Dome light not working with driver door or the dimmer switch??

[lib87t]

My dome light does not come on when I open my driver door, nor if I roll the dimmer switch to dome light, but if I open the pass side door the dome does come on. I remember years ago that the dome light sometimes worked with the driver door. What should I look into first???

 

[salvageV6]

Do either of the footwell lights come on with either door or the dome light dash switch?

 

[novaderrik]

the door switch might be corroded and sticking.. had that happen on my 87 GMC pickup- i "fixed" it with some WD40 and pushing it in and out several times really fast with my finger..

i believe the headlight switch turns it on by grounding the light circuit, so check to see of the switch has a good ground.

 

[salvageV6]

Door pin switches and the dash switch are grounding switches.

We need to know what works and what doesn't exactly, since there are splices and connectors in the circuit wiring.

Door pin switches are grounded to the car body through their mounting threads I believe.

The white wire on those pin switches is the trigger, any other wire would be for the alarm if that option is on the car.

 

[lib87t]

Ok, The dimmer switch does work to make the Dome light come on, when I open either doors the foot lights come on. I did spray the metal button in door jam with wd40 and that didnt fix it, it pushes in and out fine. I dont think the car has security because I have never seen the Security light on.

 

[lib87t]

I do remember the dome light working with the driver door years ago but it only worked sometimes

 

[salvageV6]

Most likely a bad splice in the harness, I'm at work though and not near the service manual.

I will check it later vs. the data you posted.

 

[dennisL]

The three switches (dimmer and both door jamb switches) are wired in parallel. Any one of them closing will provide a ground to the three lamps (dome, LH & RH Footwell lamps) which are wired in parallel.

So, either door open will light both courtesy lights, right? But not the dome light?
The dimmer sw. lights the dome light but not the courtesy lights?

Since the switches are in parallel as are the lamps, the answers to the above questions should pin point the open connection.

 

[lib87t]

the driver door will make floor lights come on but not dome light. The dimmer switch will make dome light work and the pass side door make both dome and floor lights work

 

[lib87t]

ok, I just got in the car and with the driver door open, nuthing came on , not the dome or floor lights. So I rotated the dimmer switch and the dome and floor lights came on. I rotated the dimmer back off and the driver door was open and the lights were still on so I shut the door and they went out. I opened the door again and nothing.....unless i rotated the dimmer again. I took it for a ride and when I got out now there working. WTF

 

[salvageV6]

The easiest first test is to slowly unscrew the drivers side door jamb switch and check the white wire.

It could be a problem at splice S320 where the door jamb switch white wires join with the dimmer switch white wire and it's probably intermittant.

Only problem we have is I can't find the location of S320 in the manual yet.....

 

[salvageV6]

After reading all the posts again it sounds as if they are intermittant with every trigger switch, so it's probably the power feed to the dome light which is at C453 position B where the accessories get power from in the left hand shroud. Above the left side kick panel should be a bank of connectors for accessories, mostly brown wires but the B cavity for the dome lamp is a white wire with brown stripe.