ON/OFF Switch on door lights??
 

Is there a way to wire an on off switch to the door lights?

I ask this because if i put in my "room" fuse, the lights come on, but wont go off when door is closed. So if there is a way to wire in an on and off switch I can atleast have interior lights to turn on when im driving down the road.

Thanks!

The interior light(up by your rear view mirror)and the door lights are on the same circuit and there is a switch in each door pillar which switch the circuit on and off.One of these switches must be broken or somebody has messed with the wiring. (or I misunderstand your problem)

If they are not turning off you have a bad/shorted CPU or door pin harness.

I have in two new door switches, and have checked the wires all the way up to the computer.

How do I check to see if I have a bad CPU?

Could the thing up by the rear view mirror be causing my problems?

yep, if you pinced the wires at the mirror it could have the problem.

You will need to troubleshoot it.

Unplug the CPU, does the problem go away??? if so then it is the CPU, if it doesn't then it isn't the CPU.

Unplug the pin switchs... does the problem go away??? if it does then you have bad pin switchs...

unscrew the mirror assembly... does the problem go away??? if it does you have pinched or shorted wire or burnt wire at the mirror switch.

if you unplug the CPU, Pin switchs, and unbolt the mirror and you still have a problem you have a pinched or shorted wire. Check the drivers A pillar and the wiring at the pin switchs where they go through the holes.

Thanks! Will try all that tomorrow. WIll let you know what happens.

None of that worked :(

Do you have anything else I could try?

Thanks

When the "room" fuse is in, and the car is running - all the lights are on. Right? Now, does the switch by the rearview mirror have any effect? If you switch it on/off do any of the lights go on or off? If the switch is burnt, it can cause the lights to stay on. Take the switch off, and check continuety.

More than likely though, the problem is with the wiring to the door switches. If that circuit is grounded, all the lights come on. Unplug the ECU, the Switch by the rearview mirror, and the door plungers (both of them). Now check to see if there is any continuety between any of the wires to the plungers and a ground. If you do have continuety, the wire is shorted somewhere. If not, your wires are good. Now, do what Icemark suggested - just in reverse. First plug in the ECU (it is a power source). Then plug one of the plungers in, and be sure to ground it to the body. If it lights up, then unplug it, and do the same with the other side. If it lights up again, chances are it's the ECU.
If it didn't light up, leave it connected and screw it back to the car. Go to the other side, and hook up and ground that plunger. If it lights up, that plunger is your problem, if not, move on to the rear view mirror switch. If you plug that back in, and all lights up, it is the switch.
You have to leave the ECU plugged in, as it will provide power to the circuit.

Now, just be sure that when you hook up each plunger, you depress it to make sure that the light goes out, 'cause as soon as you hook it up and ground the plunger, you'll have light.

Good Luck
Nick

The only thing the on/off switch does is make the light by the rearview mirrow go off. But if the switch is in the "door" position, it wont go off.

How do I check continuety? I have a voltmeter if that is what I need? If that is what I need, what setting does it need to be in?

Thanks for your help.

The fact that the switch will do nothing in the Door position makes me believe more and more that one (or more) of the plunger wires is shorted out.
For the Volt-meter:

Put the setting on OHM's. If you touch the two probes together, the numbers will change. (usually from 0 to 1). A lot of volt meters have an audible signal as well - which is nice. If your meter has a little musical note icon - put it on that and touch the two probes together, you'll hear a beep. Checking to see if any of the wires have shorted out is a first step. Just make sure all the Plungers ECU and Switch are dissconnected. Make sure one probe is well grounded, and then put the other probe on each wire one-by-one. If the meter beeps, you know that wire is grounding it's self somewhere.

Also, if the wires check out, and you move on to the next step - be sure that the fuse is back in! Electricals are a pain in the ass, but each system can usually be isolated and the problem eventually found.

Happy hunting!

Im just about to go check. Just incase on onf the wires are shorted out, where do they run to? I could only trace them as far as the middle of the carpet.

Thanks