I have recently purchased a 2003 convertible with some interior lighting problems. None of the lights by the mirrors in the visors have worked since I purchased the car. Since the bulbs and fuses are O.K. the problem would either be wiring (no power) or poor ground. Where do I start to look to check out the problem? Similarly, the underhood light in the engine compartment doesn't work. The bulb was cracked and burned out but new bulb didn't fix the problem. The third problem is with the interior/map lights under the mirror. Both of them and the electrochromic feature for the inside and drivers side mirrors all failed at the same time. A poor ground seems to be a general problem on these cars. Where should I start to look for the ground connection or for a broken power wire? The amber light on the bottom of the inside mirror that illuminates the console/shifter area still works so some power is still getting to the inside mirror. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks for the tip. Fuse #2 (Monitored LD) was blown and blew again as I was replacing it! I assume a short but am wondering where to check for the problem? Not sure how or what to check for on the relay (#37). There was continuity between the two contacts which showed that there should be. How do I check that the relay is functioning properly?

 

I disconnected the under hood light. The light cord I disconnected tested O.K. Ran power up that cord and light works fine. Tested the cable it was connected to and sensed a short.n That light and the visor vanity lights may have failed at the same time and could be a common problem. Are they powered through the "Monitored LD" (#2) fuse?

The map lights and the electrochromic mirrors failed recently but simultaneously. If either of those are powered through the same fuse as the other interior lights, which all still work, then I would suspect a broken wire. Do the map lights and electrochromic mirrors have a common power lead? Wondering if the problem is inside the inside mirror. (Amber light in the mirror still works.)

 

 

You know you're welcome!

 

Hey thanks for all of the information and, especially, for taking the time to get it to me. This is very helpful. Chronologically, 1)- the under hood and vanity mirror lamps failed while the fuse must have still been good. (Bulbs are O.K.) Recently, 2)- the map lights and electrochromic mirror power failed simultaneously, seemingly due to a short which must have taken out the fuse.

Any ideas as to where the first problem could have occurred while still leaving a power supply for the map lights? Looking at the schematic there must be more than one problem. I've checked the connections in Grounding Point G102 and they look good (no corrosion). Not sure how to access G202 to check those connections. Do you happen to know where to find power connection S200?

 

I had one of the vanity mirrors wiring wear through the insulation causing the circuit to short out when the visor was moved. This was the passenger side one.

The vanity mirrors along with the under hood light would be the starting points to look for worn wire insulation. The next would be the actual inside rear-view mirror. Look there for signs of modified wires for a radar detector.

Gary

 

Hi guys,
This is sort of inline with this post, but, what I am trying to do is add a switch so that I can disrupt the power to the map lights. I drive allot at night, and the map lights in the rear view mirror blind me, when I just need a little light, the floorboard lights are perfect for. I do not want to run wiring all the way from the RV Mirror, but was thinking maybe I can tap those wires somewhere under the dash? I see from the schematic it is a Orange wire, but I don't understand what the ip box is, c1 is, or all the rest of the tech jargon. Can anyone help me find and identify the exact wire I need to tap into to add a switch that will disrupt the power to just the map lights on the mirror??!!
Thanks for the help,
SEC5

 

I suspect that fuse 2 failed due to an overload and not a short. If it is a short the fuse will repeatedly fail. My fuse 2 failed a few times until I did away with the underhood light. Since then no more fails. My aftermarket hood has no provision for a light so the decision was easy for me.

A question I have to ask . Is the carpet in the passenger foot well wet??? A key part of making this stuff all work is the BCM. If the carpet is wet, the BCM may also have gotten wet...[/QUOTE]
*******
You were right! I disconnected the under hood light, replaced the fuse and everything came back to life. I then reconnected the under hood light and it worked as well! I moved the sun visors and rear view mirror around to see if there may be a bad wire that occasionally shorted but no problem. As I was replacing the fuse box cover ... after a couple minutes the lights suddenly failed. I disconnected the under hood light once again and again, after a few minutes, the other lights came back on and have worked O.K. since.

Is the BCM the silver box immediately on the left hand side of and about the same size as the fuse box? I cleaned the carpet on the floor right in front of the passenger seat a few weeks ago (a quart of water, scrub brush and a shop vac). Didn't clean the sides or the panel covering the fuse panel area so that area didn't get wet.

Thank you so much for all of your help.