Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Dome light comes and goes

I often have to turn my dome light off
as it will not turn off sometimes after the doors are closed. Ideas or experience with this please.
Is it the switch at the door or the actual dome light switch or something else?
Maybe unique to my car only?

Thanks...You guys are very informative and always so thorough.

check the switch at the door. mine was corroded and would sometimes stay off when I opened the door. I took it out (one screw), cleaned it, and it worked fine.

It is the switches! Remove them and clean them up with a xacto knife. They are very cheap and must make contact to the car body to function.

Well the common problem as you can see from above posts is when the light doesn't turn on. The door switches provide the ground return for the dome light and if they don't make proper contact then no light. They have also been known to stick and not pop out when door opens.
In your case the door closing is not causing the switch to break the ground circuit or you have a ground path somewhere else. Does the pass door exhibit same problem?
I would check the operation of each switch by hand with door open.
Also if you have the 12 second delay illuminated entry you might have problem with timer module. Does your intermittent wiper setting work? Key-in and headlight-on warnings work?

OK according to your PM you have 12 sec delay feature and the other timer module functions are working. Just to refresh; with dome switch on 12 sec delay, dome light will stay on for that time after entering car and closing door unless ignition put on which will turn dome off immediately.
There is a brown relay (r12)on interior fuse panel which, IIRC, plays a role in this circuit. If you can touch the relay case when operating the door jamb switch it might tell you if it is working. Alternately, pull relay, apply 12 volts to coil and check contact resistance. Relay internals are shown on case.

Just an afterthoght on this, a couple of times I have brushed my dashlight dimmer switch. Just past maximum brightness is the Dome Light On position. I have inadvertently put the interior lights on when I brushed it. Didn't notice right away because of the 12 second delay leaving the car. You might be doing this occassionaly too.

I've just has this problem on my car....all of the courtesy lights stayed on, including the lights in the footwells.

Dealer fixed it under warranty. Said they replaced a "rheostat". I'l have to check the work order, but I'm assuming it must have been the instrument panel dimmer control - that's the only rheostat I can think of that might have been involved.

I'll post again later on part #'s, etc.

You guys have given me some good ideas and things to check this weekend if the hurricane
does not com into play.

It is vibration induced/sensitive apparantly as it will come on and off while driving.

Contourhoilc....It's not the dimmer switch issue you mentioned but thanks

THANKS ALL!

You can also spray the door switch with WD-40. Just use on of the little straw-type thingies, push it in past the plunger, spray, then push the switch on and off a few times. Works like a charm on a lot of those litte switches.

Originally posted by bones:

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It is vibration induced/sensitive apparantly as it will come on and off while driving.

Contourhoilc....It's not the dimmer switch issue you mentioned ...

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Unfortunately you have not posted your car info: the feature referred to by steener and Contouraholic was added in 99, i.e., dimmer includes switch contacts to allow footwell lights to come on(not sure about dome).
However the new info you have provided above makes it likely that a wire has slipped of door jamb switch and is flopping around. First step - pull them out from door jamb and check connection behind.