Courtesy Lights

[sixt9x33rs]

My courtesy lights in the new convertible stay on when the door are closed but they are dim.. Open the doors and they brighten up. While going down the road they will intermit tingly cut on and off like a wire is grounding.  The headlight switch will turn them on and off while they happen to be off for a short time. Should I be checking the white wire on one of the courtesy lights or may this be a switch issue?

Thanks

[flyingskibiker]

Orange is power to the lights.  White is to ground.  The switches ground the white wire to turn on the lights.  Sounds like a ground problem.  Is your light switch grounded well?  Are your door switches in good shape?  Do you have a center console?  Sometimes the courtesy light in it gets shorted on the ash tray...

[69pace]

this may sound like a dumb reply here but did you check to see if the headlight switch rheostat isn't clicked over to light the dome lights?

[Mark]

The electrical connector on the inside of the door posts, that clip over the door switch have 90 degree bends on them, sometimes they twist and come in contact with the inside of the door frame and cause a high resistance ground which will keep your lights on dimly

[sixt9x33rs]

Orange is power to the lights.  White is to ground.  The switches ground the white wire to turn on the lights.  Sounds like a ground problem.  Is your light switch grounded well?  Are your door switches in good shape?  Do you have a center console?  Sometimes the courtesy light in it gets shorted on the ash tray...

I think it is somewhere in the center console. I took the cluster out and looked for a problem and could not find it anything apparent. I have not checked the ash tray...that is a good call because when I got the car it did not have an ash tray and the repro does not fit great. The lights were not operable prior to the repro ashtray. When I got the car the courtesy lights did not work including the rear console light. Got em working but can't get them off when I want!!
When I drive the car the lights flicker with the bumps in the road.

[flyingskibiker]

The springs in the ash tray that keep it open or closed can come in contact with the coutesy light socket/clips...  I've seen someone put electrical tape on the offending parts.  Does your console cluster have a good ground (via the black wire to trans. tunnel)?

[sixt9x33rs]

The springs in the ash tray that keep it open or closed can come in contact with the coutesy light socket/clips...  I've seen someone put electrical tape on the offending parts.  Does your console cluster have a good ground (via the black wire to trans. tunnel)?

It appears to be good. I have wiggled it trying to get the lights to flicker with no luck but will refocus on that. I will take a look at the ashtray too.
Thanks

[sixt9x33rs]

Figured out the problem. The passenger side door light switch on the jamb would not depress enough to turn the lights off. So I had to loosen the nut and pull it out to effectively make it longer so when the door is closed it is pushed in enough to turn the lights off. This is still not right. Should I replace these switches or pull therm out first clean then then try again. Or does someone have any ideas?

Thanks,

Lawrence

[flyingskibiker]

Glad you found the problem!  Cleaning is always good.  But usually that is to make sure the ground is good... ;-)  Wonder why there is any adjustment.  One would think it would just be best to have as much space between the contacts as possible when the door is closed...

[sixt9x33rs]

Glad you found the problem!  Cleaning is always good.  But usually that is to make sure the ground is good... ;-)  Wonder why there is any adjustment.  One would think it would just be best to have as much space between the contacts as possible when the door is closed...

The problem is such that the switch travel is not long enough. With the door closed the switch is just not quit turned off unless I loosen the nut and pull it out...crazy. I am going to work on it this morning and let you know what I figure out.

[big iron]

The 69 AIM shows the sw. has a torque of 15-25 in lbs.  I do not think it is supposed to be adj. as the white wire gets its ground through the threads of the sw.

[Sauron327]

The switch tube slides in the threaded retainer to allow for contact adjustment. It's corroded. When they are new, you simply close the door and they self adjust. If you are an animal you will bend the switch. So be careful or adjust it manually.

[flyingskibiker]

Ah hah!

[sixt9x33rs]

I sprayed some electrical cleaner on it with no avail. I need to take it out and clean it up or buy a new one.

This car has few more electrical demons I am chasing down now. The cluster gauges were added and I am wading through all of that to make sure ther isn't anything weird there. I have an intermittent ground failure there. The original am/fm was working then quit so I am chasing that too. Just debugging what has been done over the last 42 years. Overall not so bad.

[sixt9x33rs]

The lights now are 100% with the switch screwed in the jam per the AIM. I started thinking about when I was in High School and putting my foot in the jam to turn the lights off while talking to my buddies with the door open. I remembered that if you pushed that switch too hard it would collapse on itself and you would have to take a pair of pliers pull it out and then let it self adjust as someone previously mentioned. So that is what I did and all is good.