I know there have been some posts here a couple of years ago but I couldn't find an answer so I'll ask again. I have a 90 convertible and recently had the all too familiar "no horns" problem. Took it to a guy who found the horn problem to be a bad connection at the spring under the SRS in the wheel. While he was putting the passenger side under dash cover back in place, I noticed that now the courtesy lights were not working. They worked manually with the dimmer, but not when the doors were opened. After leaving the car parked for a few hours, they suddenly worked. Now they work sometimes and not others, but it seems like they always work after the car sits for a while (several hours), and don't work after a very short time of driving or getting in and out of the car. I know he moved some of the relays under the dash around when trying to fix the horn, are the relays specific to there location, they all appear to be the same. Also, I was wondering if it could be a faulty relay that might be sticking and then makes contact again after some time being off, or I've seen it mentioned here that the small metal relays in the main fuse box are timers, could on of those be bad? All the fuses are good, this is driving me nuts!! Thanks

 

could it be the contact pin in the door? mine sticks sometimes.

 

I don't think so because when they don't work, neither door will activate them, but thanks for the thought

 

Is your battery fully charged?? I noticed after a project I did with the door open almost all day that the interior lights would shut off quicker and quicker as the doors were opened and shut throughout the day and then wouldn't even come on even though there was enough juice to start and run car. I fully charged battery and viola, interior lights were back to normal. So, I think there must be a low battery sensor involved that prevents the courtesy interior lights that come on when you open doors from draining battery. Perhaps its because of the work you had done was done with battery still connected and doors open alot. Try putting full charge on battery and see if that helps. May not be your trouble, just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll try charging the battery. Maybe that is it, since they do come back on after the cars sits for a few hours. We did have the doors open for about two hours when we were working on the horn.

 

That didn't do it. In fact, they were working before I charged the battery, and were not after I charged it! They came back on after a couple of hours of sitting, as usual.

 

The relay might be a quick check, and hopefully a quick fix.

But, it sounds like an intermittent circuit, such as a connector that isn't making full contact. In my experience when a new problem arises concurrently with maintanance or repairs, the problem is often a caused by those repairs. Wouldn't you agree?

I'd start back tracking the recent repairs.

 

Well, like I said, it may not be your problem. Wish it were, but I have to agree with ~SlvrFox~ in that if I were you I would now retrace my steps of the last project you had going that led to this trouble. You may have a pinched wire or short.