I had them open for long periods of time. The courtesy lights would go out after about 15 minutes. I guess it does that to save the battery. Sounds like your timer thinks the doors are open. Door switch, wiring??

BlackbirdZ07

Try adjusting your door switches.

It sounds like one/both switch(es) are not being pushed in all the way, so the car thinks a door is open and the lights don't get turned off. After 15 minutes the computer turns off the lights, just as it would do if a door is left open. This is a normal function that saves the battery in case you leave a door open.

Look at your door switches. There's one on each door, at the rear bottom corner. The black plastic plunger has a round head on the end that contacts the body of the car. This round head is actually the end of a pin that can slide in and out of the plunger. To adjust the switch, take a small flat blade screwdriver and pry the head out a little bit. This makes the plunger longer, which means it gets pushed in all the way when you close the door, and your lights turn off like they should. Don't worry if you pry it out too much, the first time you close the door it will automatically get pushed in to just the right length.

If you adjust both switches your problem should go away.

larandy

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Unfortunately, I don't think the problem is with the door switches. Here's why. The previous owner said that the courtesy lights and door ajar light would stay on when the doors were closed so he removed the courtesy light relay. With the relay removed, the courtesy lights and door ajar light functioned as they should--always coming on when the doors were open and off when the doors were closed, indicating that the door switches worked properly. Unfortunately, with the courtesy light relay removed, the display then intermittently indicated "sys" and I tracked that to a code 26. Replacing the courtesy lamp relay eliminated the code, but now I have the problem with the courtesy lights and door ajar light staying on most of the time for up to 15 minutes with the doors closed.

BlackbirdZ07

Try my suggestion. I may be wrong but it only takes two seconds on each side!

If that doesn't help, I would agree that the problem is in the computer. Possibly a bad ECM?

ritchiem

I've got a 93 that has issues with the battery going dead after sitting for a couple weeks. I was doing some interior work (new carpet) and noticed a slight glow from the courtesy lights. Seems they never go out...removed the bulbs for now and plan on diagnosing them after I fix a few other items. I don't look fwd to this problem because it could lead to a new central control module I think. Everything I touch seems to be multiple hundred $$ to fix. We'll see.

larandy

Know what you mean. I was quoted a price for a remanufactured CCM of $250 at the local chev dealer. But, don't know if that's my problem. Courtesy lights definitely go out after 15 minutes with doors closed. I've also done some interior work on my car for extended periods of time and don't remember the courtesy lights ever going out when the doors are open. I noticed last night that my initial post isn't quite accurate. Here's a more accurate description of my problem. With the doors closed and the ignition key not in the run position, the security light flashes and the courtesy lights remain on for 15 minutes before going out. With the doors closed and the ignition key in the run position, the courtesy lights and door ajar light remain on for 15 minutes before going out. Every once in a while I get lucky and all lights go out immediately when the doors are closed. I played with the door switches as suggested in earlier posts but problem remains.

BlackbirdZ07

Everything you describe suggests the computer thinks one or both doors are open. This is exactly what my car does when a door is left open... the security light flashes and the lights stay on for 15 minutes. If the car is running the lights stay on for 15 minutes.

If the adjustment didn't help, I would guess either a faulty door switch or a break/bad connection in the wiring to one door switch. I'd start by checking the wiring inside the doors and replacing the switches. The switches are notorious, and even many of the new ones are faulty.

Here's an idea for an easy check of the door switches: remove each one and jump the wires to close the circuit. I'm not sure where the connector is, so I couldn't tell you the best way to go about this. Leave the door on the other side closed, and if the lights go out when you jump the wires then you've found the problem.

If the circuit works the other way, and the switch CLOSES the circuit to turn on the lights, then simply unplugging the switch and having the lights go off would tell you the faulty switch is stuck closed.

larandy

I want to thank those that responded to my request for help and let you know the outcome. After reading the responses, I decided my problem stemmed from the door ajar switches and ordered two new switches from Ecklers. I received them last week and decided that this weekend was the time to take the door panels off and replace the switches. In addition, I wanted to replace the outer window seals which were in bad shape. Off came the door panels with some effort, since it took me some time to determine that there was a screw behind the manual door lock bar holding the door panel on. With the door panels off, I was shocked what I found. There was a white wire going to both door ajar switches connected to another white wire that went to the courtesy light in the door. It was obvious that the wiring had been done by a previous owner (I'm the third owner). In essence, someone had hot wired the door ajar switches. For what reason, I don't have a clue. I cut out the white wire and problem solved. A previous owner's bright idea is now in the trash dump. Thanks again.