Interior light delay

[2seater]

Perhaps an odd question to ask after owning car for more than two decades, but the question is: Should the interior lights, dome, footwell and door panel lights, remain on for a period of time after the door is closed?

 

      I honestly do not remember if they ever did from the driver's door, but they do not do so now. For whatever reason, I just noticed the lights do remain on, perhaps up to a minute, if I open and close the passenger's door. To make it a little more interesting, if the passenger's door is opened and closed, the lights remain on, and continue to remain on after the driver's door is opened and closed, when they will either time out, or go out when the ignition is turned on.

[DAVES89]

That is about right for the door to "time out". However you didn't say that if you open or close the passenger door without opening or closing the driver's door what happens. The passenger door alone should time out as well.

It is surprising that you never noticed it but every so often something happens on my car that I never noticed before either.

Also your car never sees much night time driving and it is hard to notice the lights in the daytime...

[2seater]

I know it is odd I never noticed. I very rarely drive with a passenger after dark, so I only found this in my garage after the garage door opener light had timed out and I had just closed the passengers door.

 

If I open and close the passengers door with everything else closed, the interior lights will remain on for a minute or so.

 

If I open and close the drivers door, again with everything else closed, the lights will turn off as the door gets to about halfway closed. Now that I think about it, there is a light activation delay when opening the drivers door also, which I had rationalized as the BCM deciding to turn the lights on or not, but it is likely about the same point as them turning off as described above?

 

If I open and close the passengers door, the lights remain on and if I then open and close the drivers door, the lights remain on for the timing started by the passengers door. In other words, once the timing has started the drivers door has no effect.

 

Maybe I should check my headlights, I think it has been a year or so since they have been used :)

[2seater]

After looking at the FSM I think I have localized the problem area and sort of answered my own question  :huh:  I see the door handle activates the same circuit as the keyless entry module, which in turn activates the interior lights. Pulling the drivers door handle does nothing whereas doing the same on the passengers side does activate the lights. I suspect I have a fault in the door handle switch or the wiring that connects to the switch.  If this is the case, how difficult is it to access the switch?

[DAVES89]

As your 1990 does not get the "show" I am thinking that it is the same lead that I have always thought was integral to the door handle. There is another lead but that does the "door ajar" warning.

 I have extra of those door switches as well. 

 At present I do not have any of my 4 door handles as they are at Bergstrom's getting repainted [2 each red and 2 each black] so I am ready for the next failure on any of my 3 cars. I am picking them up tomorrow and you can stop over anytime after that and we can look at them together.

You have my contact info let me know what works.

 

Edit:

 It could be the switch located in front of the door on the car frame side that is bad. You might want to switch those side to side to see if that changes anything. If not I have some of those laying around as well. Or we can go to Gibson's as there are a lot of them in the Rivs, Reattas, Trofeos that are out there.

[2seater]

I will likely take you up on that tutorial. Due to an apparent loss of my old phone in a construction site at my cottage, I need your phone number. I still have my old phone number so a text or call will give me the number I need. I have a dentist appointment late morning so it would likely be afternoon.

 

From the FSM, the door frame switch and the door handle do share a common ground, unclear where the junction is, but the door frame switch appears to operate properly, it makes contact, on and off, at approx. 12" from the rear edge of the door to the door frame. My suspect now is either the switch for the handle or the wiring in the door that connects it to the external groundor BCM, possibly where it goes through the big bundle at the hinge. Thanks for the insight.

[Frogware]

One thing I have noticed quite a bit and is very annoying when I have turned off my car and about ready to exit I push the Lock button. On occasion I am parked on a slight hill and my right door sometimes does not lock all the way so I reach over to push it down manually letting my door close a little bit just enough to trigger the alarm, so that must be the door frame switch that activates it. I then have to get out of my car and put the key in the door lock and unlock it to turn off the alarm. Once again having to re-lock everything.

So maybe check to see if your alarm is being triggered it may or may not have anything to do with your issue.

[DAVES89]

2seater cam over yeterday andI showed him all the leads that are involved with the lights [door pillar switch, door handle switch, and the door latch switch]. As luck would have it for 2seater I had just replaced a door handle on the Red that had broken, but the lead was good. So after a bit of BSing and looking at the storage of the Red [sideways at the end of my garage] and his plans for storage, he went on his way to troubleshoot his light issue.

Sure is nice to have a fellow Reatta enthusaist so close by...

[Frogware]

Sure is nice to have a fellow Reatta enthusaist so close by...

 

I wish I could say the same...Oh Well :rolleyes:

[Ronnie]

 

I wish I could say the same...Oh Well :rolleyes:

 

Me too.