95 Skylark dome light problems

[Guest sintid58]

The dome light on my 95 Skylark will not go off with the door closed. Also the automatic door locks don't set. It acts like the door is not closed except that the door chime is not on. After parking the car and shutting it off there must be a timer that turns off the dome lights because if you leave it for a half hour then the dome lights go off until you start the car again. I can see no switch in the door frame anywhere. Could someone tell me where the switch is that controls the dome light on this car or how to fix this. If I can find it myself I will have to take out the fuse for the dome light and drive it until I can get the car in to get it fixed. Thanks

[JohnD1956]

Does your car have a dome light switch in the headlight switch? Many GM's use the same knob for adjusting the brightness of your dash lights for activating the Dome light. This will override the door switches, although I don't think it would result in a cancellation of the light after a half hour.

Anyway, try rotating your dashboard lights to the darker setting. If you feel a click then check your dome light , it should be off.

JD

[Guest sintid58]

That was the first thing I did

[JohnD1956]

Sorry, Was just trying to be helpful. At this point I'd suggest firing up the compressor and cutting the roof off to make it a convertible.

JD

[NTX5467]

There will need to be a switch in the door frame (somewhere, possibly on the front side) to interrupt the ground path of the dome light circuit. As mentioned, the headlight switch can override what happens at the door. The switch is a simple "ground interrupt" switch to break the circuit and keep the lamp from being on.

If the switch has failed, it can keep the light on. The failure would be for the contacts inside of the switch to be touching regardless of what the plunger of the switch does.

There should be a timer in the Body Control Module that will turn off the dome lamp after about 30 minutes of the vehicle not being in use. "Battery Rundown Protection", I think they called that. A different function than the "Theatre Lighting" which gradually dims the interior lamps after the last car door closes.

Regarding the door locks "not setting", is that via the door switch or the keyless entry remote or possibly an automatic locking orientation when the vehicle reaches a particular speed? That's a different circuit from the dome lamp, though.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest sintid58]

When I looked for the fuse for the dome lights there was none marked so I pulled out each fuse until the lights went out. The one that shuts off the dome lights is the alarm fuse. I look and felt all over the inside frame of the door and can find no switch. The fact that the door locks quit automatically locking and unlocking at the same time this problem started leads me to beleive that it must somehow be connected to the same switch. I am familiar with how the dome light circuit works and am assuming they must use the same switch to run both somehow. I was thinking maybe that somehow the door latch somehow works as a switch in these cars. My dad said he had the same problem in one of his Park Avenues once and had to take it somewhere to get it fixed. The dome light must work differently in these newer cars because when you close the door the light stays on until you start the car and when you grab the door handle with the door locked and don't open the door the light comes on. if they used a simple switch to complet the circuit to ground when the door closes that could not happen.

[Guest sintid58]

The dome light must work differently in these newer cars because when you close the door the light stays on until you start the car and when you grab the door handle with the door locked and don't open the door the light comes on. if they used a simple switch to complet the circuit to ground when the door closes that could not happen.

[Oldsfan]

This is just an educated guess, but I'd say you might have a BCM (body control module) issue. Sounds like it ought to go to your nearest friendly Buick dealer to be diagnosed. As had been mentioned, these cars have battery rundown protection, to keep from killing the battery in case a door is left open. So the dome lights are run through the BCM. I believe the automatic door locks are also controlled by the BCM.

Paul

[NTX5467]

More and more functions that used to be "hard wired" are now run via the Body Control Module--even the starter (which is why there might seem to be a slight delay between when you turn the key and the starter engages on many modern vehicles, automatically disengaging the starter when the engine speed signals "Started" to the BCM--plus not letting the starter re-engage while the engine is running). Lots of interfaces between many more vehicle "body" functions as time progresses into the future.

NTX5467