Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Internior lights intermittent

I had my first problem with the contour yesterday...Some idiot, well me, left the headlights on and
came back 8 hours later to find that the remote start wouldnt work and the power locks not working
either, only from keyhole and also the car wouldn't start.
So my nice friends jumped my car we got it running so i go home then comes
Last night i started the car to drive home and i noticed that my Footwell lights were on so i got out opened
and shut every door including trunk and they wouldn't turn off so i just the heck with this and noticed when
i opened the door to get out the dome light wasnt on either soooo...
sometimes footwell lights are on also dome light (Even when 12 sec timer is activated)
some times footwell lights and dome well do not function at all

What could it be? If its a fuse where do i start to even find a fuse box? is it in the basement?
i do not know anything about cars so baby me along.

Xoom

I have had a the same problem (i think) with my 99 SE. the driver's door sensor was sticking- sometimes in- sometimes out- thus sometimes the interior lights would stay on when the door was closed- or not come on when the door was opened. I sprayed some wd 40 on the little black sensor thing and pushed it in and out and the problem has not come back. Hope this helps- sorry if it don't

Just to clarify, with dome light switch in 12 sec position are footwell AND dome lights doing the same thing? if they are doing different things your timer module may be faulty.
The fact that you seem to be suggesting lights come on sometimes would indicate fuses are OK. They are located under dash on driver's side. Fuse panel flips down when you release a button/lever on left side. Timer module is plug-in device visible on bottom of fuse panel (before flipping down).
Are your key-in and headlights-on chimes working?

Remote start? Have you got an after market system installed?

Thats right my chimes are not working and yes my dome lights and footwells are doing the same things because at night i was turning dome light off but i'd still have to deal with footwells.. I'll try the wd-40 trick first then if that doesnt work where do i go? i have no remote start no aftermarket alarm just stock remote unlock/lock.

Would I be able to replace this timer module myself? will wd-40 ruin paint if it get it on anything?

Should not ruin the paint-
could not ruin the paint
---many peopel use it toremove road tar- make sure and clean it off though- it will leave the paint oily and slick.

Yeh, no problem replacing timer yourself it just pulls out after compressing the tabs on each end that hold it in place. A small screwdriver might be helpful to wedge it out CAREFULLY.

I have the advantage of interchanging parts between cars to confirm diagnosis but I'm pretty sure the timer is your problem. Intermittent wipers not working would be additional test to confirm totally dead timer, however even if they worked it could be just 1/2 dead.

Ok no fix with the wd-40 and i found in the rain that my interittent wipers do not work at all like you said but i can push it partly down, to turn on windshield washers, and kind of do it manually that way...also i searched for my problem in this forum and saw some posts where people changed the relay?? could that be it? I went to Haldeman Ford today and they said $70 just to hook it up to the computer since my warranty is invalid soo how much does a timing module cost and how much does a relay cost? can i do them myself? and what if i do one and it doesnt fix it??

Xoom

Lucky post I was gone all day and thought I'd just look around a bit before hitting the hay.

I didn't think wd40 was the solution, but it would do no harm to try.

Sounds like dealer gave you cost to do engine diagnostics, which is what you need to do if check engine light comes on, this is not your current problem.

I've had to replace relay for wipers, but loss of intermittent feature is not your sole problem, therefore the timer most likely suspect. I cannot advise on price of same, but timer will cost more than relay.

Edit: Look at responses re wipers to J.Salvi currently showing up on pge 6 of problems, note in particular defrost relay substitute as test for wiper relay malfunction. Since you won't be able to buy/order replacement timer 'til Mon. let me think about another check on timer functions... OK try this; is the seat belt warning working properly? By this I mean sound, dash light and time for light to go out with/without seatbelt on, engine running, car in drive, brake on.