Friends:

I've got a problem with my interior courtesy lights (including cargo hatch area). I have read the thread on this which appeared last month, but I need a little more input if anyone can help me. All this pertains to my 96 LT4 CE coupe.

I have a problem with the lights staying on even after closing up the car. I did all the standard checks, including making sure the dimmer wasn't rotated to the "on" position, etc. Finally I just pulled fuses 35 and 36 to save the battery, and re-install the fuses when I drive. Here are the symptoms in a nutshell:

1. Lights turn off and on as normal when using the dimmer on the headlight switch- so no problem there.
2. The lights come on normally when you open the car (either R or L side), but they don't go off when you close the door.
3. Once when I pulled and re-installed the fuses it worked properly for a while, but then resumed the "staying on" mode.
4. For a period of time the lights went off altogether, but now they are back on when you open the doors.
5. Now it gets a little stranger: When I open the door and get the lights on, I can jiggle the "door ajar" switch on the passenger side door, and the system behaviors normally (i.e., the lights go off when the door closes and stay off). I can then open and close the passenger side door and the system behaves normally. However, this is not true for the driver's side door. If I open that door, the lights come on, and stay on even after the door is closed and a long time has elapsed. "Jiggling" around with the switch on the driver's side door has no effect.

I have the Helms shop manual and i have read through it thoroughly so i am familiar with their diagnostic procedure. However, even the Helms manual is unclear on some of the more practical and nitty-gritty details.

Here are a few questions: Exactly where are the relays for the courtesy lights? If they are under the passenger side dash panel (the same side as the fuse box) I am unsure of how to remove that panel to access the stuff behind the dash. I have taken the panel off on the driver's side, but never have taken off the passenger side panel. Can someone give me some pointers on this?

I'm thinking either the relay or the switch on the driver's side door may be the culprit her. Anyone want to give me any advice on this? Also in the earlier thread people talked about the "timer" being a possible problem. Is the "timer" (the system which shuts the lights off after a delay period, I assume) the same as the realy? There is no mention of a timer in the Helm's manual, only the relays. So, is it accurate to say that if I replace the raly, I have replaced the "timer"? If the timer is a seperate deal, where is it?
:confused:

+As always, help is always appreciated. Thanks a lot.

 

Your symptoms point to a defective courtesy light delay timer. On my 87 this device is clamped to the wiring harness on the right side of the multi-use center. The delay timer has its own relay or electronic switch built in. The electrical service manual shows the circuit diagram and a picture of its location.

 

Mine ended up being the hatch switch also. Just as a test, unplug the hatch switch and see what happens. I haven't replaced mine yet(2nd time it broke), but it's unplugged, and you'd never know anything was wrong.

 

The left door switch is often the culprit. Naturally, this door gets more use and subject to more wear and tear. This problem should produce a "Door Ajar" light. With courtesy lights on, no Door Ajar light, courtesy light stays on longer than 15 minutes, suggests bad courtesy timer/relay module. Another possibility is the door lock key sensor when using a key to unlock the door in darkened conditions. When rotating the tumbler, the lights will illuminate. The switch could be bad and detecting a key when none is there.

Not sure about the 96 but believe the "time out" for door ajar switches is 15 minutes. Hatch lights may be different. Not sure about 96.

In a darkened garage, open the left door, leave it open, have a beer, does the light extinguish after 15 minutes? This would suggest the timer worked good then.

See if you can induce a fail mode. Should the malfunction occur, close the door, look and see if the door ajar light is illuminated, and start the clock. If, after 15 minutes, no "Door Ajar" light, light still on, suspect a stuck relay/timer circuit. Take your door key, insert and move around a couple of times. Wait about a minute. See if light goes out.

With no "Door Ajar" light, suspect door/hatch may be OK>

The service manual electrical supplement gives excellent trouble shooting steps for this type occurence.

Very annoying.

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