News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

1956 interior light won't turn on

Started by gatech1956, July 21, 2017, 09:23:40 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

gatech1956

Hi, everyone. I just got my car back from paint after getting the roof redone and I noticed that when I open the door the interior light won't turn on and light that sits above the driver that has the switch won't turn on either. I feel like something may have been left unplugged during reassembly. Is there anything I can check to diagnose the problem?

The Tassie Devil(le)

Firstly, check the actual dome light to see if it is blown.

Are the other interior lights working?

Use a meter to check if there is 12 volts at the sockets.

If a wire has been crushed, it should result in a blown fuse.

Will the interior lights come on when you rotate the headlight switch all the way around?

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

gatech1956

#2
Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on July 21, 2017, 09:28:00 PM
Firstly, check the actual dome light to see if it is blown.

Are the other interior lights working?

Use a meter to check if there is 12 volts at the sockets.

If a wire has been crushed, it should result in a blown fuse.

Will the interior lights come on when you rotate the headlight switch all the way around?

Bruce. >:D

Map light is working, radio light is working, speedometer light is working. Tried rotating the head light switch and nothing. How do I remove the dome lenses to check to sockets? I just find it out that both dome lights went out all of a sudden.

EDIT: Looks like the lens just comes right out, but also the glove box light isn't turning on anymore either

Second edit: Followed the red wire to the fuse panel and blown fuse. Looks like I found the problem  ::)

The Tassie Devil(le)

If the fuse is the problem, then if it blows again, you have a deeper problem, in that a live wire is caught behind a screw, or other metal object as the headlining or body re-assembling was undertaken.

Time to head back to the place that did the work, as it would be their fault.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

gatech1956

Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on July 21, 2017, 10:59:21 PM
If the fuse is the problem, then if it blows again, you have a deeper problem, in that a live wire is caught behind a screw, or other metal object as the headlining or body re-assembling was undertaken.

Time to head back to the place that did the work, as it would be their fault.

Bruce. >:D

Well I hope its a one time thing and that's not the case...The car was out of my possession since April, and I would hate to have to return it to the body shop so soon. I'll be sure to keep an eye on it.

Roger Zimmermann

Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on July 21, 2017, 09:28:00 PM
Will the interior lights come on when you rotate the headlight switch all the way around?

Bruce, this feature does not apply to this car. It came later, but I don't know when.
It's quite easy to pinch a wire at the side lamps at the roof; I had that situation once. However, the problem appeared much later, the time that the plastic coating of the wire went bad and the copper wire was touching the case. Maybe, during the paint process, the car or the roof was heated, accelerating the process if a wire was pinched.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

J. Gomez

The map light, dome light, glove compartment trunk light and the cigarette lighters two front and one on the rear seat these are all fuse by the body feed 25A at the fuse panel.

The pillar switch extends ground for the dome light at the light socket the two rear door switches are connected to the same wire.

As Bruce and Roger stated above if the fuse keeps blowing you may have a short somewhere in the wiring.

One area that I’ve found when I did my rewiring was at the left pillar, the +12V plus the left door/pillar switches wires going to the dome light go through a rough open just above the headliner. I found that both wires with the tape insulation both were chafe bad making the sharp turn at this spot, not an easy area to re-run new wires.  :(

Good luck…!
J. Gomez
CLC #23082

gatech1956

Put a new fuse in and everything is back to normal. Like I said I'll monitor it.

The Tassie Devil(le)

Okay.   Sounds like the shop blew the fuse by shorting out a wire, then corrected the fault, without replacing the fuse.

Might check with them, as it would have sparked at the same time as the fuse blew.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe