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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / February 2008Explorer dome light won't turn off
I've got a 98 Ford Explorer and the dome light won't turn off (and neither will the light in the back.) Well, it'll turn off if I remove the fuse that powers the battery saver, and it'll turn off if I remove the battery safer relay, but other than that, it won't turn off. I replaced the relay, but it made no difference. Any thoughts on what else I should check?  SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us Wasted power is current squared times the resistance. > I've got a 98 Ford Explorer and the dome light won't turn off (and > neither will the light in the back.) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Any thoughts on what else I should check? door latch switches | > Any thoughts on what else I should check? | > | door latch switches Good thought, but `Door Ajar' light isn't on either -- and does come on when I open the doors. Also, I believe the battery saver will turn the lights off eventually even if a door is open. It's probably the battery saver itself that's failing, but I've no idea where it is. SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us `To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.' --Thomas Edison > It's probably the battery saver itself that's > failing, but I've no idea where it is. Behind the center of the dash. | > It's probably the battery saver itself that's | > failing, but I've no idea where it is. | | Behind the center of the dash. I've found it's relay -- it was above the gas pedal, and replaced it (with no joy, of course.) What does the battery saver itself look like? I assume it's not on the other side of the firewall? How would one reach it? Is it the likely cause? SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us The cost of living is going up, and the chance of living is going down. > | > It's probably the battery saver itself that's > | > failing, but I've no idea where it is. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > (with no joy, of course.) What does the battery saver itself look > like? I assume it's not on the other side of the firewall? There is no "battery saver itself." There is a battery saver relay. There is also an interior lamp relay. Both of these relays plug into the relay module behind the center of the dash. > How would one reach it? > > Is it the likely cause? This is a fairly sophisticated circuit, in addition to the two above mentioned relays, there is also a Central timer module (which is a version of a GEM module) and a dimmer module. At minimum I wouldn't try to diagnose this without at least a wiring diagram and a capable scan tool. > I've got a 98 Ford Explorer and the dome light won't turn off (and > neither will the light in the back.) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Any thoughts on what else I should check? The headlight switch turned too far? Or a door switch that has popped through come to mind. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com >I've got a 98 Ford Explorer and the dome light won't turn off (and >neither will the light in the back.) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Any thoughts on what else I should check? Somewhere you have a switch which turns the dome light on, off, or on only when the doors are open. If the lights stay on in all three of those positions, the switch is bad. --scott Signature"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." | Somewhere you have a switch which turns the dome light on, off, or on | only when the doors are open. Turns out that this was indeed the problem. There's a switch that controls the brightness of the instrument lights, _and when turned all the way up it turns the dome light on_. I've had this in previous cars, but didn't realize that the Explorer had it too -- we've never used it. Turn the switch off, lights go off! Funny how that works! And after mentioning it, oh yeah, my wife _did_ adjust the instrument brightness ... Embarrassing to make such a silly mistake, but glad it's fixed, and it only cost me $10 for a new relay (which I'll just save for a spare, since they do burn out from time to time.) Thanks for your help guys! SignatureDoug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ketchup is a vegetable. > | Somewhere you have a switch which turns the dome light on, off, or on > | only when the doors are open. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Thanks for your help guys! Thanks for the update! You aren't the first to get caught that way. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com Speaking of wiring diagrams, one can purchase copies and originals of the Ford Service Manuals on CD on EBay. They go by model year with the autos, small trucks and SUVs on one disk for one year. The older the model year, the lower the price. I got the one for my late '90s Ranger for less than $10 about two years ago. Same as at the Ford parts guy uses because he's given me several print-outs in the past and they are identical to my CD. Not the most intuitive software navigation system I've seen, but the info and diagrams are all there. Pete SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com Speaking of wiring diagrams, one can purchase copies and originals of the Ford Service Manuals on CD on EBay. They go by model year with the autos, small trucks and SUVs on one disk for one year. The older the model year, the lower the price. I got the one for my late '90s Ranger for less than $10 about two years ago. Same as at the Ford parts guy uses because he's given me several print-outs in the past and they are identical to my CD. Not the most intuitive software navigation system I've seen, but the info and diagrams are all there. Pete |
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