Interior lights

[lunchmeat]

I can not figure out why my interior lights wont work when I turn on my headlights. Is their a switch somewhere that might have come bad that tells the interior lights to come on when the headlight are on? I have switched out the dimmer switch 3 times but no luck. Every once in awhile they work but usally only until you turn the car off. Please help. I would love to see how fast I'm going at night.

 

[XLRVIII]

it'd help if we knew what year car you were working on...*shruggs*

if it's a first gen, then that is not normal
it IS normal operation on a second gen though.

 

[lunchmeat]

Sorry. It's a 97.

 

[XLRVIII]

On my 98 it does the same thing, if I manually turn on the headlights the dash lights wont come on unless it's really dark outside.

look on the passenger side of your dashboard, you'll see a round photovoltaic type sensor

if you cover that sensor, the lights will come on when you turn the headlights on, a small peice of tape will probably suffice.

 

[lunchmeat]

They dont come on if I turn them on manually or automatic

 

[kustomizingkid]

Ever?

 

[XLRVIII]

They dont come on if I turn them on manually or automatic

Did you cover that sensor mentioned above?

and are you saying that your lights never come on, regardless of Auto/manual/or if it's dark outside?

If they "never" come on, even when it's totally dark outside, then you probably need to replace that sensor in the top of the dash.

If you didn't cover that sensor..and try it.. then you need to DO THAT, before telling us "it doesnt work".

 

[CobraStar_LS8]

lol...my license plate had been covering it since I got the car and never knew why the headlights are always on in the day with the auto lamp...now I know and I left the auto lamp off today until it gets dark later

 

[lunchmeat]

Ok I covered the sensor a few minutes ago and nothing happen. But when it's dark outside the headlights come on but the interior lights do not.

 

[kustomizingkid]

unplug the sensor and see what happens... just lift up on the dash panel...

 

[lunchmeat]

unplug the sensor and see what happens... just lift up on the dash panel...

Tried that. Didnt work.

 

[kustomizingkid]

If you roll the dimmer knob ALL the way up do all the lights come on?

 

[lunchmeat]

Just the dome lights come on

 

[rayner601]

Just looking at the service manual, if fuse #1 in the ip fuse panel is ok, then it could be anything including radio, heated seat switches, eatc, rear defrost switch, instrument cluster, message center, door lock switches, door handle illumination, prndl illumination, trans range sensor, and power window switch shorts. In the service manual it's a fairly detailed troubleshooting process.

 

[lunchmeat]

This is what my fuse box next to the front door looks like. This is how it was when I bought it. If you remove one of the wires(I believe its the first one on the left) it turns off the radio and message center. Im not sure what the other one does.