Dome/Puddle lights won't come on | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

Dome/Puddle lights won't come on

scampi

New Member
Joined
June 26, 2007
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
City, State
Ontario,California
Year, Model & Trim Level
2000 XLT
Got a 2K XLT,when using the keypad,no lights-puddle or dome.
Nor when I open the driver door.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Ross
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





First, check that the dimmer knob isn't turned all the way down past the 'click' at the bottom... That turns them off.

Second, check the bulbs.

I bet it's one or the other.
 






Nope-neither of those,checked earlier today and they worked
properly for one cycle.Then quit again.Tried the old WD40 on the
latches so far nogo.maybe has to soak?idk
With car running,the dinger goes off as each door and cargo hatch,
including the glass is opened.Maybe the gremlins got to it.
Thanks but I'm still in the dark.
Ross
 






I guess the WD40 was the answer,interior lights are
coming on now-still no puddle lights but I'm hoping
a couple more squirts will do it.
Thanks,
Ross
 






All the door switch does is send the signal to the GEM telling it that the door is ajar. If the system beeps when you open the door, it knows it's open. No additional spraying of the latch will make it work any better.

Do the map lights and vanity mirror lights work? If so, then we can rule out the battery saver relay... In fact, since the puddle lamps are working, we know the battery saver relay is working fine...

The interior courtesy lights are fed from the dimmer module, then the interior lamp relay, which is controlled by the GEM. The puddle lamps are fed through the relay and then again through the dimmer module. You need a new dimmer module IMHO. Cranking it off and on a few times may free up the contacts, but that's where I'd put my money.
 






Map and vanity lights are working,no puddle lights.
All this stuff is tied in together,right?I don't think it's
the dimmer.I'll check it again.
Ross
 






That dimmer module does a lot of behind the scenes work. For example, it powers several of the indicator lights in the dash such as the OD light IIRC. It's also a spendy little bugger. I'll see if I can't take a look at the circuit and get back to you, but I'm betting Joe is on track with this.
 






Just took another look at the print... I'm more awake now, so maybe I can explain it better......

If anyone's looking at the OEM manuals, I'm referencing P 71-2 and p 89-1 and 89-2.

Power for the interior lights is fed from a common circuit off the Battery Saver Relay. The BSR feeds the common splice, which feeds the dome lights, map lights, vanity lights, and glove compartment light (and the Electric Shift Control Module, and the power windows). If those all work, then we can rule out the BSR and the fuse that feeds them all.

The power for the interior lights passes through the afore-mentioned splice, then through the dimmer module via pins 1 and 2 through the connector on the dimmer module (C219). From there, it goes through the trigger coil on the interior lamp relay, which the GEM grounds to close. So, to turn the inside lights on, the GEM must ground that signal wire, closing the interior lights relay.

Now, that power fed through the power terminals on the interior lamp relay is fed from that same splice. It passes through the relay (when it's closed, of course), then back up to terminal 3 on the back of the dimmer module. The actual feed for the interior lights does not pass through the dimmer again... it shares the connection going back into the dimmer module, but does not pass through it.

Now, the power for the puddle lamps comes into the dimmer module at terminal 3 with the power for the interior lamps, and goes out through terminal 4 as long as the dimmer is somewhere between the on and off positions (all the way up or all the way down past the click). When you roll the knob all the way up to manually turn on the interior lights, it opens the connection from the power feed to the mirror lights, so manually turning on the dome lights leaves the puddle lamps off, but if the system turns on the puddle lamps (i.e. opening the door, or hitting the buttons) they do come on. The manual ON position also bypasses the interior light relay as well, so even if the GEM is having a hissy fit, you can still manually turn on the interior lights.

Now that that's out of the way, and I clearly understand it, let's check a couple more things...

If you manually turn the dimmer knob all the way up past the click, does it turn the dome lights on? If put the knob in the middle, the dome lights now work properly with the door pad and key fob, and door open, correct? But the puddle lamps do not work at all, correct?

If, I've read everything correctly from this post, your interior lights are working, the puddle lamps never come on. Check for power at the puddle lamp socket using a multimeter or test light grounded to a solid chassis ground, and if you still have no power there with a door open, you need a new dimmer switch (or you need to at least tear the dash apart and see if maybe one of the pins has worked its way loose from teh connector (not unheard of).

If you have interior lights, the only thing between them and the puddle lamps is the dimmer module and its connector (pins 3 and 4).

-Joe
 






Had another go at the dimmer switch,
ran it up and down a couple times,
Shazaam--we got light.
Thanks for tracing the circuit.
Ross
 






All that for a 'jiggle the handle' fix. :)

Happy to help. Glad it's working again. :)
 






sometimes my puddles dont come on...and I thought it was when I used the keypad to open the door instead of remote...its intermitent
 






Thanks Fellas!

I had no puddle lights and found your posts here. Tried the WD40 on the dimmer switch and it worked like a charm. Thanks Fellas!
 






I have an 06 xlt with similar issues. When you open the doors no interior lights, turning the dimmer switch all the way up past the click does not turn them on either. Not sure if it has puddle lights but if it does they did not come on either (truck belongs to in laws).
The only way currently to get interior lights on is to turn each one on individually at the light itself, the door ajar light does come on when door is opened, dash lights work and dim up and down as well. Weird. Any suggestions?
 






Back
Top