Hi,
'=My first post - hope someone can help as I'm stumped

The inside lights on my X type are misbehaving:
The Dome lights on the roof by the mirror don't work at all.

The centre roof lights and floor-well lights work when you open a door but stay on all the time, untill the battery saver switches them off at 30mins.

I'm pretty sure it's not a door/boot/bonnet sensor as the puddle lights in the front doors work fine from the door sensors and the warning dash messages re open doors/bonnet/boot works fine.

All the fuses are fine, all the bulbs are fine, I've taken them all out and checked.
I can only think it is the 25 second delay-off sensor has failed and is stuck on. ?
If so, where is it? and can I bypass it?
Or any other ideas?

Thanks guys from GRN 22 in Perth West Australia.

 

My interior lights had a mind of their own and were flickering, working intermittently, and doing all sorts of stuff, but after swapping out the entire overhead light control assembly with another used one they were back to working perfectly so it may be the control board or one of the switches in the roof control panel or possibly one of the door latches needs a good shot of WD-40.

 

GRN 22, first off, welcome to the Forums. Lots of good information and people here. Grab yourself a cup of joe, sit back and learn some more about your car. We are a very friendly bunch and we like to keep things friendly. Part of this is we like to get to know one another. So, if you would please, stop by the New Member Section and tell us a little bit about yourself. We pride ourselves in being a better car group. This also gives you a chance to meet those that make this place what it is.

As for your problem. I feel you have 2 different issues here and we are going to deal with the more troubling one first (overhead lights). I would first start with pulling down your overhead console and unplugging it. At this point, close all the doors and see if the lights go out like they should (ie, few seconds after closing the door). If they do, then your problem lies in the overhead console. If this didn't change the problem, then undo the dome light for the car and unplug that. Again, close the doors and see if the lights go out like they should. If they do, then your problem lies with the dome light assembly. If either of these pieces are bad, odds are you are looking at getting a new assembly and installing that.

If your lights are still not responding like they should, then you have a pinched wire somewhere between the GEM module and the interior lights or the GEM module is bad. Have you recently had any work done on the interior of the car (new radio, some dash piece replaced, etc). This would be the most likely area where the pinched wire would occur. If this just came out of the blue, then where the problem lies is hard to say and unless you are a very patient man and know something about wiring, this may be one of those things that may be better left for a shop.

As for your map lights (the dome lights as you call them), that is most likely the switches have failed over years of use and you are going to end up getting a new overhead console. This may correct both of your issues. Granted, your problem would be a dual failure as the overhead/floor lights are caused by the switch for the center light failing too. But, i don't want to confuse the matter with tons of information.

 

Hi, and thanks so much for the help. (btw where is the "thank" button?)

I (or rather you) have fixed it
I pulled down the roof lights (by the mirror)disconnected it and the all the other lights began to work as they should, delayed off, ignition off, door and remote on etc
I then plugged it back in, jiggled a few things and it blew fuse F99, which is a good sign that it is stuffed

What does confuse me is that the actual light bulbs remain in the roof and arn't blown so they aren't getting power. So does the faulty unit I've taken down, with the little circuit board, control the power supply to them ?

I also wrongly assumed that this unit would control the delay off etc, but it obviously doesn't. Can't I just replace the circuit board or isn't it worth the grief when a used one off ebay is $50.

Have posted a picture.
GRN 22

 

GRN 22, the Thanks button is in the bottom right corner of the post that you want to thank.

As for the power routing, having just pulled the headliner out of my car, the power comes into the plastic module and then the 2 small pins feed power to the bulb. So, it could be something as simple as the module is coming in contact with the metal roof of the car or there is an internal problem with the plastic module.

As for replacing only the circuit card, sure you can do that. But, you are going to find that most people are going to want to sell you the whole assembly and not just the circuit card. Granted, you may end up doing a switch-a-roo if you can only find the piece in a color that doesn't match your interior.