Dome light not turning off - could it be courtesy light switch?

rebeccaneedshelp · 10-13-2009, 08:53 PM

I have a 2001 XL-7 and about a year ago the key fob stopped working. Around the same time the dome light would not go off when the door closed. For fear of running the battery down, I simply switched it to the off position.
I'm to the point that I want to fix my key fob - it's very annoying in the rain not to be able to unlock and get into the car quickly. So, in my research to fix this thing, I came across a way to "reset" the key fob. One of the steps to do this is to push in the courtesy light switch in the driver's side. I cannot do this b/c it doesn't work! So, how do I go about 1)making sure it is the courtesy light switch, 2)finding a replacement door switch and 3)installing it?

Thanks in advance. ANY help at this point would be more than I can find online!!!

Rebecca

XL7Limited · 10-14-2009, 07:19 AM

is the switch on the light set to the ON position by any chance??. Worse comes to worse you can pry off the covers and remove the bulbs so that the battery will not drain

and you cannot reset the fob. They go bad and the only way to make them work is to buy and initially a new brainbox for the door unlock. Mine does years ago and I just got used to using the key yo lock and unlock

rebeccaneedshelp · 10-14-2009, 07:25 AM

no - the light is not set to ON. There are 3 settings for the dome light. ON, OFF and in the middle is a DOOR option where the light is supposed to automatically come on when the doors are open and turn off when the doors are closed. So, I just turned it to the OFF option.
Therefore, I think it is the door switch - the little rubber coated thing in the doorjam that senses when the door is open or closed and turns the light off and on. Any other help???
THANKS!

XL7Limited · 10-15-2009, 06:15 AM

yup, sure sounds like it is the door switch. Mine has giving me issues over the years too. But it would not allow the dome lights to come on..

fordem · 10-15-2009, 06:58 AM

Rebecca - carefully peel the rubber "cap" away, starting from the lower flat portion and you should find a screw that holds the switch to the door jamb, remove the screw and gently pull the switch out - the wire should be long enough to let you take the switch right out and if necessary replace it.

Once you have the switch clear of the body, turn the courtesy light switch to the door position - if is still comes on you either have a short circuit in the wiring or another bad switch. You can remove all five switches to determine which it is.

If you have a bad switch it's easy to change, but a short in the wiring could be challenging to locate and will involve stripping out the interior - all the seats, console & carpet MAY need to come out.

Resetting the fob or rather the receiver may be possible - I have done it on a 2000 GV for a friend, the instructions are somewhere in this forum.

rebeccaneedshelp · 10-15-2009, 07:21 AM

Is it cheap to just replace all 5 (or maybe even one at a time) and see if it works? It's not important enough to me to take out the interior, etc., just to get it working again...but I would try replacing the switches if it is easy and cheap. Where do I find new ones - any auto place? Or are they specific to my car?
THANK YOU so much! Rebecca

fordem · 10-15-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebeccaneedshelp

Is it cheap to just replace all 5 (or maybe even one at a time) and see if it works? It's not important enough to me to take out the interior, etc., just to get it working again...but I would try replacing the switches if it is easy and cheap. Where do I find new ones - any auto place? Or are they specific to my car?
THANK YOU so much! Rebecca

My guess is you're going to have to get the switches from a dealership - these are not the standard "pin switches" that I've seen used on other vehicles, and I have no idea what the pricing is like.

Replacing them should be easy for someone with just a little bit of screwdriver know how - if you know which way to turn to remove you're good to go - and if you don't - remember, "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey"

Also - me being me - it's my nature to take things apart (and I realise that you're different, if you were like me, you'd already have found the screw under the rubber cap) and investigate. My guess is you have a shorted wire right behind one of the switches, so I would be pulling the switches out and checking them before I even think about buying new ones.

lumpylarry · 10-15-2009, 09:51 AM

before you start buying switches make sure all doors are closing tight enough. see if any latches are loose.
also with these xl7s most problems ive seen are with the back door, open it up and push the button on the door switch by hand, see if the light goes off.
if it does, thats the switch giving you problems.
do that with all doors.
many times i have had to put one of those rubber pump-on stickers that are used on hood deflectors to push the switch in farther..
or you can try a washer underneath the switch..

rebeccaneedshelp · 10-15-2009, 11:43 AM

WOW - I can't believe we didn't try that first! I had my husband check the two front doors, but never thought to try the back doors. And, to think, I have a master's degree!!!

Sad...
Anyway - thank you so much. I figured it out - the culprit is the back driver's side door. I will try your fix and get a rubber stick on thingy for it. And, then try to reset my key fob! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You guys are amazing...

Much appreciated, that's for sure.
Rebecca

lumpylarry · 10-15-2009, 01:11 PM

once you get the door switch working properly, the key fobs should also start working..