In my son's '85 Grand Marquis LS, the interior lamps and the keyhole lamps will not go out. Normally, all of these go out once the ignition is turned ON, or time out in approximately ten seconds. The only way they go out is if we pull the bulbs...and then, the door lock lamps do NOT go out unless we pull the ground off the battery. I've eyeballed all four door switches, and the RR door switch has no "spring" to it. Oh, yes, the first thing I checked was to see if the headlight switch was in the "on" position for the interior lights - it was "off". Any ideas???
No ideas.:confused: But, son bought a 2004 Ford Crown vic. with a box that controls all the lights, auto headlights, dome lights, etc. His headlights kept going off like an overload. He could tap the box near the gas pedal and everything came back on. Ford garage had added a piggyback box to the original because they thought it would help. Couple days ago he replaced the stereo with the one from his pickup truck using an adapter plug. Now everything works fine. He said the 8-track wasn't working. Possibly it had a dead short overloading things. So anything is possible. I say shoot it and buy an old wagon!
This is a pretty nice Merc, with just 38K miles on it from new. It just has had a few little things going on due to its lack of use for nearly 15 years.
At first blush, I'd say replace all four switches. Sitting 15 years has likely taken it's toll on them. But at the very least, replace the RR switch.
At first blush, I'd say do some basic troubleshooting before throwing parts (and money) at the car - unless you have too much money, in which case I'll send you my address.
I AM troubleshooting, and not just "throwing money" at parts. This is why I'm asking "hey, guys. what do YOU think might be wrong here???"
That's why I've suggested the switches first...I'm a master tech, and I've dealt with so many worn switches, it's not even funny. My suggestion should have come with an extra sentence: "if, after switch replacement, the dome light still stays on, take it to a trusted auto technician." Simply because electricals are weird and not everybody understands them, I generally say that. I didn't in this instance because Patrick found a switch that didn't "feel right." I never advocate throwing parts at cars, but if you have something that needs replacing anyway, do so. If you don't, it can throw off your diagnosis and drive you crazy.
Has there been a radio install recently? My kids car had all kinds of goofy things happen right after he and his "expert" buddies put in a new CD player! Otherwise, my best guess would be a bad door pin switch, or a wire broken in a door boot.
dont know if your old ford is like this, but the newer models have a switch in the door latch itself that tells the interior lights to turn on and off. lift the handle and the interior lights turn on and light up the lock for you to open the car. if the switch goes bad it always thinks someone is opening the door... different than the door just being open, that is the jam button.
My first thought is to check the switches on the front door exterior door handles. The Illuminated Entry System is meant to come on when either is lifted, and since there is no computer for that in the car, there have to be switches on the handles, inside the door. One could be stuck, broken, or come adrift.
