Dead Dome Light

[hornz]

I have found several threads here that address dome light problems but none (that I have found) seem to fit my situation. I have not owned my 1978 280Z very long and am quite a novice at correcting problems. Please bear with me.

Here goes...The dome light, at one time, did function on occasion. Now, it will not come on at all. Light bulb is OK and the fuse is OK (I did replace at burnt one). I am getting power to the narrow connector in the light switch but no power to the wide one. When I described this situation to a mechanic he thought it might need to have the whole fixture replaced. I doubted this assessment because it seems to be in quite nice shape.

Any thoughts or experinces would be appreciated.

[dogma420]

Does this mean that the switches in each door jamb might not be grounding, or there might be something wrong with them? Is there anything else that turns on when the doors are opened? I'm not sure on your S30 model.

[Nissanman]

As indicated, the door switches when released [door opened] apply an earth to the wire that heads of to the dome light.

The fact that you found and replaced a ruptured fuse indicates there may be an intermittant short in the wiring somewhere.

Not sure what the wide connector is that you refer to, but when the door switch operates, you should see a healthy earth at one side of the globe.

If the supply is good, then the globe should light.

Remember the wise words of the Dahlai Lama: -

"There are only two types of electrical faults, open circuits and short circuits":cheeky:

[Ramses]

Have you tried pushing the actual light? You know there is a switch in the light on a 240. I am not sure about the 280.

[hornz]

I may have inadvertently caused the fuse to blow myself while fiddling with the fixture.

My light turns on/off by pushing the lens. I have tried it both ways. I was wondering if there might be something wrong with this switch. Is there a way to check this switch?

I'm certainly not ruling out a ground problem.

[EScanlon]

The wires going to the door switch provide a ground to the circuit they belong to. Period.

To check it, just ground the individual connectors going to the door switch. One of them is probably going to the "Door Open" circuit which even the 240 had as part of it's circuitry. The other will be the Dome Light, which also is the Courtesy Light circuit. Typically on the 240, the Driver's Door Switch had 2 wires going to it (per above) and only one on the passenger side. The 280's may differ.

The earlier cars had the Courtesy Light Circuit in the wiring, but no lights. (Those are the lights that would have been mounted on the door itself, or you can mount in the kick panel.) The leads are found on the ends of the Dash Harness as it gets closest to the Door Switches. They'll be taped off with Blue Tape. If the Positive lead of either one of those pairs makes contact with the ground, you'll blow the circuit's fuse. You might want to check both pairs.

The Door Open Circuit will only cause either a buzzer, a chime, or Bitching Betty to sound. (Depending on your vehicle and if it's connected and if the key is in the Ignition Switch.)

Now, I'm referring to the Door Switches at the door jamb, the forwardmost portion of the door opening and not the wiring going to the Dome Light. The wiring going to the Dome Light has a Positive wire (always hot) and a ground connection. One won't cause a problem, while the other will spark and blow the fuse. While making this distinction may seem unnecessary, it's best to err on the side of caution. Wiring meltdowns are nothing but a MAJOR PITA.

HTH

E

[hornz]

I am not discounting a problem at the door switches but let me address the situation in detail at the fixture to make sure I am being clear as to my whole problem because as I said earlier my electrical knowledge is limited.

My dome fixture has three connections. One, is a female connection on the fixture itself and receives a short, flat wire connector. I am assuming this is a ground. Another is a narrow, flat male connector that connects to specific wire fitting. This wire is hot. The other is a wider, flat connector and receives the remaining wire. It does not seem to have any power to it. Shouldn't there be power to both flat connectors (and wires) and if so, what are things to be considered that would cause one to not have power.

By the way, I have never had a buzzer or chime with the Key-in, Door-open situation. I don't suppose this is related to my other problem?

Thank you for your patience and expertise.

[MEZZZ]

By the way, I have never had a buzzer or chime with the Key-in, Door-open situation. I don't suppose this is related to my other problem?

Thank you for your patience and expertise.

Not sure if this will help you, but I had no dome light or buzzer when either door opened up but I could turn the dome on by pushing it manually. Soemeone told me on here to twist the pin on the door that controls the dome light and it flashed. I took elec. contact cleaner and sprayed it inside the door pin and twisted it around and the light worked! I did the same on the passenger side and got that working. Then, when I put the key in the ignition, I had a buzzer too.

[ktm]

"Shouldn't there be power to both flat connectors (and wires) and if so, what are things to be considered that would cause one to not have power."

No, the other is a ground as well and is controlled by your doors. The fat male is the ground for the light switch. The thin female is your power and the other female is the ground for the door switches.

[hornz]

I am happy to report that after cleaning the door pin switches and installing a new dome light assembly and bulb, the dome light works as it should. Thanks for all the help, guys. It was a more simple problem than I originally thought. I certainly know more about the situation now than before (with your help).

During this process, I also bought new door pin switches in case mine were malfunctioning. When I received them, I compared them to the originals. There was a difference in the driver side switches. The originals had four wires while the new ones only had two. Could these new ones be for an earlier model Z? Was there a difference in switches from the 240Zs to the 280Zs? EScanlon's reply seem to reveal this possibility. They are Genuine Nissan parts, part number 25360-B6000 and 25360-N4400 (SW ASSY-DOOR).

[Zs-ondabrain]

Speaking of Dome lights and not trying to Jack the thread BUT............

My dome light was giving crap as well. So I got into it and fixed it but started thinking "The dome lights in these cars SUCK azz"

So I got on line and started looking for your basic 12 volt interior lights. this turned out to be Mission Impossible. So I used Goooogle to look deeper and found this site.... http://www.directron.com/clk12wt.html

It's a Computer supply site and I found 12" 12VDC Cold Cathode Tube lights. Used to light up the inside of a computer case with a clear side panel.

They only require 5.0Ma which is like Nothing, practically. The picture below will show before and after as well as cutting off the "T" plugs that normally plug into the inside of the computer.

They put off a Beautiful white light when placed under the dash. I mounted the first tube at the bootom back corner of the glove box, using the supplied Velcro that came with it. It sits just on the back corner but not on the down facing panel of the glove box. Out of site but able to light everything up.

The drivers side was different. The tube sits on the upper side of the steering columnm, with the wired end touching the defrost tube and the other end just barely touching the curved dash support on the left of the steering column.

Best $15 I ever spent on lighting up a very dark interior. They sit low enough to even light the dark seats, just enough to make sure I don't end up with seat belt up my butt, AGAIN!!:tapemouth:eek:

Here's the pics..

Dave.

[Mr Camouflage]

Better wear clean shoes all the time now I guess.

I wonder if theres a bright LED light that can be used instead of the globe for the dome light. I recall posts about replacing the gauge globes with bright LEDs.