they worked when I first bought the car but now they will only come on when I turn the headlight ****,and the door lights will come on when you click them or with the **** but none will come on when you open the door..also the hatch release switches in the doors now don't work but the one in the console does..reverse lights don't work and the bulbs are new,all other exterior lights work as they should..

here is where I become confused..if I pull the fuse that works the int. lights,radio,etc. and put it back in,the lights work with the doors but only for about 10 seconds or so then go off and the "security" light comes on the info panel..the hatch release switches work for the same amount of time as well and when the lights go off they quit working..

I've tried closing the doors and opening again and it works fine but only for a few seconds after you pull the fuse and stick it back in,then it goes back to nothing working except the security light..

I'm absolutely baffled at what could be causing this other than bad wiring but I would think if that were the case then these things wouldn't work at all...this is an 86 coupe btw

any thoughts? JD

 

Lets see what I can add..

First - the hatch release switches in the doors get their power from the same circuit the powers the door map/courtesy lamps. The hatch switch in the Console is powered from a different source (and That varies depending on if the car is an auto or stick..).

That power circuit in the doors is fed from Both the headlight switch AND from the dome light delay timer. That delay timer module is Probably your problem. I'ts a fairly common failure at this point - a 24 year old unit, afterall.

Last time I looked that module could NOT be purchased - Anywhere. The simplest solution is to remove it and splice the door jam switch wires to the ground side of that door lamp circuit (basically - tie all of the White wires that go to the timer module together). By doing that you no longer (well - you don't Now) have a delayed dome lamp function, but everything works "normally" thru the door jam switches.

You could Also rob a boneyard for a Ford (Ouch - That word..) theater dimming dome lamp module and wire That into your car. I know, it's a Ford part (well - probably actually sourced thru Mazda, but whatever..). It will work, however, can be Found, unlike the 'vette delay module, and is a neater "theater dimming" effeect anyhow...

The location of the delay module in the vette, BTW, is taped to the wire harness right behind the fuse panel in the right side of the dash. You probably will need to drop the hush panel on the passenger side to get to it, the first time anyhow. Some cars have it behind the dash structure underneath the "breadloaf" pad, and removing that pad will find it. In Theory the module is Supposed to be in Front of (towards the base of the windshield) the dash structure and you need to reach it from underneath..

Your backup lamp issue has got to be a separate problem, that circuit really isn't involved in anything else.

 

thanks ron..thats what I'll check and probably just wire them together like you said..that was a great reply too,lots of help!..thanks again

 

Yup, sounds like the delay timer. I had mine go out shortly after I got my 85. I picked up a used one on eBay for $25. They have been disco'd as far as I know so its either used or NOS. Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/84-89...Q5fAccessories

Good luck.