Dome lamp ground short circuit questions.

[Raider L]

AND AGAIN LIKE A DUMMY i FAILED TO CHECK THE DATE OF THE THREAD-----IT WAS 20 FRICKING YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sucker!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Grit dog]

@Grit dog,

I have a similar issue with my dome light, not working and have full power at the white and the orange wire. Anyway,the junction is, believe it or not, at the floor courtesy light! All white wire power/ground is going to and away from the floor light at the heater vent. At least on my schematic. There's like four white wires that come together there, one for each door jam, and one for the light there, and one going up to the dome light. Now, why did the engineers think that was okay? Check the connection there to see if there's a problem.

All the grounds (white) should and do come together under the dash. So if one of the triggers that completes ground (door switches or headlight switch) is triggered, it completes the ground path to each of the lights. Should be 5 wires total I believe.
If you actually tested the wires at a light socket and have power to orange and ground to white then you have no problem except maybe the socket or bulb.

 

[Grit dog]

AND AGAIN LIKE A DUMMY i FAILED TO CHECK THE DATE OF THE THREAD-----IT WAS 20 FRICKING YEARS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sucker!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol, no. Put your readers on!
I started this thread last year in 2000!





l mean 2020, lol

 

[Juan Cano]

OK; so I got my Headlight switch and cannot remove the doggone knob!! I watched the videos, read the posts, no luck. I push the little button in, I pull the knob out, and I can feel it pulling the button when I do this but it stops at its normal stop. Did it 25 times at least. So hot here today. I have the new switch so I know I am pushing the right button, the only one with a spring in it.

Maybe try and clamp it super hard? If I can get a clamp in there. Geezzzzuzzzzz. Stuck in step 1 of this process. Sonnofagun.

Any other tricks??!

I did manage to take the gauge bezel semi apart and replaced the bulbs for LEDs; 2 turn on bright, 1 is like meh, 1 doesn't turn on.

 

[AKguy]

Keep trying, you’ll find the “G” spot on that switch.

 

[Dave M]

You must be registered for see images

 

[Juan Cano]

LOL!! I got it out!!! Phew!!!

Trick is to pull it out as far as it goes, then push the G Spot button, then it comes right out.

I'm an idiot. Live and learn.

 

[idahovette]

LOL!! I got it out!!! Phew!!!

Trick is to pull it out as far as it goes, then push the G Spot button, then it comes right out.

I'm an idiot. Live and learn.

But now you know and won't forget, right??? There is a learning curve on these trucks!!!!.....lol

 

[AuroraGirl]

@Grit dog,

I have a similar issue with my dome light, not working and have full power at the white and the orange wire. Anyway,the junction is, believe it or not, at the floor courtesy light! All white wire power/ground is going to and away from the floor light at the heater vent. At least on my schematic. There's like four white wires that come together there, one for each door jam, and one for the light there, and one going up to the dome light. Now, why did the engineers think that was okay? Check the connection there to see if there's a problem.

if they are all supposed to light on the various switches (dome and floor), and there is more than one switch,i think it means the wiring does have to meet somewhere lol

A modern car has a module that sends an output to the lights based on its various inputs .
those inputs could be discreet or to a local module that then sends the message over a data bus and the module in charge handles the output

reduces wiring, increases complexity, but its less complex than if it was wired traditionally and had the same amount of lightts and functionalitys. Trade offs lol.

In the dome and floor, perhaps meeting on the passenger footwell tucked up somewhere safe wpuld be better but no one died so close i guess

 

[AuroraGirl]

OK; so I got my Headlight switch and cannot remove the doggone knob!! I watched the videos, read the posts, no luck. I push the little button in, I pull the knob out, and I can feel it pulling the button when I do this but it stops at its normal stop. Did it 25 times at least. So hot here today. I have the new switch so I know I am pushing the right button, the only one with a spring in it.

Maybe try and clamp it super hard? If I can get a clamp in there. Geezzzzuzzzzz. Stuck in step 1 of this process. Sonnofagun.

Any other tricks??!

I did manage to take the gauge bezel semi apart and replaced the bulbs for LEDs; 2 turn on bright, 1 is like meh, 1 doesn't turn on.

the one not working is likely backwards, flip it around. polarized vs an incandescent which just needs a resistance across a wire and direction dont matter it just needs current. LED needs direction. The meh one is likely a loose connection or bad contact condutivty. It could be a defective LED the cheaper ones really do that.

I hoope you got dimmable LEDs or your retinas will thank you for the tanning session at night and worst part is there arent enough UV rays to actually tan just burn your eyes.

you may consider leaving a strategic bulb in cluster in a less used area un bulbed if you go all LED sometimes the light can be too much all depends

 

[Grit dog]

LOL!! I got it out!!! Phew!!!

Trick is to pull it out as far as it goes, then push the G Spot button, then it comes right out.

I'm an idiot. Live and learn.

So did the new headlight switch solve your issue?

 

[Juan Cano]

New headlight switch did not solve anything at allll!!!!! And my new LEDs I put behind the directional blinkers are so bright, like an alien shooting a green laser at me. Oh well. I did replace the small speakers that were under the dash for some working ones.

Sadly, today when trying to put it all back together, I don't know what happened, but the truck is dead. It has battery because I can turn the lights on fine, but if I try to crank it or lock it (electric locks) it's just dead. I don't know if I knocked something loose or it thinks it's stuck in 1 on the automatic transmission (because I moved the column down and shifted down to 1st gear to give me room to maneuver.

Just click. But now it's started to rain and it's too hot to work with the windows rolled up.

It never ends!!!!!

 

[PrairieDrifter]

New headlight switch did not solve anything at allll!!!!! And my new LEDs I put behind the directional blinkers are so bright, like an alien shooting a green laser at me. Oh well. I did replace the small speakers that were under the dash for some working ones.

Sadly, today when trying to put it all back together, I don't know what happened, but the truck is dead. It has battery because I can turn the lights on fine, but if I try to crank it or lock it (electric locks) it's just dead. I don't know if I knocked something loose or it thinks it's stuck in 1 on the automatic transmission (because I moved the column down and shifted down to 1st gear to give me room to maneuver.

Just click. But now it's started to rain and it's too hot to work with the windows rolled up.

It never ends!!!!!

I did the led's in the blinker indicators as well... I said hell no and took the bezel back off

 

[Grit dog]

New headlight switch did not solve anything at allll!!!!! And my new LEDs I put behind the directional blinkers are so bright, like an alien shooting a green laser at me. Oh well. I did replace the small speakers that were under the dash for some working ones.

Sadly, today when trying to put it all back together, I don't know what happened, but the truck is dead. It has battery because I can turn the lights on fine, but if I try to crank it or lock it (electric locks) it's just dead. I don't know if I knocked something loose or it thinks it's stuck in 1 on the automatic transmission (because I moved the column down and shifted down to 1st gear to give me room to maneuver.

Just click. But now it's started to rain and it's too hot to work with the windows rolled up.

It never ends!!!!!

No start after dropping the steering column is neutral safety switch probably came disconnected when the shifter was in gear.
Your dome light is grounded out somewhere. Ground turns it on. Power is there all the time. Did you check the door buttons. Those stick when they get old or ground out when they shouldn’t.
1 wire (or 2 for ignition/door open buzzer). Just unscrew them from the door pillar. About 5 or 6 turns. Wire may coil up with it if they’re stuck good. Pull out with wire attached. Don’t lose wire. Test if lights go out. Then when you ground that wire they come on.
Or white wire could be rubbed bare under the floor mat or back of cab. Follow it and check the white wire. But that would probably be more of an intermittent condition.

 

[Juan Cano]

Thanks Grit Dog. I will test the wires on the door. Once I get the truck started and put this flipping gauge bezel back in!!!

In another old car we own, the Neutral Switch is under the car next to the transmission. I don't see that here. So probably under steering column? Will look it up thanks for the tip.