Interior lights

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mikewadkins

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My interior lights are driving me crazy. The lights seem to work with door switches. I can open doors they go on close they go off. About hour later i look my lights are on. Open door close door they stay on. Only way to turn off is disconnect battery. Then door switch works again. Then starts all over again. Need help with wire diagram.
 
My interior lights are driving me crazy. The lights seem to work with door switches. I can open doors they go on close they go off. About hour later i look my lights are on. Open door close door they stay on. Only way to turn off is disconnect battery. Then door switch works again. Then starts all over again. Need help with wire diagram.


What year and model of car??
 
A delay timer is part of lighting package. That's your problem. The lights are supposed to stay on for a couple minutes with door switch cycle, then go off and stay off until next door switch cycle. timer goes bad lights come back on or just wont go off.
I can't say exactly where under the dash this little bugger is located.
 
Ok, try this.
Remove the door switches, one at a time and disconnect it. Tape up the wire end so it doesn't short out , tie a string around the wire end and drop it into the threaded hole in the A-piller so you can fish it out after. Close the door and see if the lights come back on. This method will eliminate the door switches. A meter will only show you continuity while pushing the plunger into the switch. You may not be pushing the plunger in deep enough when closing the door or it may only be making intermittent contact.

Second thing is the headlamp switch. It has a setting for turning on the interior lights that may be defective, possibly shorting out somehow.

Cheers!!
 
A delay timer is part of lighting package. That's your problem. The lights are supposed to stay on for a couple minutes with door switch cycle, then go off and stay off until next door switch cycle. timer goes bad lights come back on or just wont go off.
I can't say exactly where under the dash this little bugger is located.

Did the 68 Barracuda's come with that delay circuit? I've never seen one.
 
Did the 68 Barracuda's come with that delay circuit? I've never seen one.
Yep, not all but those with this lighting package even had a little light in the top of that plastic ign' switch bezel. My 68 parts car had it but the instrument panel was removed. The timer just laying between ign' switch and ash tray area. It surely mounts in a clip of some sort.
 
Ok, try this.
Remove the door switches, one at a time and disconnect it. Tape up the wire end so it doesn't short out , tie a string around the wire end and drop it into the threaded hole in the A-piller so you can fish it out after. Close the door and see if the lights come back on. This method will eliminate the door switches. A meter will only show you continuity while pushing the plunger into the switch. You may not be pushing the plunger in deep enough when closing the door or it may only be making intermittent contact.

Second thing is the headlamp switch. It has a setting for turning on the interior lights that may be defective, possibly shorting out somehow.

Cheers!!
I disconnect both switches and lights stay on.
Yep, not all but those with this lighting package even had a little light in the top of that plastic ign' switch bezel. My 68 parts car had it but the instrument panel was removed. The timer just laying between ign' switch and ash tray area. It surely mounts in a clip of some sort.
 
Same part applies up to 86 model, so cheapest source would be a parts yard if you can find it under those dashes.
 
But light turns on and off just fine. No delay goes back on by its self hour later
I don't need to argue. Other members who have experienced this very same battery killing issue will chime in here. Good luck.
 
I don't need to argue. Other members who have experienced this very same battery killing issue will chime in here. Good luck.
Thanks for help it was working fine before i painted car. No delayed light before. Looking for diagram of yellow n pink wire
 
Thanks for help it was working fine before i painted car. No delayed light before. Looking for diagram of yellow n pink wire



If you didn't have lamp delay before the problem started, that's not the issue.
Did you have the wiring harness out of the car when you painted it ? Was the car disassembled ?
 
If you didn't have lamp delay before the problem started, that's not the issue.
Did you have the wiring harness out of the car when you painted it ? Was the car disassembled ?
Yes i took wire harness out and fixed wires that were bad. Im confused on why it works then shorts out little later.
 
Yes i took wire harness out and fixed wires that were bad. Im confused on why it works then shorts out little later.

It happens Mike !

I'm no expert but have done a lot of repairs and fixes on A-Body harnesses, especially 67-69 Cudas. This is something simple . My guess is that something is not connected properly (you said it yourself.. everything worked before you took it apart). Retrace the way you re-installed the harness and pay particular attention to the pink and yellow circuits. That's what controls the light circuit. I would re-install the door light switches get everything working, close the doors and wait for the lights to come on. Then, remove the fuses one by one until the lights go out. This is the circuit feeding the lights and the one to check carefully. Keep us posted.
 
Those door jamb switches adjust their self when you close the door. It's a cylinder that slides then when door opens it breaks contact. I've saw these go bad from wear and not keep their position, that sliding cylinder gets loose. I'd look into that if I were you.
 
Those door jamb switches adjust their self when you close the door. It's a cylinder that slides then when door opens it breaks contact. I've saw these go bad from wear and not keep their position, that sliding cylinder gets loose. I'd look into that if I were you.

I was thinking the same thing but Mike said the problem occurred even after removing the switches all together.
 
Same part applies up to 86 model, so cheapest source would be a parts yard if you can find it under those dashes.
Same time delay relay on my 88 shelby z w light package. I believe it goes up to 1994. Time delay relay only works ignition swith light. Not dome lamp. You likely have an issue with the headlight switch rheostat, or a door switch shunting to ground. If the door switces use 2 wires with flat spades its a light package setup. If its a single barrel connector switch, the car does not have a light package
 
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I pulled the wire harness apart and traced all the wires. Pulled one fuse at time removed both door switches. Touched the light housing in back pannel...click lights go off. Simple wire on housing was grounding out. Lesson learned K.I.S.S now need to clean it all back up. Thanks for help
 
I pulled the wire harness apart and traced all the wires. Pulled one fuse at time removed both door switches. Touched the light housing in back pannel...click lights go off. Simple wire on housing was grounding out. Lesson learned K.I.S.S now need to clean it all back up. Thanks for help

Glad to hear you found the problem. Most of the problems like this where everything worked before taking it apart are usually fixed this way. Ask me how I know LOL!!
 
I pulled the wire harness apart and traced all the wires. Pulled one fuse at time removed both door switches. Touched the light housing in back pannel...click lights go off. Simple wire on housing was grounding out. Lesson learned K.I.S.S now need to clean it all back up. Thanks for help



im having the same problem, which light housing did you touch? Sorry to be a pest, but do you have a more descriptive solution? Cheers
 
I pulled the wire harness apart and traced all the wires. Pulled one fuse at time removed both door switches. Touched the light housing in back pannel...click lights go off. Simple wire on housing was grounding out. Lesson learned K.I.S.S now need to clean it all back up. Thanks for help

mikewadkins,

It seems I'm having the same problem. I recently replaced the cluster in my 74 Duster. The weirdest thing is happening. All the lights on the instrument panel, the headlights, the turn signals, the dome light all work perfect as long as I have the door open. When I close the door, I loose the lights on the instrument panel, the turn signals in the instrument panel stop working but the turn signals outside work and so does the turn signal noise. This only happens with the driver side door. The passenger side door does not affect it either way open or closed. I have been trying to troubleshoot this for weeks with no luck. I can eliminate the door switch, but I rather fix it so it works properly.

Just like TOY440 asked, can you provide a more detail description on how you solved the problem? Thanks
 
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