Interior lighting not activated by doors
 

Hello all.
Hopefully you can help with an annoying problem. My car is a 91 240se estate.
The interior light doesn't come on when you open the doors although the light does work when you put it in the on position, to the front of the car and to the rear of the car.
The boot opening does activate the resr light.
I guessed there was an issue with the door switches.
The passenger switch has two wires going to it but the drivers switch only one black and blue wire. Is this normal or is the drivers side door switch missing a wire?
I've cleaned them up but other than that I'm guessing replacements. I haven't checked the rear door switches yet but opening the rear doors does nothing either.
Has anyone got any ideas?
Many thanks in advance
Joe

Hi Joe..These switches can be a bit iffy over time..if you think about it they are not really inside the car and can be prone to the elements..I"m not sure if i"m right but they strike me as a breaker switch and are very simple in their operation..ie are both wires live and the connection is broken when door is closed..if that was the case then i hope it would be ok to connected both wires to see if the interior light comes..i"m not sure if the screw that secures the switch acts as an earth?..It might be prudent to wait for someone else on here to comment just to make sure i"m not totally wrong...with mine a good squirt of wd40 and repeated pressing of the switch freed things up..Good luck..you should not really have to replace any parts on this job..hj.

Yes: ~ the fixing screw is also the earth point, worth trying a good clean up as previously mentioned- remove the rubber boot making sure that the lip of these seats correctly against the body forming a seal- copper slip or red rubber grease will help keep dampness out.
(I replaced the screws with flange stainless)
Bob.

Thanks ever so much for that. I'll try and give everything a good clean. I'll keep you posted.
Thankyou

It occurs to me that the four doors switching have one thing in common. The selector switch in the interior light. I would clean that and see what happens. Oh and check there is not a loose connection to that switch.

Good luck.


.

I had trouble with the lights and discovered that one of the wires on the passenger side was loose and had fallen off. It's the only switch with three wires, can't remember why the extra wire is there but it does affect the other switches somehow. I thought it was something to do with a delay because according the Haynes there should be a delay relay somewhere. I've tried to obtain one but never seen anything available so it's a bit of a mystery. It would be a useful facility.

I have found that the contacts in the light get oxidised, preventing current flow. The contact faces on thr switch, clean both side with emery cloth. An yes, as the others have said, the door switches go the same way, give them a clean too. But, being in constant use, they get worn an don't align their contact points. Having cleaned the light contacts, give door switches a waggle; if light comes on only when u waggle switch, it's worn Replace with new, seen them on ebay. OR, get from a breaker, ask for rear door switch, as they will be less worn.

Hello. Thanks everyone. Took all of the door switches out and cleaned them up. No joy light still stays on even when doors are all shut. I'll try looking at the light itself and replacing the screws that earth the door switches next.
I'll keep you posted.
Thanks again
Joe

Is it possible you front interior light switch is in the "on all the time" position? On light, there is a little black lever sticking out on driver side. It has three positions: door activation, totally off, activation while in car with doors closed. Just get in, shut all doors an give that lever a twiddle.

Hello. Unfortunately it wasn't that simple. The selector is in the right position ie towards the front of the car but the light stays on all the time in forward or back position whether the doors are open or closed. Might need to replace the switches and hope that works.